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Cages, Housing & Habitats

There is an amazing amount of different cages out there to choose from. What fits yours and your animals needs best will determine what type of caging you need to get. Factors such as size of your pet, space available, and cost are going to be some of the main factors when decided on the habitat for you snake. Remember, the habitat you choose is going to be where your snake will live the rest of it’s life!

Lets start with the size of your pet. If you are looking to house a Boa Constrictor, then you must realize that your pet may very likely become ten feet long! Although most Colombian/common Boas (Boa C. Imp.) won’t become much larger than eight feet long, some of the “true” Red Tailed Boas (Boa C. Constrictor) may attain a length of twelve or more feet! So your first step has to be for you to decide whether or not you can house such a pet. A good rule of thumb for housing a boa is 1 sq. foot of cage floor for each foot of snake length. So an eight foot boa should have a minimum of a 4’x2’ cage (8sq feet).
So where are you going to put such a large cage? Some family members my object to have a ten foot Boa Constrictor as the centerpiece of the family room! Some people would actually rather watch TV than see such a beautiful creature? There really is no accounting for taste, but we must do what we can to keep peace in the family.
If space is a concern then maybe a smaller snake species is for you. Corn snakes come in an array of colors that should make just about anyone happy and can happily live out their lives in a habitat the size of a standard 20 gallon aquarium.

So now you have decided on how big of a habitat you are going to need and if you have enough space for it. Now it is time to decide what kind of cage?
“Well, you do have that leaky 55 gallon fish tank in the garage?” But if you are going to house a Boa in that, we already know its not big enough. A corn snake will do just fine it though, assuming that you buy a secure retile top for it at your local pet store. (bricks and books to secure a lid is an accident waiting to happen!) There are some Drawn backs to aquarium though. They are heavy, even when empty, so cleaning them can be difficult. And they open from the top, so working on the cage is not always super easy either. And they take up more space then the newer Stackable, custom reptile cages that are on the market today. But for the most part, Fish tanks have been tried and true cages for years, they may not be perfect but they do work, just keep in mind, if you plan on keeping a Boa in a fish tank, you will need a 150 gallon tank to do it!
“You’re a handy guy/gal go to the lumber yard and build your own “custom” cage”
Again, it’s a method that has worked for years, and if you really are handy and can work with Formica or other water resistant materials, it is not a bad way to go. But again there are some draw backs. Wooden cages can be heavier than even the fish tanks, so make sure you find a good place to put it, because moving them is tough. Wood also “absorbs” odor and after a year or two, that cage is going to have a smell that is hard to get rid off. Mites seem to love all the little nooks and crannies that a wooden cage seems to offer. Most important of all, wood is hard to sterilize. Bleaching it does a good job, but then you have to let it air out for days before putting the snake back in. But again, if you happen to be a cabinet maker, then chance are you can make a really nice wooden cage.
But you are not a cabinet maker and you have no leaky fish tanks in the garage. So how about one of those “new” (really, they have been around for years) light weight cages made just for reptiles. I hear you can have heat supplies and light put right in them, just plug em in and add snake! Yes, these cages are fantastic! Light weight, strong, space saving stackable and made with your reptile in mind…..But as in life there is always a drawback. Sticker Shock!!!! Some of these new cages can be $400.00 or more just to get one big enough to house your $150.00 Colombian Boa! Well, there are two guys out there making GREAT and Affordable reptile cages.
Doug Barr (www.barrs.com) and Jeff Ronne aka: The Boaphile (www.boaphile.com) Both make great cages and both charge in the same price range for a stackable 4’x2’ Boa cage. I won’t quote prices because it is not my place to do so. Now I’m sure there are other cage makers out there that are just as good, but these two I have seen in person (I use the cages from Doug Barr for both my Boas and my Corns) and Jeff’s cages I have seen and are just as good.

Now you have decided on your cage. You have set it up, clean water, the right temperatures, proper lighting. Now you are ready to bring home your new snake. Yes, that’s right! Get the cage before you get the snake. That way you know you have a place to put it when you get home. You can get him into his new habitat right away so he can settle down and get comfortable.
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

[ Hide Replies ]

• Help with Boa Cage - Noir, Tue Jun 7 21:14:18 2005
• This would be my standdard caging answer - Hoppy, Tue Jun 7 21:36:04 2005
• and this is my temps, lighting and humidity answer......also long - Hoppy, Tue Jun 7 21:37:30 2005