Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm about to begin building a display cage for a pair of BCI's (I don't mind if they breed or not). It will be 8 feet long and 2 feet wide. I can't decide if I should make it 2 or 3 feet tall. In your experience, would they make good use of the extra height (I'd have shelves and branches) to make it worth it? How much will they climb if given the chance?
Thanks for any feedback.
Paul Kemes

The boas would use the extra space if provided with shelves to perch on. The shelves will allow the boas to have more temperature choices when thermoregulating. The shelves will also allow you to clean the floor of the cage without having to remove the occupants. Just clean when they are perched on a shelf. As an added note, if you have the 2-3 feet of space for height you could build two cages that fit in this same space.
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Jared Douglas

Thank you for the reply. When you said about having two cages in the same space, do you mean make two cages 4 foot long and 3 feet high, or two cages 8 foot long and 18 inches high? Which would be better? Space is not a problem because I have the entire finished basement (I even have the luxury of dual utility sinks!). A bigger concern for me really is the amount of electricity that I use, my wife already complains about the electric bill. I currently breed water and bearded dragons as well as ackie monitors, so I draw a good bit of juice.
Thanks for your time.
Paul

I meant two cages that are 12 to 24 inches high. A cage 18 - 24 inches tall would still allow for a perch. A cage longer than 6 ft and taller than 1 ft is not neccesary. My largest cages are 4ft x 2 ft x 1 ft. Heating can be done with flexwatt under the levels of cages. Just be sure to have a 1/4 inch air space betwen levels of cages for the flexwatt to sit in so it has adequate air flow to prevent overheating. I reccomend using a seperate thermostat and 2 ft of flexwatt per cage. My cages are made of melamine with acrylic covering the flooring. The edges are all sealed with caulk. Cages are best ventilated on opposite ends to promote air circulation. I use one 2" vent on each end. Here is a pic that I posted a few days ago. One thing I would change about my cages is that I would have placed the vents on the sides and not on the back of the cage.

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Jared Douglas

If you have natural gas in your house, you should consider installing a gas heater. Also, a little insulation goes a long way. Keep stuff off of the floor; it's cold down there and cement will pull heat away.
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Zoodude

1.1 Acrantophis dumerli
0.1 Python molurus bivittatus
0.0.1 Morelia veridis
1.1 Elaphe (panthertophis?) obsoleta lindheimeri
0.2 Bogertophis subocularis
1.0 Pogona henrylawsoni
0.1 Geochelone carbonaria
3.2.1 Phelsuma laticaudal laticauda
1.5.1 Eublepharus macularius
0.0.1 Lampropeltis gutulus hobrooki
2.1.12 Elaphe guttata guttata

I think any space you add will benefit your snakes, but ask yourself the same question: Would you make use of the space? I say add the extra foot in height. 3' is a much more workable height than 2'. You could store things on top (assuming lighting is inside). Heck you could even buy a piece of formica counter top to go on it (about 26" wide, to match your 24" width). How will you utilize that 1' of wall space if you go shorter? You probably won't do more than hang a poster there. Another thing you could do is buy some nice big castors (wheels) so you can move the monsterous cage easily for cleaning and stuff. This will also increase the height. Remember to make it so it can be moved thru all doors and make turns. 8' is really long; I'm currently building one the same length. You might consider building it in two pieces that combine to make one big cage. You could even make a partician that would allow you to leave snakes in half while removing the other half for cleaning/repairs. Or it could be a shift allowing you to introduce food while the snake is isolated from you, greatly reducing the risk of being bitten. Just a few suggestions.
Good luck,
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Zoodude

1.1 Acrantophis dumerli
0.1 Python molurus bivittatus
0.0.1 Morelia veridis
1.1 Elaphe (panthertophis?) obsoleta lindheimeri
0.2 Bogertophis subocularis
1.0 Pogona henrylawsoni
0.1 Geochelone carbonaria
3.2.1 Phelsuma laticaudal laticauda
1.5.1 Eublepharus macularius
0.0.1 Lampropeltis gutulus hobrooki
2.1.12 Elaphe guttata guttata