Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting a snake soon, a Jungle Carpet Python about 3 feet, and I need to get a terrarium.

I was thinking an aquarium, but that would be extremely heavy, or one of those plastic cages that open in the front.

They say a snakes habitat should be about 2/3 it's length, and I am thinking that a fully grown Jungle Carpet would need a 4x2x2 (16ft^3) cage.

BUT... I am a college student in a 2 college town, so jobs pay low and are hard to find. And I am going to start a super heavy class load soon (and will continue for 4 more years, including summers), so I probably won't be able to upgrade the cage as the snake grows.

Would it be bad to get a 4x2x2 cage for a 3ft snake and let it grown into it? Will there be any adverse side effects?

IMO Larger cages will work fine as long as the lil guy has appropriate hides. They feel safest in the smallest hide they can stuff themselves into.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thanks!

Also, hypothetically speaking, if a person were to transfer to a college that didn't allow snakes in dorms, like VA Tech, how would one go about sneaking one in and hiding it? (this hypothetical person doesn't want to be limited to seeing his or her snake on weekends)
I was thinking that this hypothetical person could make a MacGuyver-style temporary homemade enclosure under a bed, and hide it with the blanket, using a low power hallogen bulb for heat, covered by a small lexan bottle to prevent fires or damage to the snake. And cover the floor in foil, with newspaper substrate, using cloth walls, and a zipper opening. And when handling the snake, this person could secure the door with a friction lock (stick a hat under the door).

Transport could be done by putting the snake in a pillowcase, and then placing it in a small duffel bag with clean clothes.

Not that I would do something like that, just hypothetically speaking. I'm not that kind of person.

you should have a way /place to send your snake for if/when you hypothetically get caught. Even though you could make a cage that nobody'd notice, wouldn't be too long before somebody found out. Maybe your new friend, new girlfriend, and your roommate would almost have to know. Not to say any of them would "tell" but the could let it slip to someone else who could tell someone else etc. etc. until somebody finds out who has a phobia or just doesn't like the way you pick your noze. (they prefer the dig deep method) they could "tell". Once the proverbial "snake is out of the bag" (pun VERY much intended) you're pet would need to find a new home ASAP.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

If you're going to transfer to Virginia Tech after your first year, do you still need to live in the dorms? When I was going to school back in the 80's, transfer students could move directly to an apartment. The one-year residency in the dorms was only for people who started there as freshmen.

Personally, I'd leave the snake at home until I could finish my time in the dorms and get an off-campus place. As the other poster mentioned, a snake will not stay secret. Someone will tell someone who will tell someone until the RA finds out. The RA will force you to remove the snake. There's no happy ending to what you're proposing. My heart is with you, but I think your plan would fail.

As I understand it, many of the houses around the campus are now being rented by students. There are also plenty of apartment complexes in the Blacksburg area. You should be able to find a place that will let you keep a snake. When I was there, I lived for a few months in a duplex down a place called Glade Road. That was a nice location, but it may have grown up considerably now.

In any case, I wish you well if you end up at Virginia Tech. I graduated from VPI&SU twenty years ago. The work was very hard, and most of my memories are of long hours without much fun, but I couldn't have picked a better school for my needs. The area is beautiful, and I remember many beautiful scenes as I went about my daily life.

All the best,

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

Thanks, I didn't even think of that. I checked, and transfer students don't need to live in dorms.

I'll probably get an appartment and bring ALL of my pets.

You could always rethink the whole thing and opt for a smaller, more hidable herp. For example a small rubber Boa, kept in a sweater type box in a bottom drawer and vent holes drilled in the back of the dresser. A small, quality heat pad like Bean Farm markets could be taped under the bottom drawer w/o a Thermostat to keep things simple if you just want to keep a herp around.(Fire safety should be paramount, others are at stake here)

But.... as ther others said. If you are more into "showing it off" It's a matter of time before you're found out. Good luck