Hannah enclosure questions..

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1227King_Enclosure.jpg

Ok, Im in the process of designing an enclosure for a future captive, O. hannah, the enclosure wont be built until next yr of sometime, assuming I get an animal of my choice in November. I'm curious on some answers, I'm familiar with all the aspects of the snake itself and the care, but when it comes to the enclosure technicalities, I find myself stubling on some stuff, such as, I'm a big fan of natural setups and this will be one, no matter who tries to persuade me otherwises, and I found some tile tat resembles a rocky look and texture and was wondering what you guys thought of that section.( the cross sectioning lines are the tile setup). The green will be of softer earth, leaves, grass, aspen or the such for a softer feel for the snake. The round part represents a Chiminea, similar to that of the Thia's and Chinese pots they use and I thought that'd be a spiffy touch, If I liked bolted it into the back of the enclosure, to keep it from being knocked around. The water section will be sectioned around the door opening for and easy access with out much interfering of the animal and the settings.. The black part will be the trap box on the outside of the enclosure which will have a sliding door and the such. I will have a window in both sides of the enclosure with reinforced mesh where the window opens and will be most of the time for adaquate ventilation, also, I will be using an all glass door for the.. Door. I hear conflicting stories about the gss is tough and can withstand alot of hell and I hear it sucks and will break easily, so I was considering either switching out the doors and replacing the screen on the door of choice (Ive picked one out) with plexi, or should I just reinforce the glass with Mesh, or is it sturdy enough as it is? I have a method of locking the door,which includes using a key if I use the glass door and two lockable barriers, I could draw up another sucky paint picture, if you'd like to understand the lock system, Im just curious to any tips of choice and compliments on the glass.
The enclosure will be 8'x8'x8' and please don't tip me with anything like newspaper bedding and whatknot, ya know..
Thanks in advance.
Xain
Sorry for the horrid pic, looks better skechted

[Dr. Bryan Fry]

Hi mate

Our four research snakes lived in a room sized enclosure. They were able to climb onto a thick branch over a 6x4x2 water area and also had a mock-rock cliff to climb (ceiling height). They were suprisingly agile and actually spent a fair bit of the time climbing. Since they hunt by sight, in the wild they actually spend a fair bit of time in the trees, looking down at the ground to spot prey. So, its important to provide this in captivity. It really helps keep them from stressing out. This is crucial since they are extremely sensitive to stress, so much so that the number one cause of death in captivity is stress related illnesses. A good hidebox is essential. Don't mess with them when breeding, they can't be quite 'interesting' around that time.

A neat trick is to use their own territorial behaviour against them. When two meet in the wild, they rear up at each other and try to tap each other on the top of the head. The one touched drops down and slithers away. This helps sort out who is bigger/healthier and therefore gets to hunt the good area (and therefore is also more likely to breed). When your snake rears up at you while you are trying to change the water, just tap it on top of the head with the gentle giant tongs and it'll drop down and piss off. Of course, it'll realise about ten seconds later and you'll probably have to repeat ;-)! They are a fun combination of very clever and extremely dense rolled up into one very cool package.

Enjoy.
B

[BWSmith]

I have had the honor to work with a few hannahs. Such an intelligent creature. I have heard from numerous people about head bopping them, but I never had the brass to try it. If I got a pair of Gentle Giants in my hand, I tonged it. Just remember the the head bopping doesnt work as well when you have a Ball Python wrapped around your neck :D

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

Thanks for the replies, anyone have any info on this question "Door. I hear conflicting stories about the gss is tough and can withstand alot of hell and I hear it sucks and will break easily, so I was considering either switching out the doors and replacing the screen on the door of choice (Ive picked one out) with plexi, or should I just reinforce the glass with Mesh, or is it sturdy enough as it is?"
Also, Dr. I failed to mention I will be adding branches and the such, also I will be using particleboard because of the smoothness and price, anyone have anything against this type of wood? As for head bopping, I've heard of, many using it, but like Brian, I lack the proper amount of brassness, heh.. Um, I think this is it, any other captive tips?