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My snakes new home

  • Thread starter Ozzy
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Ozzy

SirKristoff is a poopiehead
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Thursday I got a call from a Big Lots that was about to remodel their store. they wanted me to disconnect the cash registers. They had a sale for the last few weeks and discounted everything up to 90% off. Everything was completely gone, even all the shelves. The building was completely empty. The only things they didn't sell was two tables that they use to put their sale items in. They had a sign on them for $5! After I did my job, I asked the manager if the tables was still for sale. She said yes. So I bought both of them. I got them home and started thinking what I was going to do with them. I decided make a giant home for my snake.
I carried it upstairs. That was the biggest part of the job because it's very heavy. I washed it out. They must have had something with alot of glitter for sale in them because it was full of it. I took the divider out of the middle. Filled it with substrate, and added some decorations.
Here are some pics.
snakeshome1.jpg

snakeshome2.jpg

Snake.jpg

snake2.jpg


I know that it's very huge for a little snake, but oh well It was very cheap to make.
Do any of you snake experts see any problems with this setup? Any suggestions on improvements? Any ideas what I can use to cover the top when the snake gets big enough to crawls out?

If I ever decide to get another snake, I can just put the divider back in.
 
Looks good! But a tank like that isnt fit for a small 6 inch hognose snake, it would be hard for the snake to find food, and they often become frightened easily in such large tanks. looks good though!!
 
What are you using for the top? I have had little buggers escape from the most amazing places.
Otherwise, what a piece of work! I have never seen anyone make a cage soooo big. You usually ahve the opposite problem.
Spectabilis, can't he remove the snake for feeding, ie put the snake and food in a small container?

Joe
 
Ozzy, I do not agree with Spec on the cage size. The snake in nature has yet to find an obstacle , besides us. He wanders checking out smells and tracking its prey. The prey in nature has a better chance of escape than they do with a caged, hungry snake. It may take hoggie a while to locate its chow, but it will locate it, and do what they do best--eat. If you are feeding it pinks, then you just drop them close to your baby and hang out to monitor the results. Cage too big? Tell that to any reptile that never met a human being, he wouldn't understand what you were saying. Whats a cage to a wild snake? Whats a cage?
rock.gif
Captive borns know nothing else, and become used to humans fairly quickly. Even my snakes come out of there hiding when the cage lid is opened to see if it means feeding time. They are used to being kept, but I still want mine to hunt, and not lose that ability. Should anything happen, I would want them to survive, or at least have kept that ability to do so. How much do they lose by being kept, I have no idea. But I still think that cage size poses no hindrance to the snake, and would be better suited to the snakes health and well being. Things are less confined, leaving much open space, and cleaner surroundings. I have studied California Kingsnakes in the wild, and they love the freedom to climb, crawl, swim, and explore anything they want. A cage would be a drag for that kind of snake. But captive borns, it is a part of their world. They would love larger quarters. And so would I.
 
Well here's the way I feel about this. If you keep an animal it is your job to make it as happy as possible. With pets like dogs it's easy, they are happy by just being near us and being part of our lives. Reptiles are very different. They don't really like us like dogs do. Being near us does not make them happy. So the way to make them happy is to give them a home that is as near as possible to their habitat. I'm sure no animal likes to be crammed in a small box for 23 hrs a day. Even though snakes in the wild spend most of their time in their hiding place, they have the freedom to crawl around when they want. All animals need enough space to exercise to be truly happy and healthy. Some more than others.
My lizards live in my walk-in closet. They have the whole closet to run and jump and chase flies and crickets. I converted the closet into a lowlands growing room, so they have plenty of plants to run on and hide in. My gecko likes to escape at night but she returns to the closet during the day.
Two of my male anoles lived together without any problems in a small indoor greenhouse with no problems. But I put them in the closet and they started fighting. I guess they wanted the same leaf or something. lol. I had to separate them one lives in big aquarium that I have plants planted in just for him. The important part is he seems happy. I really don't have a problem with any of the trying to escape, except for the gecko, but she returns back to the closet so I assume they are all happy. That's the important part.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]it would be hard for the snake to find food,

I don't have a problem with him not being able to find food because I still feed him pinkies. If you look at the second pic, you'll see a corner that doesn't have any substrate and it's surrounded by rocks. That is where I feed him. I put the pinkie there and then I pick the snake up and put him near the pinkie.
I had a bigger concern about him finding his water dish. I place him near it everything I put him back in his home. So he will learn where it is. By the way his water dish is the white bowl in the middle of the square pot. In the pot I have potting soil and bird seeds planted around it. It still looks pretty bare because the seeds has just began to grow. I want it to be kind of like a pond with grass growing around it.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]and they often become frightened easily in such large tanks
They get scared if they don't have a place to hide. There are plenty places to hide in there. His favorite so far is underneath the fountain between the skull and water bowl.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]What are you using for the top? I have had little buggers escape from the most amazing places.
I'm using nothing right now. That is one of the questions I asked in the first post. I know I'll need something soon. If you noticed I didn't put anything near the side. That's so he can't climb out.
I totally agree with you Bugweed.
 
Hello,
First off, what a great effort you placed into the enclosure, it was over the top awesome lol. Well, more on advice, coming from a fellow herp collector-
The great size of the enclosure: it may seem that all animals need a large area to feel "happy and free", but that may not be all that true. With such a large enclosure, maintaining the correct heat gradient will be difficult. Smaller snakes like secure places, away from the watchful eyes of the predator, mainly, the owners. You did the correct thing with alot of hide areas.
 
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