Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just reading some more information and it said that rat snakes are commonly a loner, they only like to live by themselves. how much truth is in there to this? I am planning on getting a 75 gallon tank, and as of now i'm looking at two baby snow rat snakes. (as of now the blue beauties aren't available). Any comments on this issue?

I read on one guide sheet it said that the tank size for a rat snake should be as follows:

length - 2/3rd's length of snake
height/depth - 1/3rd's length of snake

how much truth is there in this? I was looking at getting a 75 gallon tank, which is 48" long and I want to say around 24" deep, but i'm not sure. I'm either geting a snow rat snake or a blue beauty.

thanks again

Q: I was just reading some more information and it said that rat snakes are commonly a loner, they only like to live by themselves. how much truth is in there to this?

A: While I haven't had any problems with rat snakes eating eachother, cannibalism sometimes occurs in rat snakes. The only problem I used to have is that they can be stressed by eachother.

For example, I've got a pair of pakistani jeweled racers, and I keep them together, except when it's time to feed them. I used to feed them seperately, and then put them back together, but one, if not both, would regurgitate their meal within a couple of days.

I originally thought there was something wrong with the snakes, but now, I seperate them after being fed for four days, and they do fine.

Q: I am planning on getting a 75 gallon tank, and as of now i'm looking at two baby snow rat snakes. (as of now the blue beauties aren't available). Any comments on this issue?

A: A 20 gallon could house an adult corn snake well. A 75 gallon could probably house a breeding colony of 4 or 5 corn snakes. I've actually seen some custom cages that were smaller and housed 8 or more corn snakes for breeding.

A 75 gallon tank would be a waste of space for just two corn snakes. I'd suggest you go to a pet shop and look at the actual size of hatchling snow corns and such. Ya might want to hold off buying any type of large caging for 2-3 years. In that time, you may want to go with a 30 or 40 gallon wide for a pair or trio.

Rat snakes are escape artists, and the thing about 10 gallon tanks is that the tops aren't always secure enough to hold in hatchlings and such. Otherwise, a 10 gallon setup would be much cheaper and take up less space.

Kritter keepers are probably the worst when it comes to housing snakes. I've had several escapes/attempts from using them, and now I condemn them.

Q: I read on one guide sheet it said that the tank size for a rat snake should be as follows:
length - 2/3rd's length of snake
height/depth - 1/3rd's length of snake
how much truth is there in this?
thanks again

A: That's probably about right. A lot of times, an enclosure that's too large will make a snake get stressed and stop eating. Other snakes may need more room, due to their high metabolism, always on the move.

There really is no 100% right answers. You just have to use what works for the snakes.

I have on hand a 10 gallon, 20 Long, and a 29 gal. (the 20 long and 29 are the same size, except the 29 is taller.) So if I put them in a tank thats too large they will get stressed? I was thinking of builidng up a really nice habitat, using sani chips and some sanitized driftwood, crawling areas for them. the 2/3rds length is what comes into question....if I have a 7 foot long beauty, how in the heck am i supposed to house this?

What I usually do with hatchlings is raise them in deli containers, possibly stacked up in a 10 gallon aquarium. Once they outgrow one, they go to a bigger size, until they're ready for a 10 gallon aquarium. A lot of breeders do similar (or the same) thing, for space purposes, but I do it because rat snakes are escape artists, and they can crawl through the tiniest of places. 10 gallon aquarium tops just don't cut it for me, until they're a little larger.

As far as the beauty snake is concerned, I thought you decided to get a pair of snow corns? Snow corns aren't the same as beauty snakes. They probably average about 3ft in length full grown, and can grow up to 5 feet or so.

The best thing to do about caging large snakes is to make a custom cage for them. Realistically, a 4, 6, or even 8 foot vision or equivilent cage is going to cost anywhere from $350 to $1000 or more. By custom building, you can do it cheaper, and be able to make it for the needs of the animal.

For example, if you had a terrestrial animal, lower the sides of the cage. For an arboreal, raise the sides and put in vines or branches for it to climb on. For animals that need high humidity, raise the sides, use a substrate like cypress mulch, plastic plants, use a material that won't rot under humid conditions, possibly even use a mister, etc. For an animal that can't take humidity, like desert species, lower the sides, use sand substrate, and possibly put in a potted cactus plant or 2.

Just find as much information you can on the species you want to keep, and then go from there.

I have on hand a 10 gallon, 20 Long, and a 29 gal. (the 20 long and 29 are the same size, except the 29 is taller.) So if I put them in a tank thats too large they will get stressed? I was thinking of builidng up a really nice habitat, using sani chips and some sanitized driftwood, crawling areas for them. the 2/3rds length is what comes into question....if I have a 7 foot long beauty, how in the heck am i supposed to house this?

I was afraid that after I lost out on that last beauty, I couldn't find another, so I was about to settle for a snow corn. However, I got a message from a breeder the other day who has some blue beauts which will be ready for shipment around Sept (which is when i'll have my apartment, so it works right!)

so what do you mean by deli container? Something along the lines of when you go to the grocery store in the back and buy some green beans or whatever and they weigh it out...those clear plastic containers? I just want to give them enough room to grow and move around and be happy, you know? I probably will eventually end up building them a cage out of wooden 2x2's or 2x4's and 1/4" metal hardware cloth. Once they grow a lot more.

Yes, the deli containers are the same thing as you'd get in a deli. Most breeders house and sell their hatchlings in these. They come in several different shapes, sizes, and colors, from clear, white, and even blue. They have holes punched in them for air.

An alternative, which in a lot of cases is better than expensive caging, is found in the link below.
How to make a cheap reptile cage

You have been given some great advice. Let me make a few pionts.

1) The cage can never be to large for the snake. All animals like to move about and explore. (Why do you think they try to escape from a place with easy food, warmth, and clean water.) A large cage does not stress the snakes.

2) Ten and twenty gallon tanks make great cages for young corns. Get a good screen top and clips that prevent the top from being lifted. A top without good clips to hold it on is useless.

3) Don't keep them together. They will fight over food, and will even bite each other after feeding even with no food around. Bring them together only for breeding.

Good luck with your new snakes. I have two corn snakes myself, and I love mine.

okay i'm back to snow corns. and this is definately what i'm getting. (I saw a full grown beauty today, and it was much larger than I though 7-9 feet would be. I don't want the responsiblity of caring for two of those!) I've been told that if I kept both snow corns together from young hatchlings, that they will become friends...i've been told this by quite a few people. so im just wondering which I should do? As of now, I'm planning on keeping them in a 29 gallon tank to start, with sani chips, an undertank heater, basking light, metal screen lid with two packets of clips for it. i've gotten some driftwood soaked in 5% or so blean solution and rinsed off. Any other suggestions, or does this sound like a decent setup? -Chris

Snakes don't make friends and they will fight over food. Do not keep them together if you want to insure their health and safty. Besides, two twenty gallon cages are cheeper than one 55 gallon cage and easier to move for cleaning.

well i was told to seperate them for feeding out of their usual cage, anyway, mainly because if i fed them in their cage, they would mistake my hand for food possibly. I was also told it's a good idea to keep them seperated for a few hours after eating. i mean i've seen in pet shops that there were a couple snakes per tank, or is that only good for short term storage?

One of the petshops I used to frequent actually just stapled the snakes up in a paper bag (the ones too big for deli cups atleast) and put in a prekilled rat or mouse. They were usually left over night like this, in their cage.

The owner of the shop said she did it that was because it was because it was illegal to feed the snakes in a public shop, where everyone could see them eating. I'm not sure if that's the case, but it doesn't matter. It might work for you to do something like that.