Whats an ideal cage size for a nasty and large Rock python..

[Dom]

As u may already know .. My rock is really nasty and has outbrow in 133 gallon tank..

I am looking into building him a new cage but I am debating on dimensions .. I want something that is estetically pleasin but IT NEEDS to be convinient to work with .. as i said she is SUPER agressive..

I was thinking about a cage that is at least 4 feet high .. heigt for these guys is not a requirement but I want to be able to walk in there .. Much safer that way .. as to the floor dimension .. not sure .. what are your thoughts on this?

Do u think it would be a good idea to build a seperation that can be open and closed for cleaning purposes?

basically - good big cage for really nasty snake?

I was thinking of 6 x 3 for floor and 4 high .. what are your thoughs on this..

Tx for the imput!

[reverendsterlin]

I have both a 6X4X2 and a 6X2X2. the smaller enclosure is much easier to clean and to work the animal out of when necessary. The larger cage seems to expose me to more possible accidents because of the ackward position that leaning over that height causes.

[RachelS.]

Just my thoughts on the length. I honestly think 6 feet long is way too small for a rock python unless your thinking about building another cage. I'd go 8 feet minimum if I were you. Just my advice, take it or leave it.

Also, I think sliding doors are much easier to work with than a cage opening at the top. But it would be pretty scary opening a cage door to have a snake fly out at you. I wasn't sure what you were going to do about the cage opening, so I thought I'd add that along. Hope this helps =)

Rachel

[moperri]

Well my cages are 6x4x2 and tey seem ok. I woulsd use sliding glass and you can build in a separator so you can acces half of cage at the time, it might be easier to clean if he is that aggressive.

[Dom]

lol trust me she is that agressive.. as for the height .. I think its a must ..

I mean - for a large snake, is there such a thing as a cage too big?? I am going probably for a max of 6 x4 floor and a goood 4 feet high .. IMO - its is big enough and mor than place than the majority ofppl offer to one snake..

As for the doors ... defenetly side and not top access.. It is right now top access and it is defenetly not safe..

Tx for the input everyone

Dom

[nhherp]

In order to heat this cage to the appropriate levels for an Afrikan Rock Python you will have to run excessive amount of heat. Remember that Heat RISES, and to keep the floor level where this snakes sits becomes harder with more cage height. Stick to 2ft high as a max. A 65Watt flood or spot still directs enough heat down at this level, but even then in cool houses it can be a problem. Walk in cages are hard to heat, and cannot be done well enough to cut down drafts. I forget the exact technical details, but it deals with cubic feet of air, and BTU's. Furnace techs can fill you in if you want. Also humidity is also harder to maintain in a tall cage. I know you will hear to just mist them, but that is not sufficient, and misting is sucked up by all the dry air in the cage within minutes, at which time you have walked away and the cage has returned to a low humidity level.
I keep 4-5 different cage levels for the retics I breed and keep
.
hatchlings-3ft - sweater box
<6ft - blanket box
6ft-10ft - 4ft(L) x 20"(width) x 18"(H)
10-15ft - 5-7 ft cages.
>16ft - custom cages that are at least 1/3 rd the animals
length, and at least 3 ft wide. No higher then 2 ft.
I currently have an 8 x 3 x 2, and a 14ft x 3 x 2(with
a center divider as adults are Big mean ltc WC)
These cages are only for large females and allow for
a male to be comfortably placed with them
during breeding. Standard male retics do not
super large, avg. 10-13ft.


There is such a thing as too big a cage for a snake. It can result in going off food, and striking(uneasiness), all signs of stress which allows illnesses to gain a foothold on a normally healthy snake.
For a rock of your description , go for no larger than 6ft in length, and 2ft wide, 20" Height. No screen ventilations. Give it a hide at this length as it is still a very large cage for a young tempermental rock python. Ideally you should plan on building a new cage every 6-7 ft of growth. If it ever exceeds 13 ft in length then you can look at building an 8ft or larger, but that is alot of rabbits from now. A rock female will breed at 12ft easily, males 9 ft. If you dont want a monster dont make one. Just because it has a record length does not mean it will get that huge. They average about 1/2 of that record in the wild and collections.

[condro python]

I am kinda new to this hole reptile forum stuff, but i have loved these animals for years. I did some research and now my hands on and book worm studies are drawing me to the larg pythons, one thing I have learned about large pythons is they weigh a fair amount of pounds you must of seen a small snake go vertical against a glase aquarium and then lose there balance and fall to the ground. Now imagine a large python climing the side of a 4' enclosure losing balance and slaming against a water bowl, branch, rock. Last I heard vetranarine care for broken python ribs dosent come cheap these days so I would take the advice for a 2' enclosure.

But do what you think is best fore your python. I know that if I hade nervouse python and did not want to handel it more then I hade to(to reduce the strese on the python of cours) I wouldent position myself to have to bring it to the vet.

Anyway I dont want to sound like a smart a** so do the best what you can with the info that is given from all sources and have fun because when a person dosen't have fun they dont appreciated the animals the same whay you and I do.