Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1) How long can a 16 X 10 X 6 inch tall tub house a corn snake, starting from hatchling? Assume feeding schedule is normal, not powerfeeding or anything.
2) Same question, but with 22 X 16 X 6 inch tall tub. If thats too big to start a hathcling in, how long before a hatchling grows so it can use it? Again, normal feeding schedule.
3) If wood (including underside of planks) is painted with fire retardant paint, which is left to fully dry for a whole week before snakes are introduced, is that going to be toxic or harmful to the corn snakes in the tubs?
4) For very small snakes housed in sandwhich boxes etc, that are just stacked, and not in a rack, how do you heat them?
5) What sized ventilation holes is good for hatchling tubs that do not allow them to escape?
6) Which is better for retaining heat, acrylic or wood? And by how much?

Thanks.

1) How long can a 16 X 10 X 6 inch tall tub house a corn snake, starting from hatchling? Assume feeding schedule is normal, not powerfeeding or anything.

I think it could vary since some corn snakes grow faster than others, depending on their genetics. Of the top of my head, I'm thinking a 16x10x6 is similar in size to a sterilite 16 qt container? (please correct me if I'm wrong). In which case, it could probably hold a corn for a year or two depending on growth rate.
2) Same question, but with 22 X 16 X 6 inch tall tub. If thats too big to start a hathcling in, how long before a hatchling grows so it can use it? Again, normal feeding schedule.
If these dimensions are similar to a 32 qt sterilite container, I would say it could hold an adult for life. While it may not be ideal, it can save on space for large collections.

3) If wood (including underside of planks) is painted with fire retardant paint, which is left to fully dry for a whole week before snakes are introduced, is that going to be toxic or harmful to the corn snakes in the tubs?
Why use wood? It will warp and absorb odor and be hard to clean. I made my racks out of PVCX, which is a material similar to PVC piping but in sheet form.

4) For very small snakes housed in sandwhich boxes etc, that are just stacked, and not in a rack, how do you heat them?
I heat my entire reptile room.

5) What sized ventilation holes is good for hatchling tubs that do not allow them to escape?
Use a sodering iron (the one that looks like a pen) to melt holes in the containers...just ask someone at home depot to show them to you. BUT do it outdoors....the fumes are toxic.

6) Which is better for retaining heat, acrylic or wood? And by how much?
Is there some sort of index for heat retention? Is that what you're looking for? You've got me stumped...I would imagine it depends on the application or use but wood may be more porous than acrylic? and therefore wood may lose more heat? (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).

Here is a link to step-by-step instructions on how I built my reptile racks for my herp room. I know the pics do not enlarge when you click on them but I plan on getting around to that one of these days. I have over 50 babies of various species to care for so I've been super busy in addition to my 100plus collection of snakes. Heck...I think tonight is the first time I've posted in the corn snake forum in over a year.lol
http://www.reptilerackshack.com/construction.htm

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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

Thankyou for your reply. I found it very helpful.
However, I do have some questions:

1) Your answer to my first two questions, I live in China, and we do not have the steralite brands. I have tried to search for the dimensions of a 16qt and 32 qt to no avail. Can you please let me in on the dimensions in inches please?

2) For the second size, the larger one, would it be bad to start a hatchling off right away in that size?

3) I have no idea where to get PVCX. I mean, the people here don't speak english. Often I get recommendations here that sound really good, then I go to the hardware store and they have no idea what I am talking about. I am having a hard time getting something as simple as "foil tape" because I don't know what it is in Chinese. So, if I was to use wood, would the fire retardant paint when dried be toxic to the snakes?

4) I do know that you make holes in a container with a soldering iron. I have one myself and use it to make holes. However, what I need to know is the SIZE of the holes I should make for a hatchling that allows for ventilation yet not escape.

