When to move him into a bigger enclosure?

[kiiarah]

Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can give me some direction in terms of ideal enlosure size based on age and size of the snake. I just happened across a great deal on a 50 gallon Exo-Terra. I know these aren't perfect because of the screen top and I am planning on having to cover the majority of it for that reason, but unfortunately I am not in a position to invest in a PCV cage just yet. In the meantime I think this one will at least hold him over for a while but I am sort of concerned that it may be too soon to upgrade him to a larger terrarium. He is currently in a 30 gallon, but it is a converted fish tank (one reason I am so eager to switch). Since it was not designed for reptiles it is much taller than it needs to be and suffers from a lack of floor space. I am already having trouble fitting his two hides and water bowl in it and he is due for even larger hides now. The new terrarium is 36x18x18 and the heat mat for it will be here in three days. I already have the lamp, lamp stand, thermostat...etc. So basically the earliest I could do this would be this Thursday. My concern is that he is not adult size yet. He is about 8 months old and at last weight he was 511 grams (probably weighs a little more now). I haven't really been able to measure his length but I am confident he is at least 2 ft and maybe even pushing 2.5 ft. I know a 30 gallon is not recommended for adults and also that putting too small a snake in too large an enclosure can cause stress. So my question is, would I be wise to just store the new terrarium until he is bigger or is he large enough now to move into it? Would I maybe be able to make it work by cluttering it up with enough hides and decor? If I should wait, how long would you recommend before he is ready? I am really eager to get him into a better set up, but at the same time what he is in is working and I don't want to create any problems by changing everything up too soon. Despite the lack of "slither space" he seems healthy and comfortable and I would hate to do anything to mess that up. He was 92 grams when I got him and the 30 gallon was great then, but it is really starting to look cramped now. When he is in his hide it is just fine, but when he is out exploring or trying to eat it seems like he hardly has room to move. Like I said above, the main issue with the current tank is that despite being a 30 gallon the floor dimensions are less than one would find in a 30 gal wide style terrarium. So any thoughts?

[kgrah1]

I've got my girl in a 40gal breeder tank. It's too big, but I know she'll grow into it. I got the tank before I knew that snakes are anxious about big spaces. She's gotten used to it; she spends a lot of time in her burrows or in the branches I set up for her.

How long have you had the snake? If it's only been a few weeks or a few months, I think it's better to wait. If you've had that snake for roughly as long as it's been alive, there shouldn't be any problem moving him sooner than later. Snakes enjoy cramped spaces, so I doubt the lack of room bothers him much. If the tank is too tall, maybe try building vertically. Add some fake branches or some pvc for your snake to climb on, that way he can move around all he likes.

[M.P.C]

Its fine just clutter it up with stuff so its not as open and as she gets bigger you can remove some stuff or just leave it, i have my girl peach in a pretty big tank compared to her size, i just put a bunch of stuff in it and she loves it

[mikesmelly]

36x18x18 is as big of a tank as you'll need. If it's too big right now just put a lot of clutter in. Two hides, a water bowl, and fake plants are what I have in mine and it fills the space up really nicely.

[ballpythonsrock2]

I would go ahead and do it myself, and just did with a 40 gal. You said you might need some larger hides anyway, it will give you more room for them. You can cover the front and sides with colored back round paper. You can hang plants on the sides, and things to crawl around and over. I don't have too much though, less to clean. I put 2 hides, 2 plants, a water bowl. I could probably use more to crawl over like an artificial stick cluster or something.

[lizzy_troy]

Also, you can turn your 30 gallon tank on its side, if you need more floor space but you're concerned that the new tank is too large. Use the top as the front. My brother did this with a large 55g tank. He turned it on its side and put a divider in it so that he could house a young boa in each side. Stood up like a fish tank, there would not have been much floor space, but turned on its side, there was a lot!!