Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone have any thoughts on the ideal housing would be?
I have him in a Cage thats about 4 and a half to 5 feet long and 2 feet wide/deep. Is there a company that makes cages this size or will i have to build another one?

Thanks

>>Anyone have any thoughts on the ideal housing would be?
>>I have him in a Cage thats about 4 and a half to 5 feet long and 2 feet wide/deep. Is there a company that makes cages this size or will i have to build another one?
>>
>>Thanks

If you are wanting to design the "ultimate" rattler cage, in my opinion it's usually best to try to incorporate their native habitat into the cage. Make it look as natural as possible. For a timber, the size you mentioned would be fine. Though for room's sake, I may definitely make it 5' long, and around 2.5 to 3' deep. You can make the substrate out of a potting soil/natural soil mixture, then get a number of dried leaves to scatter around. You may even try to make a stone cave on one end, just be sure the stones are placed absolutely securely so that there is no chance that they can fall on the snake. In my state of Arkansas, timbers tend to be found in slightly more mountainous areas where there are lots of stone outcroppings, so this sort of setup would seem pretty natural. The only problem with this setup is maintenance. You'd need to spot clean the feces before they get to be too big of a problem, and will naturally have to replace leaves that have been defacated on. Also, you probably won't want to feed the snake on the substrate, though since they do it in the wild, it could probably handle it. If your snake eats very calmly, a lot of keepers will actually feed them on a plate, as long as the snake isn't inclined to "run away" with its food. I'm a big fan of natural setups, though they can be a pain to maintain. I once kept a juvenile macklot's python in a 55 gal aquarium that was about as decked out as it could be: 4 to 5" of soil, lots of live plants, even developed its own biosystem with tiny little insects that would feed on the feces. The latter is why I decided to get rid of the setup though, because I couldn't get rid of them and didn't know if they would pose any danger to the snake. However, the snake seemed perfectly happy, as did the plants. They kept it incredibly humid and gave the snake something to climb on and such. Anyway, hope this helps.
-Chance

I prefer lots of good top ventilations so heat can dissapate. With side or back ventilation I often see heat getting trapped and a loss of good thermal gradient. Whether you want to go with natural setup or not, the two most important factors are good thermal gradient (basking light creating a hot spot of 100F or more at one end, grading to around 70 F at the cool end) and several hiding places and ledges scattered throughout the cage. Some snakes will bask in the open on ledges, some will bask under cover or leave part of their body exposed. Gravid females especially keep the anterior portions of their bodies under cover and will leave the rear third exposed directly under the light. I like natural setups also, but due to time constraints I usually find a balance that alows me to keep something that looks natural but is easy to maintain. Good luck!

Thanks to both of you, I will remember this when I go to modify his home (or build a new) for him

I will recommend two companies that we use at our wildlife center to house venomous snakes:

1) Habitat Systems: if you want the best, this is it. They have standard sizes, or, you can custom make them to your specs. Great cages.

2) Neodesha: they are back in business and perhaps my all time favorite cage; well designed, easy to clean and disinfect, and no lips in cage for venomous to hide in. Can't go wrong.

3) Crescent Moon Creations: If you want a show quality cage that has the appeal of something you would see in a museum, you will love this. Rick Senior is a master craftsman who will make a cage to any spec. He made some of our venomous displays and we are extremely pleased by their function and fantastic looks (cherry wood).

If you want more info just let me know.
Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation (IL)