I am thinking of having an enclosure that is 2 foot (depth) by 3 foot (width). The water section would be 1 foot high and then from the waterline to the top of the enclosure it would be 2 foot high. (Rough measurements)
Personally my friends, if you have no previous experience in keeping snake I would recommend you educate yourself and get some background experience on the the subject of housing snakes in captivity before even attempting to keep one in a set up as described. My concern is for the welfare of the snake and what you propose is not something for an inexperienced keeper to attempt.
According to AROD Keelbacks average 50 cm and get to a maximum of 1.2 m. Whereas Common Tree snakes average around 1 m in length and can get to 2 m. Be careful when making assumptionsor statements about a snake’s climbing ability. This news article was recently featured on a thread here…keelbacks are very much active, also diurnal. Except; they are also almost 3 feet long, and from what i know not very good at tree climbing, so that could possibly be a bad choice.
There were some comments made about the potential dangers of chemicals in aquariums to reptiles. I don’t wish to offend, but if you were an experienced aquarist and also had expertise in keeping reptiles, you would know this is not correct. Fish are a lot more sensitive to water quality than terrestrial reptiles and the experienced aquarist. If freshwater fish are heathy and living in the water, then it is fit drink for reptiles (or humans).
That would not be a problem I would expect most of the poop to end up in the water. It would undergo the same process as fish poop. Note that turtles poop in water in copious quantities. This is addressed through a higher rate of filtration than that required for just fish and the OP has experience at keeping turtles. Given the size of the intended enclosure I’d reckon a standard filtration for that sized aquarium would be fine. If you should be interested in the basics of filtration for freshwater aquaria, I am happy to provide an outline (either here or via PM).It's good to have such broad experience on here.
What if the snake poops in the water? (I know mine do in their water bowl 90% of the time)....would that harm the fish or would the filtration take care of it?
It is all well and good to make that statement, but unfortunately it carries no weight without being able to identify the chemical concerned. I have operated a least one aquarium (and usually more) continuously for over 30 years now and don’t know which chemical you are referring to. It may possibly be one the old style toxic treatments which have since be replaced by much safer alternative these days.I obviously think you are wrong, just because something is safe for one animal doesn't automatically make it safe for another. I cannot recall what it is but there is one chemical in particular that is used to treat fish that is highly toxic to snakes and can be lethal if the fish are eaten.
This is very true. Ivermectin should not be administered to turtles at all to treat a worm or nematode infestation. Instead, Panacur (Fenbendazole) should be administered orally at the rate of 25 mg/kg once a fortnight for 8 weeksOne has only to look at the example of the medication Ivermectin. It is used for mite problems with other reptile groups, and also marine fish, but is highly toxic to turtles and tortoises.
According to AROD Keelbacks average 50 cm and get to a maximum of 1.2 m. Whereas Common Tree snakes average around 1 m in length and can get to 2 m. Be careful when making assumptionsor statements about a snake’s climbing ability. This news article was recently featured on a thread here…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-14/tiger-snake-balancing-act-at-tasmanian-winery/9445744.
What is being proposed would be ideal for a Keelback. Here is a thread by Baker showing his set up for his keelback…
https://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/threads/keelback-enclosure.221883/
There were some comments made about the potential dangers of chemicals in aquariums to reptiles. I don’t wish to offend, but that is not correct. Aquatic organisms are a lot more sensitive to water quality than terrestrial animals, including reptiles. If freshwater fish are heathy and living in the water, then it is fit to drink for reptiles (or humans for that matter).
As with all animals, good husbandry avoids the need for medications. Where things do wrong, for whatever reason, and tanks need to be medicated, the chemicals utilised are designed to be used at concentrations that will correct the ailment whilst not adversely affecting the occupants, including aquatic reptiles such as turtles. Treatment in a “hospital tank” does not involve other organisms, so is not relevant to this discussion, but the same realities apply. Note, we are talking freshwater aquariums, so the various chemicals utilised in marine tanks are not relevant.
It's good to have such broad experience on here.
What if the snake poops in the water? (I know mine do in their water bowl 90% of the time)....would that harm the fish or would the filtration take care of it?
hiI obviously think you are wrong, just because something is safe for one animal doesn't automatically make it safe for another. I cannot recall what it is but there is one chemical in particular that is used to treat fish that is highly toxic to snakes and can be lethal if the fish are eaten.
hi
used to keep marine fish and i remember the treatment for white spot (parasitical infestation) had a warning on the bottle, not to eat fish that were treated with this medicine. i didnt eat my marine fish so i never thought twice about it.
some toxins in fish can also become more concentrated in predators as the fish is only exposed once but the predator consumes many affected fish and the toxin builds. this is not caused by the water though and im fairly sure any activated carbon in the fish filter would effectively remove it from the water.
hope this helped
It is all well and good to make that statement, but unfortunately it carries no weight without being able to identify the chemical concerned. I have operated a least one aquarium (and usually more) continuously for over 30 years now and don’t know which chemical you are referring to. It may possibly be one the old style toxic treatments which have since be replaced by much safer alternative these days.
You shouldn't feed goldfish to any reptile, including snakes... that includes all members of the goldfish and Carps - fancy and ordinary, the entire cyprinidae family of fishes, goldfishes, Carps and minnows are extremely high in thiaminase enzymes that when ingested, cause a thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency in reptiles.I just remember the warning from a credible source specificially in relation to feeding aquarium fish to snakes. Anyway not worth arguing about.
You shouldn't feed goldfish to any reptile, including snakes... that includes all members of the goldfish and Carps - fancy and ordinary, the entire cyprinidae family of fishes, goldfishes, Carps and minnows are extremely high in thiaminase enzymes that when ingested, cause a thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency in reptiles.
The below diagram shows where thiaminase cleaves vitamin B1 rendering it useless.
View attachment 323575
The author has missed several points that were corrected by the first reply. The thiaminase is live fish is inactive. It might well be in high levels but it is non functional until it undergoes an unexpected chemical conversion following the thawing process where it becomes activated and now able to cause damage. Those fish are perfectly safe to use if not frozen. You'll notice all references to thiaminases in live fish are referred to as anecdotal evidence, postulated theories and suggested ideas - there is no scientific evidence to back it up and ceratinly there is no veterinary evidence to support thiamin deficiency fron feeding live fish.
You shouldn't feed goldfish to any reptile, including snakes... that includes all members of the goldfish and Carps - fancy and ordinary, the entire cyprinidae family of fishes, goldfishes, Carps and minnows are extremely high in thiaminase enzymes that when ingested, cause a thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency in reptiles.
The below diagram shows where thiaminase cleaves vitamin B1 rendering it useless.
View attachment 323575
This came up when I was looking for the info about what the chemical I was trying to remember. In reply to a similar comment to yours.
If I were to have fish in a tank with a snake, they would be small native fish. For example: Australian Smelt, some types of Rainbow fish and small gudgeons.
Enter your email address to join: