Glass display cabinets. Has anyone used them?

[juviniles_5]

Iam getting prepared to start a reptile and amphibian rescue. I have been thinking about every single possible thing I can use for enclosures. Glass display cabinets seem like they could be perfect for aboral species. Has anyone used them before and what kind of modifications did you have to make to do so and what kind of problems should I expect?

[TRD]

Considering that it is a rescue and you'll often receive neglected animals you may want to change to something more basic and easily sterilized. Stressed animals in glass enclosures, close to each other and mixed species (even those with predator-prey relationship), trying to heal, may not really be that optimal...

Also I consider here that a rescue is a temporary place.. patch the animals up, and re-home them through advertisements online/paper...

[juviniles_5]

so are you trying to tell me I should put a large aboral snake into a rack system because that would be less stressful? Thanks for your input but no thanks. I joined in 2004. I've been doing this awhile. If someone has any input regarding the actual question at hand then great. Otherwise keep it to yourself.

[Scubadiver59]

I'll probably get in trouble for this, but...


It's arboreal, not "aboral"
TRD was referring to the cleaning and sterilization of rack systems is easier to accomplish than trying to clean a vertical enclosure. Since you're bringing in snakes of unknown health, you should to keep them on paper towels, or some other substrate, or none at all, while you watch for mites, treat for RI, etc.
I've been doing this for a while? Meh...maybe TRD figured that by your "41" posts that you were still new, an honest mistake on their part, but was it really worth your next comment...
"Otherwise keep it to yourself." Was that really necessary?

You asked for comments, TRD made an honest comment, and you come back with a nasty retort...who's really the antagonist here?

so are you trying to tell me I should put a large aboral snake into a rack system because that would be less stressful? Thanks for your input but no thanks. I joined in 2004. I've been doing this awhile. If someone has any input regarding the actual question at hand then great. Otherwise keep it to yourself.

[Andy_G]

Keep any more back and forth in PMs please.

[Jim Smith]

Without weighing in on stressing an animal or cleaning enclosures, I will weigh in on using glass display cabinets for enclosures. If you mean something like a store display case 4-5 feet long, 30ish inches tall and 24 inches deep with sliding doors in the back, then yes they have been used successfully by many people. I always recommend that the floor of the display case be coated with a poured in layer of epoxy to seal the wooded base from moisture. You could even put a thin layer of gravel or dirt on the bottom of the enclosure and pour the epoxy over that. This gives the base the look of dirt which is still easy to clean. You can add the bedding of your choice. I would also recommend that you replace the sliding doors with one of the denser PVC materials again just to avoid any potential moisture issues. One consideration to keep in mind is that the large constrictors are extremely powerful as you know. They can exert a tremendous amount of pressure on the glass when feeding which I think could possibly cause the glass to crack or break. Lastly, if you check on Craig's List in your local area, these display cases are often available for sale very cheap or even free. I hope that this helps and gets the conversations back on track.

[TRD]

I don't care, you wanted advise. Keeping snakes of unknown health, unknown origin, likely needing treatment(s), you really need to think about sterilization, separation, stress reduction.

By all means keep the healthy bunch in display cages, bioactive with all the bells and whistles as you wish, but a rescue typically doesn't hold animals for long enough to make such enclosures worthwhile.

Health of the animal first, not to mention all other animals which will be there, then you can go on to physical/mental well being. A rescue needs protocols and controls. It's not for the fun of it, or because it's particularly pleasant for the animals, it's simply because its a necessity. Not only for the animals which will be there, but also for the animals which the snake may come in contact with at its new owner.

And PS, as you don't seem to understand my keeping methods; I keep all my reptiles in live vivariums with everything they could possibly wish for. I hate racks with a vengeance, but there are conditions in which those systems are the best solutions, and with that I don't mean large scale breeding projects, I mean quarantine and decease treatment.