Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys--

I generally do boas so bear with me. Recently I had a guy drop off a young retic (~4.5-5ft long) that is verified a male at my local pet shop... since large constrictors are illegal in that state but not here, I took it in (I live on the border). The cage I have for it is a modified 220gal aquarium; the floor space is 6x2. The hood of the tank is fully set up for reptiles with glass preventing the escape of heat and humidity.

About how long would I have until the snake outgrows this? I know each snake grows differently, I'm looking for "at 9 or 10 feet it's too small" or something around that line. I'm thinking it'll be minimal at the 'adult size' of 12-14 feet, but in the opinion of those more experienced, would it be okay for even a larger snake? I'm just looking to know at what size the snake will approximately be before it really starts feeling cramped.

Thanks
NG

It depends on how much you feed it. They can grow to 9ft 10 ft in a year. However my retic I feed once a week and I give him a good lump, he is a couple years old and is about 8 or 9 ft.
I kept a Burm in a large glass cage for about 6 or 7 months and then I moved her. Snakes are to strong for glass cages and they can burst right through that glass when they get bigger. Plus my retic has a feeding response that everytime I walk down stairs and open the door he fires out and snaps and sometimes hits the front of the cage. You will be able to judge when its time to move him out. This has been my experience because I know on a side note people who keep adult snakes in glass tanks and have been fine.
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
0.1 Green Burm
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa

I think it'll start feeling cramped at about 10ft & it should be put into a bigger cage by the time its 12ft.

Have a good one!
Mike
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It is said that 1 out of every 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Think of your 3 closest friends, if they're normal, then it's you.