I did a search and one site gave dimensions that say the 16 X 10 is the same as a 12 quart. Then one site said it was 16 quart. THen another site said that there are NO 16 QUART CLEAR BOXES made by sterilite! This is really frustrating. I read are sheets and everyone is talking in these "quarts" and "rubber maids 154521" and "20 gallons", all these things I have never seen my life here in China and would never have heard of had it not be for the internet. Even if they have them, I can ask for them and no one will understand a word I say in English when I go to the shops anyway.
Can someone please give me the dimensions in inches or cm?

Ok I am at sterilite official site. I can find 32 quarts under clearview storage with dimensions of 23 1/2"L x 16 1/4"W x 6 3/8"H
But there are no 16 quarts for anything on any of the sections except storage drawers, which can't be right.

Anyway that box is more like the 15 quart, in fact, an inch smaller on each side or so. How long will that be good for?

I see you already found the dimensions of the 32 qt. A 16 qt is simply half the size and could hold a corn up to 1 to 2 years of age depending on their growth rate and size. Of the dozens of corn snakes I currently have (or have had in the past), I found that they all have different growth rates. Basically it is a judgment call. If the snake looks too big for a cage, then it deserves something larger.

You would be much better off keeping a hatchling in something small to start off. It is much easier to monitor feeding. Both containers mentioned above are too big for a hatchling (in my opinion). I think there is a much larger risk of escape with smaller snakes in a rack setup.

PVCX goes by many names. You won’t find it at a hardware store. However, it is mainly used by the sign industry (such as the for sale signs in front of homes). You could simply go to a sign shop and ask them who supplies their materials or if they have any excess they could give you (for you to experiment with). It is simply a type of plastic material. I would ask in the caging forum on about the fire retardant toxicity. Someone in that forum will definitely have an answer for you.

Since you are China, it is very difficult to offer advice since I don’t have the slightest idea about where to suggest you look for general supplies. In fact, I have a friend a few states over that gets herp-related materials and supplies that I can’t even find in my state….such as Sani-Chips. As for the soldering iron….I think the holes I make are less than a quarter of an inch in diameter.

Anyway, I probably didn’t help much so I’m sorry. Are there any professional breeders nearby/locally that can offer suggestions or help? If so, maybe contacting them would be the way to go for ideas on caging. Otherwise, it may get frustrating.
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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

No no you have been of great help.
Thanks.

Since you suggest starting the hathclings in something even smaller, I don't think I should build another rack for that just to use for a few months. I guess I will just stack them on top of each other.

Do you know how I can heat these boxes without heating the whole room , without a rack? Do I just put heat tape on a wall behind the boxes?

And also, what if I were to use the big size enough to house an adult from the start, but then put more hides so there is less open space to stress it out?

Actually, I have 2 baby snakes here now, and 10 more are arriving in late august as hatchlings. It does not get cold here until late october, early november, all of a sudden too, so there is a two to two and a half month period before I need any heating.

If I were to house the corns in unheated lunchboxes for 2.5 months, then move them to the big, full sized racks enough for adults, will they have grown big enough that its not too bad?

I'm not sure I followed you entirely. If I understand correctly, you were asking about housing hatchlings in something larger. It's not a stress related issue AS much as it is a feeding issue. If baby corns are in too large a container, they will not encounter the food as easily and may not eat or may shove the prey around so that its hidden and you thought they ate but they really didn't. I'm not sure about heating related questions since I've always struggled with this until I finally went with heating an entire room.
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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@verizon.net

by feeding the hatchlings in a separate container. You can even use a small brown paper bag, fold it down carefully (so you don't fold their tails or heads in the fold), staple it shut, then put the whole thing back in their regular housing container. Then after a while, open the bag and see if they ate.
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phflame
kingsnake.com host

Hi. I cup feed all my hatchlings so I guess that would be ok then?

just make sure to provide enough small, tight hides for the little guys to feel secure. You can use an empty paper towel tube that you flatten out for a disposable hide.
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phflame
kingsnake.com host