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General Information On Snake And Reptile Cages
By Mark Chapple, Fri Dec 9th
If you are new to keeping then I suggest you talk tosnake keepers, pets shops that specialize in reptiles and readas much as possible. You should also understand that it willcost money to set yourself up properly to care for your reptile.Our home page has snake cage plans designed to help you savemoney but there are other costs such as lighting, heat mats &lamps, thermostats, thermometers, heating & lighting powercosts, accessories, substrates and food. Pet generally fall into three categories, based on theenvironment from which they came. The cages that you house yourpet in will depend on that environment. The most common of thesetypes is the terrestrial, those that prefer solid ground andlive and hunt in that environment. The other common types arearboreal (tree snakes) and semi aquatic (watersnakes). Many people house their in converted aquariums but theseare generally not the best place to house a snake. The glassdoes not insulate well and consequently loses heat easily andquickly. Smaller reptiles adapt quite well to this sort ofenvironment and the heating costs are not really an issue as thetanks are smaller.
Acrylic cages are common and are quite a good alternative. Theyare easily washed and lightweight. The better ones can beexpensive, depending on their size and options. It is generallya lot more expensive to make moulds for large shapes. Wooden snake and reptile cages are widely used. This is for anumber of reasons: Easy to construct at home as people already have many of thetools needed Timber has good insulation properties; this reduces heat lossand also saves heating costs Materials are readily available Can be altered to suit the owner's preferences
You will need to provide at least 3/4 square foot of living areaper foot of snake housed within. This means that for cagesmeasuring 2ft deep (wide) the length of the cage is roughly 2/3the length of the snake to be housed in it i.e. 4ft snake has a3ft x2ft cage, a 6ft snake requires a min 4ft x 2ft cage etc. Snake cages also need to be secure. Ideally your snake cageshould be lockable to prevent people removing your animalwithout your presence and risking the chance of being bitten orin the case of a large reptile, potentially injuring orpreventing fatalities in the case of young children. This is even more true of venomous snakes. If you are new tosnake keeping or have little experience then you should notconsider a venomous snake. Only keepers with a lot of experiencekeep venomous and even then not many. Your snake cage will also need to be ventilated. The ventilationshould allow a free flow of air through the snake enclosure,without being too much. have a low metabolic rate andhence do not require a massive air flow. The vents for your snake enclosure
will need to be made fromplastic, rather than metal to prevent abrasions. You will also need to clean your snake's cage thoroughly atleast once a month, including disinfecting the floors, to keepyour snake healthy and in good condition. Snakes regulate their temperature in the wild based on a varietyof factors and they need to be able to do so in the artificialenvironment you provide. Your cage will need a temperaturegradient and adequate provision for the snake to regulate itstemperature. You may also have to regulate the humidity of your cage,depending on the type of snake you keep. from tropicalenvironments require high levels of humidity to remain healthy. Heating can be provided in a number of ways, for example heatlamps (incandescent bulbs) and heat mats. You need to monitorand regulate the temperature of you snake cage in a number oflocations in order to keep you r snake comfortable. If you useincandescent globes, make sure they are not able to beaccidentally touched by the snake. As lizards do not have theability to stretch out to heat lamps as easily, this isgenerally not an issue. Snakes requiring humidity will require that you measure thehumidity and maintain it be between 40 and 70 percent, in orderto provide the optimal environment for your snake. Humidity gauges and thermometers should be placed at multiplelocations within the snake housing to monitor the temperaturesand humidity throughout. For arboreal species, you need to provide plenty of branches ofdifferent types and sizes in the snake cage. Other decorationsand cage accessories such as rock formations, hollow logs, orother hiding areas should be placed at different temperaturelocations within the enclosure. The snake cage will also require a substrate (base material).There are a wide range of these such as Aspen shavings,commercially available substrates designed for newspaperand recycled paper material such as kitty litter. You will also need a sturdy ceramic or plastic water bowl inyour snake cages. They need to have a flat base and bereasonable wide as and reptiles will move around freelyand knock poor water containers over. The water containersshould be at both the warmer and cooler ends of the cage. Somespecies of snake like to have a larger water container thatenable them to immerse themselves. You may also need to provide a UV light, such as Zoo Med'sReptisun 5UVB, to assist you snake with the production ofvitamins. Not all require this so you need to check onyour particular snake's requirements. Many species of lizardsand skinks do require these UV lights to produce vitamin D so itis best to make sure of your animals requirements when settingup an enclosure. About the author:Find out how to build these cages as well as arboreal cages.Fullco lor pictures, detailed diagrams and easy to follow,step-by-step instructions. http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com
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