Introducing Hatchies to larger enclosures

[TigerCoastal]

Hi i have got a standard 3 foot enclosure for my coastal hatchie when he is a bit older. At the moment he is in a 10l click clack and he hates it! every time we get him out of it and try to put him back in he fights us all the way and when we do finally get him in there he spends the next 20 mins trying to get back out again. He is 9 weeks old, and feeding well, and i have heard that putting a snake in too big of an enclosure can make it snappy and go off its food. My question is if i put his click clack in the middle of the enclosure and leave the lid slightly open so he can get in and out as he wants, would the extra space freak him out? I have worked it out there will be space for 4-5 different hides in the enclosure as well as the 2 in his click clack so he will have the ability to move from end to end almost completely covered. I know most people aim to have their enclosure roughly half the length of the snake, but at what length would people put a young snake in an enclosure this size?

Cheers

 

[RELLIK81]

if it were me id just upgrade to a bigger tub for now....
my hatchy jungles are in 20 litre tubs i think....they are content in there for now....when they get too big for those ill upgrade again to a bigger tub...until there is no more bigger tubs to get...then ill put them in a 4x4x2 adult enclosure....

 

[Jekee]

My Jungle used to and still occaisonaly does act like that. Considering the lid to his little enclosure is at the top it is rather difficult trying to place him back inside it as he insists on climbing straight out, before i get a chance to put the lid on! He doesn't do that too much anymore though. About the keeping the lid off idea, most likely he will just spend all his time in 1 spot anyway, and when you put him back he will just try to find his way out of the bigger enclosure. Personaly though I don't agree with the idea of them getting freaked out in a larger space, and going off food etc. When I put the maccie into his bigger enclosure only after spending about 2 weeks in the smaller one his feeding probably became better, and he was no more snappy than he was before.

 

[TigerCoastal]

I have been letting him out in the enclosure for a few hours each day and as soon as i pop the lid to the click clack he is out cruising around the enclosure. If i get him out to handle him and put him back in he is happy to head for one of the hides or climb his "tree". The only time he really wants out is when he is in his click clack

 

[SNAKEBOY33]

just leave him in the new enclosure if your unsure leave the click clack in with the lid off. I'm with Jekee i think the leave him in a click clack idea is over rated. If all of his needs are met he'll thrive. Leave them in a click clack sounds a little like break their spirit to me.

 

[Blondie84]

I had the same issue with my MD... she HATED her click clack, but as a new herper I was following the advice of pretty much everyone who said dont put her in a space too big.

But me being me I thought I would just see what she did, so I left the lid off and she was out straight away and didnt go back in until I put her there. So I just left the click clack in there for a week or so.... she had plenty of hides, although she rarely is in there anyway, and it seemed like her click clack was just in the way... or was good for climbing on.

I think that if you know your snake you will be able to tell/sense if it is starting to stress, before it stresses itself too badly. JMVHO

 

[TigerCoastal]

Snakeboy33 and Jekee, i totally agree with you, i think click-clacks are only good for breeders with many hatchies to house. I'd prefer to give him a little more room to move and see him alot better.

Blondie84 i'm like you, new to herps, and i'm basically doing the same as you, leaving the click clack in there with him, but the only time he goes in there is if i put him in myself. In his click clack he uses his hides when he has been fed, but his click clack didnt let quite as much light it. He is due to be fed sunday night so i'll let him have some space and see how he goes.

 

[dune619]

when i got my Jungle thay siad to keep him in a click clak but i never did he whent in to a 2 foot tank and never looked back

 

[TigerCoastal]

cheers dune619, having a few people tell me they did the same thing makes me a little more confident in thats what he needs

 

[Blondie84]

And while I have done this with my first snake, I am fully aware that my next snake could be the complete opposite and NEED to be in a little click clack for a long time....

 

[schizmz]

yer i put all mine into their enclosures at about 10mnths and they love em,especially the jungles 8)
they think it's climb city hehe

 

[TigerCoastal]

Blondie84 each snakes definately has its own personality and needs...its just the way that he has been acting that has made me think along these lines. If he was a reclusive snake that stressed easily when out of it's click-clack i wouldnt even be considering it.

 

[JAS101]

my jungle was my 2nd snake , at the time he was only a couple of months old . i put him straight into a 3ft enclosure , he has never tagged me and i have never had any issues with him .

 

[kensai]

I put my 1st diamond hatchie straight into a 4 X 4 X 2 enclosure, best adjusted snake I have.

 

[AidanOBrien]

Yer I think the same thing of space to move is a good thing my darwin at 9 weeks old step straight into a 900 x 600 x600 enclosure no worries at all. She's cruisin around all the time checking thing out and as for snappy she has settled right down and as the glass opens now she comes over to be let out. As for the click clack it went straight into the cupboard and in went a nice hollow log for her to hide in.

 

[TigerCoastal]

Thanks for the confermation that i might be doing the right thing. He has been out if his click clack since i put it in there and opened it and he didnt need any encouragement to come out when the click clack was opened, and when i woke up this morning he was happily sitting up his tree looking at me. Will offer him a feed tomorrow night and see how he goes with that. He will eventually be put in an enclosure 1200 x 600 x 700, but that wont be for at least another year