Snakes

[proud2bcanadian]

Could I keep a snake in a custom built cage?
Meaning not glass or acrylic walls, but mesh.
Glass is so expensive and acrylic is easily scratched; so I'm thinking something that would let air ventilate throughout the enclosure.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,

[Andy_G]

The snake would get an extremely severe case of nose rub which would develop into mouth rot in a screen enclosure. I suggest melamine with a plexiglass/glass/lexite sliding front door with vents in the side.

[Auskan]

Also, a lot of snakes have humidity requirements that would be difficult to maintain in a mesh enclosure.

[Invictus]

Mesh is awful for snakes. It's ok for chameleon cages, but that's about it. Not only is there the nose rub issue, but there is the problem of *too much* ventilation, which leads to drafts, humidity problems, and improper temperature control. If you absolutely must save money, get an aquarium with a locking mesh lid, or better yet, don't keep a snake that you can't afford to properly house.

[proud2bcanadian]

I can afford to keep the snake. It's just that I was reading some posts about some people building their own aquariums, and for the same size enclosure (100'' by 24'' by 36'') it had cost them close to $7,000 Canadian for glass, to build it.

What is the best place to keep a snake?
Would a fish aquarium be fine? Pro's/Con's
Any other suggestions?

Just incase you need to know the type of snake; it is a Taiwan Beauty.

Thanks for the replies so far...

[Invictus]

Whoa.... 100" is absolute overkill for a Taiwan beauty. :) And why build the whole thing out of glass anyway? A sheet of melamine is $20. Even a 6x2x2 cage would only use 2 sheets of melamine. Then you get sliding glass doors on the front. Total cost of materials, including the glass, would be no more than $100.

[proud2bcanadian]

If it's going to end up being an aquarium - Would anyone know how much the material would weigh?

Depending on the material/price/strength (scratch-resistant?, etc...)

One last thing to add - It won't be able to be a sliding front door, because my mom absolutely hates snakes (lol); therefore she would want it as secure as possible.

Thanks once again,

[proud2bcanadian]

lol. I knew I would get that sooner or later (...overkill...).
What I was thinking of doing was actually taking a portion of the tank and sealing it off, and using that for bearded dragons.

Where would I be able to buy melamine?

Thanks,

[proud2bcanadian]

Cage- Taiwan beauty snakes average a size of 8-9 ft. This seems like a lot but they are very slender. Almost like a racer. They are very active, so a large cage is needed for these guys. Something around 6x2x2ft is best. That would house a pair. These guys reach adult size in only 2 years when with most snakes it is 4 years. So I would suggest that if you do get one, that you get an adult size cage right away. The more cage decoration the better.

Temperament- You would think that for as large as they are and as mean as the look that they would have a horrible attitude. When in fact they have great attitudes. Very tame and nice to hold. They will hang on to just about anything though and you would not believe how strong they really are. One of my favorite snakes to work with.

Temperature- These guys like it rather cool, I don't even heat my enclosure. My herp room stays around 78-82 during the day and 72-74 at night. It is perfect for them. It really saves a lot of money when setting them up.

Humidity- They are a semi-humid loving animal and should have about 60-70 percent humidity. Or a single place that is kept humid all the time.

Feeding- These are a type of Asian rat snake. Their main diet is that of rats. At 5ft my pair are taking a small rat once every 5 days. The same size meal as my carpet python is eating. They need large meals because they grow so fast. Don't be afraid to offer them a little extra. They should have a nice size bulge in their belly when they are done eating.

Substrate- For these guys I use cypress mulch. It is cheap, easy to clean, and hold humidity well. The Taiwan beauty snakes love to burrow in it so I provide a little extra.

Curtosy of : http://www.michherper.50megs.com/Taiwan%20Beauty%20Snake%20Caresheet.htm

[HetForHuman]

here man check it out, it is very simple to build an enclosure...

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25282

[proud2bcanadian]

Thank you so much! lol.
I'll think about doing that, though I'll probably have a glass bottom, glass front and mesh top.

[HetForHuman]

Why a glass bottom and mesh top?

Mesh tops suck for snakes man, IMO...

[proud2bcanadian]

I just like having glass bottoms, I don't know why.
I might change my mind (meaning - I probably will :P).

I have to have someway of opening up the top of the cage 'cuz I don't want front sliding doors.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by proud2bcanadian


Humidity- They are a semi-humid loving animal and should have about 60-70 percent humidity. Or a single place that is kept humid all the time.



if this is the case you will not want a screen top, you will struggle with humidity man..

[proud2bcanadian]

So I should just use melamine for the left, right, back walls and the top (and possibly the bottom too)? Then just put hinges on the top panel and the back panel...