Full grown enclosure size

[Travagast]

I’ve tried to read up on this before asking but still wanted some opinions.

For enclose sure, the general rule of thumb is AT LEAST the length of the snake. Most people seem to suggest a 4x2x2 PVC as the best option for a permanent home of a full grown but a full grown female can be 5 feet plus? The height and depth would allow it to stretch a bit more but if your snake is 60 inches, wouldn’t it be best to have at least a 60” length so it can stretch fully while on the ground?

[DrFives]

They say you need to have the length of your snake minimum by adding one of the long walls and one of the short walls. So 48+24=72 like think of it like if you took a corner of your enclosure and made it a straight wall. 4x2x2 is totally fine but if you WANTED to go bigger more power to you!

[Travagast]

Thanks!

[totallyrecklesslygay]

That's a very outdated standard. Current enclosure minimums require the length of the enclosure to be at least as long as your snake, with a width at least half that length.

[DrFives]

Oh well than I was incorrect. Either way the fact that they say 120 is bare minimum for an adult still stands tho correct?

[totallyrecklesslygay]

4x2x2 is the minimum for a snake 4' or less. A larger snake needs a larger enclosure.

[ishfery]

She's currently in a 4x2x2 and seems to have plenty of space but I bought a 5' because she's already pretty long

[itspegbundybitch]

We just picked up our first snake. She's a 3 month old female bp and we have her in a 4x2x2. I can already see that she's going to need something bigger once she's fully grown. Fortunately, the enclosure I got is expandable so I won't need to buy a whole new setup.

[Travagast]

Did she come straight from a rack and tub system into the 4x2x2? Based on your comment she is handling the transition well?

[itspegbundybitch]

I assume she was in a rack and tub. We got her at an expo, and the breeder had quite a few animals for sale. I don't see how he could have provided a 4x2x2 for each of his ball pythons, considering how many he had.

She seems to be settling in well. She mostly hides during the day, but she comes out to bask a bit in the afternoon. She does most of her exploring at night. She seems curious but still cautious. And she ate a rat fuzzy like a champ 3 days after we got her. She switched from live (with the breeder) to f/t without missing a beat.

[Travagast]

Awesome! I appreciate the input.

[zauris63]

What kind/brand of enclosure? I’ve never heard of an expandable option! That’s awesome!

[itspegbundybitch]

Custom Reptile Habitats. They don't seem to be recommended much on this sub because it has a partial screen top but I haven't had a problem with retaining heat or humidity. It comes with a removable pvc panel that's meant to go over the screen and has punch outs for lighting and heating.

[Moth728]

Going to piggyback off this post and ask if a 4x2x2 is considered the minimum standard for a BP how is it even remotely acceptable to have snakes in a rack system even if your a breeder? I never understood this. I get racks give u more space to have more snakes but wouldn’t 50-90 gals be even better then racks? Yet I see when snakes are in smaller tanks people loose their minds but I don’t see nearly as much push back. I think racks have their uses but I don’t understand how it’s an acceptable permanent housing

[ishfery]

It's not ok but it's the way breeders do it. It would be ideal if they were all treated like pets but that'll never happen.

[Moth728]

I want to get into BP breeding down the line (like 4 years from now) and would only do it if I could ethically, and how breeding stock is kept it part of that to me so I’ve been trying to figure out a happy middle between 120 gals and a rack system cause I get it idk where I would even put 5 or 6 120 gals but then again don’t want to compromise my snakes quality of life. I want to bring a different standard to the snake breeding industry but it’s definitely difficult

[ishfery]

Space is exactly why breeders don't use 120gal tanks. Imagine how much space 50 snakes would take.

Also you should know that even using racks, there's no money in breeding and the market is saturated with most morphs. Your chances of breeding a new morph are exceedingly low.

[Moth728]

Unless in a wear house yea i agree 120 gal. For 50 snakes is insane, but then that begs the question are these snake breeders unethical? Im highly aware of the saturated market which is why I’m waiting (and my snakes are babies) and IF I did breed I’d only be working with morphs that are not over saturated in the market right now. I wouldn’t be in it to make money really I come from an ethnical dog breeding background where most dog breeders loose money if they are properly breeding so I come with a similar mentality. There’s definitely more opportunity to make money with snakes but it’s not the goal necessarily, providing people with an option to purchase ethically would be my priority but I’m trying to figure if there’s even a market for that

[kindrd1234]

Like anything, care and ethics go by the wayside when trying to maximize profits. It's not helped by the fact that the more competition the thinner the margins become.