Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We are moving from our current house to about 3 acres of land close to Tampa, Florida. As a result we have the opportunity to build a stand alone snake room from scratch. YEAH!

What would you put in your new snake room if you were building one today? What would you do differently than you did when you set up your snakes?

Also, any suggestions on the best way to move over 400 snakes and not mess up the upcoming breeding season?

Thanks
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

Hey Alice!

SO neat to hear... I'd love to do the same!

My opinion? If I had the money, I'd build with 16" block poured solid. Heavy duty trusses w/screwed down metal roof. A few small windows and a HEAVY steel door (completely plumbed w/full bath, well with hand-pump backup and some sort of AC). Make the entire building a well insulated hurricane 'fallout' shelter good to NO less than 200 mph! Then, no need to evacuate should a biggie come for us one of these days. It would cost a bit more for sure, but I feel it's the best thing for me in the future if I can make it happen and a smart move. Kick it around-

See you next weekend in Tampa (Repticon)?!

Matt J.

>>We are moving from our current house to about 3 acres of land close to Tampa, Florida. As a result we have the opportunity to build a stand alone snake room from scratch. YEAH!
>>
>>What would you put in your new snake room if you were building one today? What would you do differently than you did when you set up your snakes?
>>
>>Also, any suggestions on the best way to move over 400 snakes and not mess up the upcoming breeding season?
>>
>>Thanks
>>-----
>>Alice Cobb
>>Florida Reptile Room

Thanks for the input Matt.

See you next weekend.
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

Lots of outlets and a double basin sink for tub cleaning.
Also, floor drainage.

Yep, double basin deep sink and outlets waist high every four feet or so.

Thanks
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

TOTAL snake proof/escape proof all walls doors etc etc

sink or even a senk at each end of room

lighted as needed ...use natural bulbs

cleanable floor,,.walls etc

cieling snake proof also

windows?....yes....theft proof bars

steel doors with good locks and dead bolts

alarms?

baby racks nearest to sinks( I find I cleaned babies every week, adults as needed)...

.........

pics for us all....LOL

.
.
.
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........JY

How would you suggest I snake proof it? We are making sure the doors open outward so we see what's on the inside before we step in. Walls with no holes.

I agree that any great snake room needs a sink.

Right now I'm thinking vinyl on the floors so they will clean easily and not get cold.

We were doing a drop ceiling so the duct work for the A/C and heater could go in the ceiling. The drop ceiling does worry me a bit but it will be 2 feet above the top of the racks, sooooo
cieling snake proof also

Good idea on steel doors with strong locks.

Hadn't thought much about an alarm but that does make sense.

Thanks for all the great ideas!
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

Don't have the doors open outward. If they do the hinge pins will be on the outside. People could pull the pins and break in. I never really though of snake proofing the building. I don't really see a snake hiding behind the door just waiting for it to open so that it can slither out past your feet. I would be more apt to keep the building safe from break ins and if you really want to be cautious snake proof the caging.
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snake proof......I meant like so snakes cannot escape or hide in room....I had "pink" insulation on cieling...snakes,hamsters and all kinds of stuff lived in it for weeks or more at a time...hamsters would have tunnels all through the fiberglass pink stuff....walls....holes and gaps, allow snakes to get into walls or out into other rooms...I actually found snakes in the middle of the road once and in my yard .....ridleyi in 20 degree weather don't mix....corns and cars ...flat....LOL.....if you drop a snake...it will run really alot faster than you think....

cinder blocks....I had all raxx on blocks......ever see a het pied , 5 foot plus, 12 pounds, ,gravid female, at day 50 hide inside half an 8 inch cinder block and make you very angry to the point you didn't care, and cannot reach her or grab her...and hooks make her shrink into block smaller...?.....I did...all eggs died after that deal.....

snakes, even balls, can move really fast.....if all raxx are on wheels it would help too....and all up off floor...

drop cieling....have a "peek into it hatch "...you'll find a snake in it sometime ....I'd bet ....

sink is a MUST have ....

floor ....don't matter really...I had concrete,....
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........JY

Big Screen TV, you'll spend a lot of time in there.

See you in Tampa this weekend?
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

Come see exactly what we put in our facility!!!!! YOU ARE FORMALLLY INVITED!

I'm trying, I'm trying!

Will you and the family be in Tampa this next weekend?
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

We are not vending but i will be there!

All of us Greg? or just Alice.

