Posted by:
pinelandsghost
at Wed Oct 28 02:04:10 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by pinelandsghost ]
Amy Hi, How big should the cage be? Generally it should be about 2/3 the length of the snake its housing long.
I've got to admit the setups some folks here have made for their snakes are impressive but I've got to wonder how much hastle they will go through keeping it clean. If you can't keep it clean your going to run into parasite and health issues.(not to mention,its going to smell  )***
Plastic storage tubs with holes put in the sides are the easiest to maintain and are the choice of breaders but don't show well.
Fish tanks,which is the bulk of what I have, are manageable in price and can be relitively easy to clean. The big ones can be heavy and need to be cleaned where they are kept.
This is the case with a 6' 125 gal tank I keep a 9' Blue Beauty and a 7' Black Rat in.
This is plenty of room for these two snakes. I keep 12" heat tape under 1/2 the tank with a dimmer switch keeping its temp at the mid 90s. This brings one side of the tank to the mid 80s.
Keep in mind if you use heat tape to keep an air space under it so that heat doesn't build to high and use some type of reostat to keep its temp under 100 degrees.
Another pricey but really nice choice is a vision cage. These come in several sizes, are easy to clean and easy to control the temp in. They are expensive but you get what you pay for.
Be mindfull of anything you put into the tank. Pieces of wood can introduce parasites. I don't use anything without washing it first and only use wood that fits in my oven. I wash it and bake it long enough to steam up and make it hotter than hell to kill anything it may harbor. Also be carefull of and chemical coatings plastic plants, etc may have on them.
My main choice of bedding is aspen shavings. A crock type of water bowl is used as it is heavy (won't tip) and cleans eassily.
Lastly I use plastic coffee cans with a hole cut into the lid for hide boxes, again its easy to clean.
Do you see a pattern here? Yep, keeping it clean is key!
Good luck with your guys!
Mike.
PS- ***Incidentally, I purchased a "therapure UV air purifier" from walmart for $99. It completely erases any odors from my reptile room! The UV lamp in it kills any airborne germs, viruses and bacteria.
Also on a tip from a friend of putting a couple small containers with an inch of cider vinigar with a drop of dish soap in it eradicated the fruit fly / knat problem I had. 
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RE: ?? about large rat snake cages - Pics? - pinelandsghost, Wed Oct 28 02:04:10 2009