Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I keep Monocled Cobras from babies to adults and my vision cgaes are starting to take up too much room and $. What rack systems are safe,reliable,and escape proof that any of you guys have experience with specifically for cobras....thanks in advance,
Drew.

My personal preference is a lidded rack system. I prefer to move the cage to a working area and then open it rather than have it open while I'm sliding the box out. It just seems safer this way.

One of the best things that I've found is just get you some 3/4" square steel tubing and weld up a frame and use plywood or MDF of whatever board of your choice for the shelving. This way you can build one from the ground up to fit the dimensions of whatever box you choose to use as a cage.

Bill Haast invented sliding rack system cages at the Miami Serpentarium decades ago. His were bakery racks with fitted wooden cages with lids that were held in place by the metal rack itself. You had to remove the entire box and set it on a table to access the snake. This was the safest rack system I've seen for venomous snakes. Plus the fact that every one held a venomous snake so you never accidently opened the wrong cage. They were all "wrong!" LOL

Cages that slide partially open like the ones we keep our Cornsnakes in are accidents waiting to happen where hots are concerned. You can't see your cobra unless you slide it open and peek in. Only two things come into that slot; food and your face. Only one thing comes our; a hungry, food-conditioned Monacled Cobra. There's your scenario. IMO (And I'm retired from keeping big sight-oriented neurotoxic elapids but I've done them all) is a locking, front-opening cage with a built in shift-box.

Remember that guy on TV who got nailed in the belly by his Monacled Cobra while trying to get the lid on a sliding Rubbermade storage box/cage?

Cheers,

Terry Vandeventer