1ft corn in 55g tank?

asnakenamed-oly · 01-13-14, 06:23 PM

I have a little snow corn named Olympia, estimated about a foot or so long and about 3-4 months old, who is starting to rub her nose on the glass of her 2.5 gallon tank. I have a 55 gallon that I originally intended to put her in, but I was told to hold off putting her in it because she was too small. I was told that I wouldn't be able to heat it correctly and that she would be intimidated by the open space. I'm currently keeping the 2.5g inside the the 55g, simply for lack of space, and I sometimes let her explore the 55, so she's pretty familiar with what's going on in the larger enclosure. So my question is, would it be okay for me to go ahead and put her in the 55?

Starbuck · 01-14-14, 06:14 AM

yes. Just make sure there is lots of cover so she can get from cool to warm, and from hide to hide, without feeling exposed.

Also double-triple check that it is escape proof!

I can't imagine that you could get ANY sort of heat gradient in a 2.5 gallon tank anyways....

Mikoh4792 · 01-14-14, 06:29 AM

You could keep a baby cornsnake in a house sized enclosure, just like wild baby corns live outside in nature. The reason why they thrive outside is because there are leaves, rocks, logs, burrows....etc to hide in. Whatever enclosure you keep it in just provide hides and cover. It needs to feel secure.

TheFrogman · 01-14-14, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

You could keep a baby cornsnake in a house sized enclosure, just like wild baby corns live outside in nature. The reason why they thrive outside is because there are leaves, rocks, logs, burrows....etc to hide in. Whatever enclosure you keep it in just provide hides and cover. It needs to feel secure.

I agree totally, Just make sure he has plenty of hides. Id put some Sphag Moss in the corners, my guys love to hide in it.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-14-14, 10:40 AM

As everyone has said, she'll do fine; I've successfully kept a 3.5ft bp in a 6ft enclosure so I know it can be done.

Extra hides, plants, logs, add whatever you can to make her feel secure.

knox · 01-14-14, 11:31 AM

It's SO refreshing to see people finally realizing this! Thank you, guys! I have been saying this for years - it doesn't matter the size of the enclosure. What matters is temperature and ground cover (over simplification, but you obviously get the point).

It's like the old saying - I have a large snake collection that I keep in the woods behind my house. Their enclosure is pretty large and they do just fine.

Mikoh4792 · 01-14-14, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knox

It's SO refreshing to see people finally realizing this! Thank you, guys! I have been saying this for years - it doesn't matter the size of the enclosure. What matters is temperature and ground cover (over simplification, but you obviously get the point).

It's like the old saying - I have a large snake collection that I keep in the woods behind my house. Their enclosure is pretty large and they do just fine.

Exactly. I have a feeling the people who started the myth that snakes do better in smaller enclosures just didn't provide enough hiding options in bigger enclosures...that's where they run into problems. Even though the outside is huge animals have so many places to take cover.

If an enclosure is small enough to act as a hide itself, the enclosure is too small. You need hides within an enclosure, the enclosure itself shouldn't be the hide.

sharthun · 01-14-14, 11:46 AM

I totally agree. Moving from smaller to larger enclosures as the reptile grows is stressful to both keeper and reptiles. Just get the enclosure you want in the beginning that are large enough for an adult and provide sufficient hides and temperature gradients and enjoy! IMO.

Alexa · 01-14-14, 02:41 PM

I actually kept my corn in a 55 when I first got the little worm

. As long as you don't mind panicking once or twice because you can't find him anywhere in there, you'll be fine. One time mine somehow ended up in the very bottom of a plant pot...

I think a big part of the fun of snakes is watching their behavior, and where they choose to hide when given many options is part of that.

Ended up moving across country and left the big aquarium behind, so my guy is in a 40gal now. I don't think he misses it too much, though.

CosmicOwl · 01-14-14, 06:52 PM

Though I usually think snakes should be kept in larger enclosures, this seems a bit excessive. I have adult corn snake in a 40 gallon tank and he seems fine. Keeping a baby corn snake in a 55 gallon tank will come with a lot of issues that may out weight the positives. You'll have to be more aware of heating, you'll have to provide many more hides and you may have trouble finding the snake.

You can easily go to Walmart and buy a 15-20 gallon pastic tub that will provide you snake with plenty of room. It will also be a lot easier to maintain, and allow you to keep track of the snake.

poison123 · 01-14-14, 06:56 PM

Through in lots of leaf litter and some bark and this will solve your open space problem. The snake will have plenty of places to hide in the enclosure.