Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I actually plan on keeping another specie, but since young cornsnakes are said to be great at escaping, I thought this would be an ideal place to ask. Which enclosures are reasonably escape-proof (assuming no human error is involved).

For example, plastic boxes... are there any "known good" models? Most I have seen looked like they wouldn't be too hard for a snake to get out of? I'm also looking at herpcages.com as they have some inexpensive models, and I read baby corns can get out of vision cages, so that doesn't sound too safe. Just curious to hear your pos and neg experiences with escapes and specific enclosures.

It all depends on how much you want to spend? Most Tubs are pretty safe if they have a good tight fitting top. I like the ones with the clips on two sides to lock it down. A good standard is an aguarium but I make my own tops which are easy to do. Make a frame out of 1 X 2 wood strips that fits fairly tight around the top of the tank and then staple wire screen all the way around. Then put two peices of the 1 X 2 across the short sides of the top maybe 2 or 3 inches from the end and you have a great top for a glass aguarium. The trick is to pre-drill the holes and use screws to put it together. If you need I think I may have some old ones to take a picture of so you can see it. It really is quite simple to build as long as you can access some simple tools. If not they do sell some in pet shops. Some are good and some are garbage. Usually the ones made of metal frames work the best but it must be a tight fit. Not all tanks are exactly the same dimensions. Maybe buy the tank and lid at the same shop so you can examine it before you buy it.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

It would be easier to say if I knew which species you planned on keeping. Since they most likely are going to either be different in size, growth rate, temperature, and/or humidity requirements.

For most temperate colubrids one of those critter keeper type plastic cages will be great for a year or so. They come in different sizes and heat easily with a small heat pad under one side. I wouldn't bother with one for a baby ball or boa though.

I don't have *extensive* experience, but I can tell you what has worked well for all my snakes.

I've got all of em in various sizes of clear plastic boxes from Walmart. These are the boxes with the blue handles that swing up to clamp the lid on top of the box. They are convenient sizes, they're cheap, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had any escapes.

Oh, also -- depending on which species is in which box, I drill different numbers of holes in the sides and top for ventilation. Very easy!
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
0.3 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (TBA)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters