Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wondering...has anyone every tried to keep there snakes in outside natural habitats and if so what kind of problems have you encountered?

Dan

I tried it once as a kid and did not have much success......

This is the closest I've come to outdoor caging (this is my lizard cage but have same cages for pituophis with different hides etc) I put them in it on nice summer days and bring the cage in at night. Am afraid to leave the cages outside on the porch as I have raccoons and skunks and other wild animals in the area. These cages are 2x2x4 feet aluminum screen. The animals really enjoy some actual sunlight; morning sun on the east side of the cabin.

I have been wanting to do this for some time now. I am looking at building a 6'x8'x4' outdoor enclosure with plastic coated screen running the top 1' and 3 sides being plywood and the front being part plexiglass. The top would be partially covered with plywood. THe bottom would be covered with hardware cloth with about 6-8" of soil covering it. I would place within the soil some retreats to escape the heat/cold. Any comments?

Sounds like a plan. I have been wanting to do something similar and see how it works. If you do it, keep us informed.
Dan

Being that outdoor caging has been so successful with many types of lizards, one would think snakes would follow suit.

A few breeders have had great results using outdoor cages for diamond pythons. In tropical areas, it is normal for a cage to be outside when housing native animals. But in that case, the conditions outside are not very different from inside, so no real change.

One very successful breeder of colubrids had a neat outdoor "snake pit" with brick walls suitable for tortoises. He kept a San Diego gohpersnake in there for at least a year. Apparently the snake was able to tolerate Winter and Summer just fine, but he rarely saw the snake, and when he did, the attitude was extremely belligerent. He had to bring it in during heavy rain because the pit got too flooded. Not to mention food intended for the snake that probably went to ants and racoons instead. In the end, this person aborted the mission.

This isn't to discourage you. It is more so you can figure out what goal you have in mind. If it is just to keep it outside, it can work, but may introduce other difficulties that really have no value. If it is to see where the snake goes when it is hot or cold, that may be of value. But if you provide heating via heat pads, etc, then you might as well put it all inside and avoid the problems. Or do outdoor caging only in Summer and let the snake thermoregulate for itself. Provide soil at least 6 inches deep plus boards or other shelter. And watch for ants.
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Mark