Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everybody! A few months ago I posted on here asking if I should get a boa or ball python for my first pet snake, and am very grateful to you for talking me out of a BP. (I recently got a few BPs for a future breeding project, and while they're lovely, their personality as pets leaves something to be desired.)

Anyway, Lilith the albino BCI is about 15 months old, has been growing like kudzu over the last few months, and I want to get her into an enclosure that would last her the rest of her natural life. I want to do a naturally planted vivarium, but was wondering what cage/container I should use. I could get a used 100 or 150 gallon aquarium without too much trouble, but do you think that those are wide enough? (the footprint on those is 72 in by 19 in.) Do Boaphile cages have a high enough lip at the door for me to get enough potting soil in there for me to plant? Is there another brand of cage that you'd recommend? My construction skills are limited - while I'm capbable of bolting something together out of wood and acrylic, I don't think it would stand up to a lifetime of use as a vivarium.

Thanks for your input!
-----
0.1 Boa constrictor imperator
0.3 Ball pythons
1.1 Crested Geckos

i would think that they have plenty enough lip for that. i do not know if your idea will work out too well though, the humidity might get way too high to mix soil with a boa.

Good point. I'll ask around and see what people have to say about the ventilation on those. Thank you!
-----
0.1 Boa constrictor imperator
0.3 Ball pythons
1.1 Crested Geckos

Check out "The Art of Keeping Snakes" by Philippe de Vosjoli. If you want to design a true vivarium, that book will really help out. As far as the size of your "tank", I think you'll have to go custom in order to have enough room for a deep enough layer of substrate, plants, logs, hides, and a 6-10 foot snake! I think vertical would be most important in this type of setup. Just my $0.02.
-----
Diego

Diego & Tiffany's Zoo:
SNAKES
0.1.0 Boa Constrictor
1.2.0 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.1.0 Hypo Everglades Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Trans-Pecos Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Salt and Pepper Bull Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Pacific Gopher Snake
2.1.0 Sonoran Gopher Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Sonoran Gopher Snake
1.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnakes
1.0.0 Gray Banded Kingsnake
0.1.1 California Kingsnake
1.1.0 Thayeri Kingsnake
3.2.0 Rosy Boas (Mexican, Temecula, & Mid Baja)
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1.0 Indonesian Dwarf Pacific Boa
1.1.0 Cape York Spotted Pythons
1.0.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Western Hognoses
0.0.1 Lyre Snake
0.0.1 Glossy Snake

LIZARDS
2.0.0 Bearded Dragons
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
1.0.0 African Fat-Tail Gecko
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.4.0 Leopard Geckos
1.0.1 Yellow Niger Uromastyx
1.1.0 Chuckwalla
1.4.0 Banded Gecko
0.0.1 Gold Dust Day Gecko
0.0.5 Sandfish

AMPHIBIANS
1.0.1 Green Tree Frogs
1.0.0 Bubbling Kassina
0.0.1 White's Tree Frog
0.0.2 Gold Frogs
1.0.0 Fire Salamander

That's a great book and it's been really helpful in a lot of respects - planning out substrate, landscaping, etc. I personally have found it less useful for figuring out the best kind of enclosure/container for various species, but I'll revisit it and see what it has to say! Thanks!
-----
0.1 Boa constrictor imperator
0.3 Ball pythons
1.1 Crested Geckos