How can a cage be too big???

[jotay]

Until the results are clear, it would seem better for some people to spend less time on forums argueing about who is right and wrong... instead they should spend more time concentrating on the captivity of their animals and learning from the greatest source of reptile care information....the animals themselves.

Best comment I have seen in quite a while.......Bravo.

[jeffjr464]

i think i got lucky, my bp is puppy dog tame, loves his 30 long tank, (he knows every inch) is very social comes to me when i open the lid, likes his hides but he'll sit out in the open and lounge or climb up in a tree, i think he's realized he's in absolutely no danger necause of said examples and he's not nervous at all, he's also not head shy which is cool

[chasingtime]

got my male in a 125 and he eats like crazy and is very happy wandering his environment...

[angllady2]

I will add one thing to this discussion.

A year ago. my husband and I were the proud owners of two adult BP, one male and one female. Both came to us by accident. We got the female first, and two years later the male. Both had been raised in large enclosures.

We kept the female in a 40 gallon long aquarium. Granted we did not know near as much as we do now, but we managed. Ursula was about 5' long, but we have no idea how heavy she we because we didn't have a scale. She ate 3 adult mice per week, which we now know is not enough, but she did ok. We misted her tank regularly to help with humidity, the plexiglas lid helped. She shed on schedule, and was very content. She spent time wandering around a bit at night, and her days in her log hide.

When the male came he had the same enclosure as her and both did well for another year. They never refused food [ no surprise ], and shed well.

Then we started thinking about getting a baby, and so we started researching husbandry. We found lots of information which led us to believe that our adults needed smaller tanks to be happy. So, we moved them from 40's to 29's. Pretty much identical except for being 18" shorter. We promptly sold the big tanks and stand since they took up a LOT of room.

Within a week both snakes started refusing food. We understood they needed an adjustment period and were ready to wait it out. However, the situation went from bad to worse. Both snakes got aggressive and nasty, they'd lunge and snap any time you went near the cages. We increased the food from 3 mice each to 4, but they still refused more than half of the time.

They stopped shedding well, and became impossible to hold. Before both had been puppy dog tame, now they were both like piranhas. We worked for 6 months to correct the situation, and nothing we did seemed to help.

Finally, we gave them to a breeder in the next state who was delighted to get them, and understood the reasons we were giving them up. He took them home, put them in 55 gallon enclosures, and never had another problem from either snake.

I firmly believe all thing beings equal, both snakes hated the smaller tanks, and that is why they got so nasty. When given their space back, the negative behavior stopped again.

Now, we have started over with babies, and are keeping them in small tubs like most people here recommend. All 5 babies seem happy and are healthy. The tubs are certainly easier to maintain. We plan on raising these guys in tubs as long as the snakes are happy that way. I think that perhaps in certain circumstances, some snakes are happier in larger enclosures. Just like I think a lot of snakes are happy in small enclosures.

Gale

[Kaorte]

Guys. This thread is from JULY 2007

If you wish to discuss this topic, you are better off making a new thread or just reading through it.

[steveboos]

Guys. This thread is from JULY 2007

If you wish to discuss this topic, you are better off making a new thread or just reading through it.

HAHAHAHAHA, unfortunately most people just look at the thread title and not the actual date. Wow this is almost 3 years old.