kiiarah
05-25-15, 10:54 PM
Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can give me some direction in terms of ideal enlosure size based on age and size of the snake. I just happened across a great deal on a 50 gallon Exo-Terra. I know these aren't perfect because of the screen top and I am planning on having to cover the majority of it for that reason, but unfortunately I am not in a position to invest in a PCV cage just yet. In the meantime I think this one will at least hold him over for a while but I am sort of concerned that it may be too soon to upgrade him to a larger terrarium. He is currently in a 30 gallon, but it is a converted fish tank (one reason I am so eager to switch). Since it was not designed for reptiles it is much taller than it needs to be and suffers from a lack of floor space. I am already having trouble fitting his two hides and water bowl in it and he is due for even larger hides now. The new terrarium is 36x18x18 and the heat mat for it will be here in three days. I already have the lamp, lamp stand, thermostat...etc. So basically the earliest I could do this would be this Thursday. My concern is that he is not adult size yet. He is about 8 months old and at last weight he was 511 grams (probably weighs a little more now). I haven't really been able to measure his length but I am confident he is at least 2 ft and maybe even pushing 2.5 ft. I know a 30 gallon is not recommended for adults and also that putting too small a snake in too large an enclosure can cause stress. So my question is, would I be wise to just store the new terrarium until he is bigger or is he large enough now to move into it? Would I maybe be able to make it work by cluttering it up with enough hides and decor? If I should wait, how long would you recommend before he is ready? I am really eager to get him into a better set up, but at the same time what he is in is working and I don't want to create any problems by changing everything up too soon. Despite the lack of "slither space" he seems healthy and comfortable and I would hate to do anything to mess that up. He was 92 grams when I got him and the 30 gallon was great then, but it is really starting to look cramped now. When he is in his hide it is just fine, but when he is out exploring or trying to eat it seems like he hardly has room to move. Like I said above, the main issue with the current tank is that despite being a 30 gallon the floor dimensions are less than one would find in a 30 gal wide style terrarium. So any thoughts? http://ball-pythons.net/forums/images/smilies/happy.gif