Reptile & Amphibian Forums

as you may know, ive been trying to get some kind of racer and i was wondering what you guys keep them in and if there was anyone willing to post pictures of their succesful racer enclosures. im setting mine up right now for future use by some kind of racer and i thought id look towards the setups of those that have already had success, i know they need room so im converting a 4 by 2 boaphile (i wish it had more height) i will provide as many hides as i can w/ out crouding the cage, at least on on each end of the cage, a small but sturdy water bowl, and a basking spot that i can hopefully keep around 90 to 95, i will put a piece of slate under it to hopefully keep some heat. the cage will be in my room which is low traffic (only me) and i may try to put somethinf in front of the glass if my presence makes him nervous in any way. tell me what you think and feel free to give me any suggestions or things i should change.

thanks for looking

I am not sure what a boaphile cage is but theory is that a big coachwhip actually needs a smaller cage like a 20 gallon as a large cage permits it to roam a lot and rub its nose. If it has a colored backing and sides, that is good also.

And captive born racers are a different situation. A wild caught spends its entire life on the move, whereas a captive generally gets conditioned to a smaller environment and therefore does not roam as much.

A hot basking spot is required for proper digestion for long-term maintenance of a racer or coachwhip. Without it, in months some bacteria or parasite will manifest and you will be buying the right bulb. Heat pads stink as the snakes need to see light to go to it and bask. If you could swing a basking spot lamp that reaches 110 on that slate, then your better off as long as the rest of the area is in the low 80's. If the heat lamp heats the entire cage to above 85 in the cool area, then get a lower watt bulb?

Dan

alright thanks, i plan on using a basking bulb anyway, what wattage would you recomend for this size cage?, i believe a 150 watt should warm the air to about 95 and the slate should be around 110 so ill try that first and see what works, i may have to go lower in summer since my room is very warm but a 150 should work during winter when it can be cool in my room.

thanks for your input

Well if its 2 foot away it seems a 75 or 100 watt should work vice the 150 if you have a basking spot bulb. They do not need a UV bulb, so any spot bulb at the hardware store is OK. I guess start small and see what the temp goes to? It's better to be a tad under than way over in temps so you do not dehydrate also.

Dan

I once visited a zoo that had a desert display room which was about 1000 square feet. Inside it was all decorated with caves, rocks, plants, sand, and it looked like a great place for a coachwhip to live it up. It contained about 10 red racers and all their faces were smashed from rubbing the glass. I told the keeper that they cannot take the other snakes around them and the stress makes them want to haul out of the cage. He said they get replacements every week and he sends back the damaged ones. Goes to show that a big cage is not good for a coachwhip like it is for an indigo.

Dan

Your cage really depends on the species of racer you choose. Your Boaphile cage will work great for a racer but be careful with heat. It doesn't take much to heat one of those units. I am keeping my snakes in 3 and 4 foot vision cages. As long as three sides are covered and they have plenty of hiding spots, a large space is great for them. My eastern coachwhip thrives at an ambient temperature of 80F with a hot spot of 90F. My speckled racers stay around 80 with an 85 basking spot. It really depends on the species and what it's normal habitat is composed of. Humidity is also important. A western species prefers a drier climate.

alright thanks, my room stays around 80 in the summer so those temps shouldnt be too hard to provide, may have to raise wattage in winter but that shouldnt be too hard

thanks