Trying to determine age of western hognose.

[crazy_man]

Just got a female anaconda morph western hognose.

Trying to figure out its age.

I feel its only a few weeks old, but its my first so I have no idea.

5.7g at 6.5 inches in length.




Currently have it in a 5g tank.

Have a 16g and 22g tanks in reserve when it gets older.

Any ideas at what size I should switch it to the bigger tanks?

[TRD]

I usually switch them to bigger places when the length of the snake equals or is bigger than the current width of the terrarium.. I like my snakes to be able to stretch, though I don't have any species currently that would cross 5 ft (though I will after September).

[Andy_G]

At that weight it would probably be about a month old at most.

[Scubadiver59]

Cage size? My personal rule of thumb is l+w >= the length of the snake; but when you get to the really long snakes, that's pretty much impossible. For my heavier 7ft+ snakes, I'll probably size up to 8'x3'x30" enclosures; and for my Asian Rat, I want to go arboreal, something like a 4'x2'x6' PVC or something similar.

[bigsnakegirl785]

When they're that tiny, I generally forgo the Length+Width rule and offer them something that fits a 3.5'-4' long snake at least (so something like a 66 qt tub or a 40 qt if you wanted something shorter - it is also thinner in width but a little longer than the 66 qt). A tub small enough to fit the Length+Width rule for a 6.5" snake isn't going to leave enough room for a temperature gradient.

Make sure to clutter the tub up with lots of hides and fake plants for cover, and with hoggies offer plenty of aspen (or similar bedding) for burrowing.

For larger snakes, custom enclosures are a must, and fitting the Length+Width rule is still 100% doable. If you don't have the room to provide a proper enclosure, then a giant is not the best choice for you. I have also heard of people converting whole rooms or parts of basements to house their giants, which is something I'd love to do in the future.

[crazy_man]

Thanks for the advice guys. It's a female, so max it will get is 3ft.

And to answer the questions on my cage sizes:

12.5x6x7.5 (Her current cage)
18x18x12
24x18x12

[Scubadiver59]

And you'll never see them again.

My juvenile Corn, King, Pine, and Hognose stay buried all day and, as far as I can tell, most of the night...and they're kept in a low traffic area.

I'm sure THEY enjoy it, but I sure don't! :rolleyes:


When they're that tiny, I generally forgo the Length+Width rule and offer them something that fits a 3.5'-4' long snake at least (so something like a 66 qt tub or a 40 qt if you wanted something shorter - it is also thinner in width but a little longer than the 66 qt). A tub small enough to fit the Length+Width rule for a 6.5" snake isn't going to leave enough room for a temperature gradient.

Make sure to clutter the tub up with lots of hides and fake plants for cover, and with hoggies offer plenty of aspen (or similar bedding) for burrowing.

For larger snakes, custom enclosures are a must, and fitting the Length+Width rule is still 100% doable. If you don't have the room to provide a proper enclosure, then a giant is not the best choice for you. I have also heard of people converting whole rooms or parts of basements to house their giants, which is something I'd love to do in the future.