why so small?

[Razzed]

Hey all,
I'm starting to set everything up for my new arrival, and everywhere I read, they all say to house the baby snake in something the size of a shoe box.
Now, I get they have to feel safe and what not, but couldn't someone just pack heaps of hides and branches and obstacles for the snake to wander around and not feel out in the open?

I have a three foot reptile tank, and the hope is to fit it right out.
Thoughts? theories?

Cheers,
Scott

[eitak]

I have my two hatchlings in a tank 60cm tall, 60cm wide and 30cm deep. They are both happy and healthy as far as I can tell but I do have a few hide boxes and plently of vines/fake leaves for them to hide it.

Could always petition half of the enclosure off? The thing is also if you have it in something jam packed full of stuff you won't see it much and you'll be cleaning up alot more than you need to.

[beney_boy]

i was always told the rule of thumb wiht enclosures is the length of the tank is half the length of the snake. i guess you have to take into account stress and that.

[Jaxrtfm]

i was always told the rule of thumb wiht enclosures is the length of the tank is half the length of the snake. i guess you have to take into account stress and that.

that 'rule' is designed as a guide to the minimum size the enclosure should be for an adult snake, for me if the tank is half the length of young snake then it is too small and you'd better find a bigger enclosure real quick,

I dont see a problem with 3ft tank for a hatchie BUT not with sliding glass doors, as even the gap between the sliding glass can provide and escape route,make 100% sure there is no small holes , the slightest gap, give plenty of hides and vines are all good if you have the time to clean it thouroughly regularly,,,

[AM Pythons]

that 'rule' is designed as a guide to the minimum size the enclosure should be for an adult snake, for me if the tank is half the length of young snake then it is too small and you'd better find a bigger enclosure real quick,

I dont see a problem with 3ft tank for a hatchie BUT not with sliding glass doors, as even the gap between the sliding glass can provide and escape route,make 100% sure there is no small holes , the slightest gap, give plenty of hides and vines are all good if you have the time to clean it thouroughly regularly,,,

i didnt see the problem with putting a hatchie in a 3 foot tank either... untill i went to feed it one day & it was gone.. they are escape artists.. if you are going to, make SURE the enclosure is ESCAPE PROOF.. & i think you will find the hatchie will use about 1/10 of the enclosure..& there very hard to find when you put alot of 'stuff' in there, & then there's cleaning...

[redbellybite]

truth is ..if you want to risk losing your hatchy snake ,by all means put it in a big enclosure ..by the time you work out its not in there ,most times its long gone..small plastics tubs are easy to clean and house a hatchy ,most have very tight fitting lids, so chances of snake getting out is zero ,if you have made sure your lid is on tight and correct ..
Air holes, should only be big enough that if your hatchy pushes its head into them, you can just see its mouth,anything bigger and you run the risk of it trying to squeeze out of the air holes ..

When your little darling gets of decent size ,then you can jazz up a good enclosure and set it up for display etc ..
YOUR responsible for your snake and YOU should do what is best to keep it safe and secure ..but in the end this is only advise and you do what suits you ....

[JAS101]

i used the foam weather strip on my sliding glass [ where the 2 doors overlap] that soon cuts of that escape route . but being a hatchy it would be better off in a click clack , even if is in the big enclosure .