Dale, you are in the same boat as Alice you both need to quit making excuses and get here!....lol

Split faced block stuffed full of vermiculite for insulation. Great heating system. Vinyl flooring. More sinks than I thought I'd need and more lighting than I though I wanted. Backup generator. Walk in incubator. And enough freedom breeders to become a distributor if I wanted. Right beside it I'd build a rodent shed.
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0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.2 Normal Ball Python
0.2 Het for Axanthic Ball Python
0.1 Axanthic Ball Python
1.0 Piebald

Good ideas, thanks. I doubt I'll use Freedom Breeders though - I am partial to Animal Plastics.
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

AP racks are what I use as well for now. If snake security is an issue for you. AP will drill holes for pins in your racks for free. They just charge you for the pins themselves.
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www.seeversreptiles.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 Spider Ball Python
1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.2 Normal Ball Python
0.2 Het for Axanthic Ball Python
0.1 Axanthic Ball Python
1.0 Piebald

I didn't realize that. Thanks!
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

If I had to do my building all over I would insulate under the floor of the building. We insulated the entire building and I do have drop ceilings that have worked just fine. But in the coldest of the Florida winter, the cold affects the bottom drawers of my freedom breeders. I eventually put inch and a half styro directly under the FBs.

Sinks, HEATED running water (small water heater), a heat and air unit or capacity and like Mike said....a flat screen because you will spend hours there! I also have a telephone in my room.

Good luck with it Alice, we look forward to pictures.
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Susan Sentman
SSNAKES Reptiles
susan@ssnakes.com

Hi Alice,

I went through this a couple of years ago and got it right for the most part, but if/when I do it again, I will:

- leave out the skylights as they bleed heat in the winter and cool in the summer
-make it bigger I should have gone for the greatest dimensions that I could afford
-running water - I didn't include it as making the pipes freezeproof would have taken a lot of my budget

However, some features that I included that have proven to be very beneficial are:

-36 inch trenched foundation
-2 x 6 studs to accomodate R19 wall insulation
-glass block windows with large vents
-R38 in the ceiling
-a built in, floor to ceiling, closet incubator
-steel doors and motion sensing lights
-more electrical capability than I'll ever need

The biggest consideration is to make it as large and adaptable as possible, because what you construct now will not be enough in five years (as I'm finding out). Good luck.

Will

Thank Will. Very good suggestions!
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

There is lot of things that I would love to do.

First, I would get a room for the babies and one for the adult in case it's not already planned.

Then I would get an incubator room. (Take a look at Corey Woods one, nearly perfect).

I would also get lot of tools easy to use and lots of alarms to know what's going on exactly.

I would get power outlets everywhere I could with lot of breakers. Just to be safe, you could isolate anything exactly where you would want to. (And make down everything).

I would also get water just about everywhere. I would put stuff on trolley or water coming from the ceiling probably.

I would also get ceramic all over the place and some water overflow in the floor.

For heating and cooling, not sure on what I would choose yet. Depends on the wearther anyway, and it's pretty cold all year around here in Canada compare to Florida.

Last thing, I would want automation nearly everywhere.

I would put lot of money into building a last tech /automated warehouse.
Put alarms for theift but also for heating, cooling, water breakage etc... You want to know exactly what's going on there, anytime of the day/year.
Don't forget the internet/wifi and probably some TV stuff.
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love this world, don't hate it.

Thanks. Good ideas!
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

I have thought about this for a while so here is my Ideal snake room.

I would have a room specifically for the breeding collection and keeper grow ups with all the things that have been addressed, electric, insulated, double sink, and climate control. Racks would be on wheels, and I would have drainage in the floor. You may even be able to "heat" the floor with the industrial heat cable under your flooring and that way in the winter when the air is dry you can spray the floor down and let the heat evaporate the water making the room humid. (just a thought).

I would also have a walk-in incubator. You could either have a baby room just outside the incubator or put baby racks in the incubator which ever you prefer. This room would also have it's own sink for baby and incubator tub cleaning. It could share climate control with the breeding collection area.

I would have a "show" animal area for all the animals that go to and from the shows. I that way they are not re-entering your collection every time they come home from a show. This area would have it's own sinks, electricity etc.

And Finally I would have a quarantine area for new purchases (preferably with it's own entry, cleaning area and climate control with no access to the rest of the building).

Also I like idea of alarms that tell you when something is wrong and the auto-lights.

I am super jealous and I can't wait to see it!! See you in Tampa this weekend.

Thanks Kelly!
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room