Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering if the whole concewpt of "If you put this snake in this cage it will only grow this big" I have a L. Texas Ratsnake and was just wondering if would apply to her. Thanks!
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-Doug Daly

"Aren't you two a little old to be drinking illegally?"

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Elaphe Obsoleta lindheimerii)

Snake grow to what ever size their genetics make them. Texas rats are going to end up between 4 and 5.5 feet on average and cage size isn't going to make an appreciable difference. Knowing the sizes of the parents of the snake is the best way to determine possible size of juveniles. Stunting an animal by keeping it in a smaller cage is just cruelty in my opinion. The animal needs a certain amount of space to move in to maintain muscle tone. Not trying to be overly harsh, but that's a myth that has made people not purchase appropriate sized cages for their animals. It's one of those things that some pet stores will tell you so that you don't worry about the cost of buying larger cages as the animal grows. Heck, even gold fish (where I think the myth originated) will out grow their fish bowls, given enough time. Some people have used minimum feeding schedules to keep their snakes small (mainly boas and pythons) and once the animal is fed normally, it typically has a growth spurt and reaches normal porportions.

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Lora

The idea that some of our pets "grow to the size of their cage" comes out of the aquarium hobby. Many fish will become stunted if kept in too small a tank. The accumulation of their wastes in cramped spaces seems to stunt growth. With fish this can be partially overcome with frequent water changes, thereby removing waste products more quickly.

Try to keep your snake in a cage that is at least half as long as the snake itself. As for growth, feeding is what will make your snake either reach its mazimum size or be on the small size. Underfed snakes (and problem-feeders in general) tend to run small. Overfed snakes tend towards obesity and often have shortened life spans.

With fish it is true, and due to build of nitrates in the water which are a biproduct of the waste being broken down as you have mentioned. With snakes its not and if you stunt your snake by keeping confined to a smaller area or by feeding it less, your going to have health problems as well, as temperment problems.

I was just wondering. My snake is about 2 feet long and her cage is about 2.5 feet by 2 feet by 1.5 feet. And she has plenty of excercise in it i just got her a plastic hollowed out tree stump thing that she really likes. Thanks for the help, i knew that she would grow to whatever size with or without a small or large cage, i just wanted to prove it to my friend who kept saying, if you keep it in this cage it wont get any bigger than this.
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-Doug Daly

"Aren't you two a little old to be drinking illegally?"

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Elaphe Obsoleta lindheimerii)

Just keep in mind, even if the average adult size for TX rats tends to be roughly 4.5-5.5', I personally have seen and know of individuals well over 7', females especially. They can become large, impressive specimens, so be prepared to purchase or build at least the equivalent of a 55 gal for her as an adult.
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Chance Duncan
www.rivervalleyexotics.com

The size of the cage doesn't matter as to what size the snake will grow, this is just a myth. Snakes will keep growing regardless of their cage size.

the amount of caloric intake, and environmental conditions, with genetics providing the boundary level. Providing proper heating/cooling will assist in making sure that your snake can thermoregulate properly and therefore able to digest food much better and safer. As others have said, the whole "keep it in a small tank, and it will stay smaller" derived from fish. If you were to do that to your snake, in my opinion it constitutes animal cruelty (not saying you are).

Hope this answers your questions.

Chris

>>I was just wondering if the whole concewpt of "If you put this snake in this cage it will only grow this big" I have a L. Texas Ratsnake and was just wondering if would apply to her. Thanks!
>>-----
>>-Doug Daly
>>
>>"Aren't you two a little old to be drinking illegally?"
>>
>>0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Elaphe Obsoleta lindheimerii)