Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering about this.

I see alot of exo terra terrarium ads in herp mags talking about their 18x18x18 terrariums.

Since theyre cuboidal and thus not conventionally rectangle shaped like most terrariiums, what kind of snakes would be good to live their whole lives in there?

Would those snakes be beginner/docile/and low maintenence?

I can't think of any except rubber/rosy boas.

Please do tell. Thanks

Any snake 36 inches long or less should live comfortably in that size enclosure. There is an old rule of thumb that the length and width of the enclosure should be the same length or less than the snake being kept in it. Therefore, an 18x18 enclosure (height is not that big a factor) can house up to a 36 inch, or three foot snake. Smaller corns, mountain kings, thayeri kings, etc. should live comfortably in a cage that size, are very to moderately easy to keep, and are generally docile and good natured once accustomed to handling.

Thanks for the reply.

You said smaller corns/kings but wouldn't it be hard to find specifically that type of snake? (ie. smaller size, not species).

I plan on raising a snake from hatchling size. Wouldn't that be tricky seeing as there's no guarantee on how big its adult form will be?

Do you have any opinions on rubber/rosy boas in regards to that type of enclosure?

Between the rubber and rosy boas, I would go with the rosy. They are captive bred in large numbers and a variety of localities with differning colors, and even albinos. They do very well in captivity and most captive bred are on f/t mice. Rubbers are a bit sensitive IMO and can easily decline if not kept well lit and on the cooler side. Still, rubber boas are great snakes and I would suggest getting a VERY well established captive bred adult or subadult. New born rosys are easily found. Both would do well size wise in the cage you are interested in. You could push it a bit and 3.5 foot snake could probably do OK. The larger common king species like Florida, Eastern, Desert, Brooks, and even Cal kings would probably outgrow it. The arizona mountain king is a good colorful choice, along with variable kings (thayeri) and most greybands because they usually stay three foot or so in length.

So rosies are good also.

Ok thanks.

Between rosies and greybanded/cal kings, which would be the best option?

Which is the best in terms of hardiness/temperament? Also, in your opinion, if i wanted an active snake to be easily viewable during daylight hours, which should i get? I heard kings are a bit nippy

I have NEVER owned a snake before, and my only prior experience with herps is with my beloved leo gecko, which is happily living atm

I think that cage is a good rosyboa cage, especially for the following types of rosies that tend to be smaller on average:
Mexican
Mid-Baja (San Felipe, San Matias, Bay of LA, El Rosario, etc)
Desert and desert/coastal (Whitewater, Morongo, Joshua Tree, etc)

Nice thing about rosies and glass tanks - rosies do fine in screen-top cages (lower humidity) and on undertank heat. So that cage will work.

Some of the coastal rosies can get darn big, and an 18x18 cage may get a bit tight. Depends on the locality and your care. Rosies in general do well in smallish cages. Kings on the other hand need more room.

I think Variable kings (aka "thayeri" are a good choice for a kingsnake for that size cage. Thayeri stay on the small side compared to many other kings.

Cornsnakes tend to get long, but they will also use height, so the 18x18x18 cage works if you have a ledge or big branch for the snake. Branches are essentially useless for kings and rosies, but a corn may use it especially if you heat from above.
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Mark

OK thanks for the info.

But regarding temperament/ease of care/"handleablility"

Which would be the better choice? The small rosies or the variable kings?

Variable kings are among the most easy-going kings around. Truly easy to handle.

Rosies are very easy to handle, slow and deliberate. Put a rosy down on the floor and chances are it will stay there for awhile in no rush to do anything.

Some rosies can bite as a feed response, percentage-wise not very many, but those that do can clamp on and hold on for awhile. You take them out of the cage just fine, hold them just fine, and then after a minute or so they decide to bite. Out of maybe a dozen rosies, I had one that preferred that I bleed everytime, and a few more that were seasonal biters. With mine it seemed locality or strain-based for sure.
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Mark

So althought rosies are calmer when being handled, they are more prone to biting... hmm ok.

Im kinda scared now lol . Even though ive been bitten by ALOT of my pets before (from frogs to my leo gecko to hamsters), i still get very intimidated by the experience. Maybe its because each of my bite incidents had drawn blood.

But idk, i know that all snakes (or pets for that matter) will bite if agitated, but im really looking for a snake that, maybe "refuses to bite". If that even exists.

Do you have any good suggestions? Any suggestions dont have to fit within the 18x18x18 cage. Im just looking for viable non-bite candidates.

ps. THANKS SO MUCH for your time.