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does baby brb get stressed out with a big cage

Posted By:

REPTILEN1NJA

In Relation To:

shyne

hey i know someone selling all nice pvs cages of all different sizes i was wondering whats a good size of baby? can i get her a big cage with out stressing her out or are they proned to stress shes only like 1 foot mayb at best and 27 grms what would be a good size?


Points:	50
Topics:	Caging , General Health
Tags:	Caging, Neonate, Stress
Species:	Boas > Rainbow Boas > Epicrates cenchria cenchria
Administrative:	Show/Hide

Member Comment

1/17/2009 7:53:59 PM

Mongrel Kitty

Most baby snakes do. They feel more comfortable in a smaller cage.
The way I kinda look at it is, more of a chance of predators in a larger cage. I could be way off, but it seems ot be pretty universal. Snakes feel more secure in an area that's not gigantic to their size.

I have always kept my babies in various size sterlitite containers.
Good Luck!

Member Comment

1/17/2009 8:23:20 PM

bwaffa

True that, Charlotte. If some circumstance really necessitates a larger cage though (e.g. once in a lifetime Cragslist deal, etc.), a larger enclosure can be used -- just be sure to offer a lot of extra cozy hides. A young snake will feel more comfortable in a large enclosure if there are still plenty of refuges from said predators. Smaller cages are easier to regulate in terms of temperature and humidity though. Don't underestimate the importance of this with a fledgling animal!

Member Comment

1/17/2009 9:14:33 PM

Kaiyudsai

I swear by tubs for youngsters....... save the cage for when he grows up...... mainly for the reasons stated above.... esp because it's much easier to control temp and humidity... that is really important with rainbow boas

Assisted Answer

1/17/2009 11:22:39 PM

Jeffriey

I agree with everyone else especially for a young BRB but if you can get an awesome deal on the PVC cages I'd say grab them if you can for your other snakes or for use later like Kai said. They are great for heating and holding humidity. The one thing you could do when it gets a bit older is possibly make a divider for a large pvc cage if it doesn't already come with one and split the cage into a smaller section. You can heat and control the small section and move the divider over as a snake grows or keep another snake in the other section if it has fairly similar temperature requirements.

Assisted Answer

1/18/2009 5:46:33 AM

aaron

I'm going to have to disagree, partially.

In the wild, they have a VAST area to cover. I don't think you can get too big a cage. However, controlling mini environments can be challenging.

I have no BRB experience, but remember these guy come from the wild (effectively)... So the theory is that no matter how big a cage you get, it's smaller than where they come from.

With THAT said, yes, it's harder to dial in the bigger environment. I keep my baby chondros in tubs as long as I can, probably too long, because they are zeroed in on temp, humidity, etc... with a larger cage, it's more difficult to provide perfect conditions everywhere in the cage. Single heat source (as compared to the sun) is the challenge.

In nature, MILES of terrain are effectively the same, and perfect for the boa. In a cage, you can have a single heat source, and have vastly different environmental conditions (88 on one side, and 75 on the other is not out of the realm of possibility)... So, it's not so much the cage size as it is being able to control the cage as an entity. If you can heat it and keep humidity consistent throughout the cage, it should not be an issue. However, in typical setups, this is not likely to happen... one side is hot, one is cold, and snakes are dumb.

So, it's not so much the cage size, but how you control it.
JM2C

Assisted Answer

1/18/2009 10:01:05 AM

rob_carmichael

I completely agree with Aaron. In an ideal setting, it would be great to give a hatchling its permanent "adult cage" by giving the snake lots of microclimates and thermostatically controlled areas including humidity controls, full spectrum lighting, the works. But, the reality is that trying to manage a neonate BRB in a big cage will be very time consuming as you'll have to spend time finding the snake when it comes to feeding, daily checks, etc. That's why most folks raise their neonates in tubs/plastic containers where they can be easily monitored and conditions closely controlled. I have raised a few neonates, like the eastern indigos I breed in addition to several rattlesnake species in spacious cages and absolutely LOVED the experience. To watch them interact between their microclimates and the larger "world" was pretty neat. I provided lots of ways for them to move around without ever being out in the open. They stayed active, alert, lean (which is always good for captive snakes) and yet very well fed. I think many folks fail to fully enjoy the hobby because we still have this "breeder mentality" where we have to cram as many herps in racks as we can. Believe me, I've been there, done that, and I now have a much smaller collection but one that provides spacious environments so that I can watch their interaction with their environment...give a rattlesnake opportunities to climb and they'll climb - most folks have no idea that timber rattlesnakes will be found in low lying trees/bushes up to 20 feet off the ground.

I have "Thai" our King Cobra (the one in my picture) in a 12 foot x 4 foot x 4 foot exhibit and I wish I could give that animal something three or four times that amount of space....so, instead, he gets to come out and slither around the exhibit hall until he gets tired. Enrichment is a new area of keeping herps that we are just now startint to better understanding - talkin' about getting way off topic!!

Accepted Answer

1/18/2009 11:47:34 PM

amarilrose

Not really off topic Rob :)

When we are talking about cage space, it does really come down to a quality of life issue for the animal being housed. Enrichment is certainly something most people don't think about for their snakes, but it does go into the use of cage space.

I think everyone here has made extremely valid points. If a large cage ends up with a fairly large gradient in temperature from one end to another, a small neonate could well get itself into trouble in picking a favorite hide and not exploring the rest of the enclosure (remaining in just one extreme of the temperature gradient rather than properly thermoregulating)... which is where the importance of providing many different hiding spots throughout the cage becomes so important.

It is certainly easiest to house neonates in small enclosures! Keeping a neo in a cage that appropriately sized for an adult could probably be accomplished in the case of a BRB if you were to make a gorgeous planted vivarium and maintain it well, or even set up several less-than-display worthy hides... but either set up would take a TON of work to do right! If you feel like you are up to it, then set up the cage and lights/heat source(s), water, and everything as you would keep it for the animal long before you intend to place it in the enclosure, and take several measurements as often throughout the day as you can, from several areas within the cage, to ensure conditions stay as they should. When you can be confident your setup is correct (I would give it at least 3 days), then you can introduce the animal.... That is IF you want to go into that kind of effort.

So, I will agree with pretty much everyone here; if it's a good deal, buy the PVC cage and store it for later & keep the BRB neonate in a smaller cage for now. :)

Assisted Answer

1/19/2009 4:59:41 PM

BRBguy

It Has been my experience that Baby rainbows thrive in smaller Enclosures, But not because a big enclosure stresses them out. It is because it is easier to control Humdity levels and temperature in a shoe box than it is to controls those same factures in a 40 gallon tank.. The only problem I have encoutered with Keeping them in a big tank is getting them to eat. In this case i used to have a smaller enclosuer set up.. to put the animal in to feed it at least Twelve hours before feeding.. I don't know if any one else does it this way but this has worked for me in the past... but honestly the best enclosure for a baby BRB is A shoe box rack..

Member Comment

1/20/2009 10:26:19 PM

tradesokan

What I do for my BRB Kaiala...I put her in a brown paper bag. You know like the old skool lunch paper bag. Anyway I have the F/T mouse or rat in there already and I put her in the bag and she eats it always. Now This same bag is in her enclosure at the time. Not outside. I leave her alone for like 10 mins and she is good. It worked with other smaller snakes. Don't know about "Big Daddy" snakes though...gotta find a bigger bag. LOL

Member Comment

10/4/2010 4:30:27 PM

dalvers63

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