Hi! Sorry but this is LONG! Questions:

1) How far into the cage should the hide box extend? With an 8' tank, should it be 2' into it (being 2'8" wide)?

2) Is 10" tall enough for the hide box for a adult male? I want two 10" levels in it - one damp, one dry, and then be able to rest on top of it if he chooses. OR I'll do 14" levels. The top being the damp one so as he can stretch out in the lower... And would a ramp be helpful for him to get into the top level when he's bigger since it is about a foot off the ground... I'm thinking no, but I'm no expert... lol!

3) How often should you feed a 6.5' burm? WHAT should I feed him to help get his weight up? Should I use huge rats, small rabbits, med rabbits? What's the cheepest food source - frozen ordered, or raise own rabbits? I want to provide him as much good food as he needs while making it the most cost-effective.

4) How much bigger around should he be? He stretches just over from one end of a full-size couch to the other. Could someone post a pic of a healthy-weighted 6-7' burm so I can know? He's also not all that heavy to hold, but he's a great feeder and I know he'll eat what I give him... The last owner power-feeds most of her snakes, so I'm kinda surprized he's underweight, tho not TOO much since he does require large food...



And as for the cage itself...

1) Does he need substrate? I don't think so, while Tony does ("all snakes need substrate!". How would you clean the cage with the substrate?

2) Would lanolium work well for the floor?

2b) If the cage started as two 4' sections, what is the best way to water-proof the seal between the two halves? maybe Tony has an idea...

3) How does removable ends sound? The ends would slide up and down with either runners or just tabs to hold it in place, and in the bottom ones there would be bolts to hand-tighten so as to hold it in place (hole in tab, hole in end-slab, depression in side of cage for bolt to hold onto). That way I can easily extract the hide box and water bowl from the side(s) for cleaning, or to get the snake out if side-extraction would be easier... It might also make it easier on him to get to the feeding box if that's what we do... We'll see.

4) For air flow, we're thinking that along the top (and maybe the back - unsure) we'll put screening between two layers of 1/4" or 1/2" plywood and have either holes or thin strips all accross it so as there can be ventalation without the chance he can break out. Would this work? Or maybe should we use fair-size holes with strong hardware cloth? I think we'll also put a vent in each of the ends, too, just for air flow.



Thanks for all the help! I'll post more pics this weekend when I'm at Tony's house.

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