Is the such thing as too big?

[Kilojara16]

I was thinking of whenever I get a cornsnake that I would buy a tank big enough for it to live in the rest of its life. Would it be too big to start if I got a hatchling?

[pdrau]

A 20 long would be big enough to house a corn its entire life, so a hatchling would do fine in that as well. You could go as big as your budget allows. A 40 long makes a nice display, as does a 55. The larger the tank the more hides you can provide and the more likely your snake will explore and find the one he likes best. In the smaller tank, one or two hides are all that you can put so your snake doesn't really have that much of a choice. That's my two cents. I'd have each of mine in a 40 long if I could afford it and space allowed, but I'm going to build a rack for them all soon.

[Simon]

For hatchlings size of a tank does actually matter. Too big of a tank could stress them out since they are not used to the new BIG environment that they are in. If you are going to get a real big tank for it just make sure to provide a lot of hides so that they can hide anywhere they want. Just my little advice....

Good Luck and Happy Herping!

[Reed Taylor]

I totally disagree. I don't think the size of the tank matters for hatchlings. They are going to do the same thing they do in the wild. find a spot, get under it, and chill there. they'll come out only ever so often. As time goes by he will become more and more brave and start running around. I kept a hatchling Coachwhip in a fifty five tall for a long time and he loved it. After about a month he was crawling all over the place.

[kellum]

I would go for a large tank. I know that my snake spends most of its time in its hides anyway. So in a large container most snakes probably seek out a small spot to curl up in. If your snake displayed signs of stress you could always pick up a rubbermaid container to keep it in until it was ready for the full habitat.

[Rachel]

My newest snake is about 6 months old and I put him straight into a 5ft by 4 by 3. He is totally happy in there, much happier than my first snake was when I put him in a "hatchling" tank. I think it seems a bit more natural to give them plenty of space plus it is more enjoyable for the snake and you to watch it explore! It also saves you money just buying one tank that'll last a lifetime rather than buying a new tank every time he gets too big. Have fun with your new snake!

[B-J@y]

Hi, I'm from the netherlands... and i don't understand the gallon type of tanks your talking about!

I thought a galon was something like liter! you know!

sow a 20 gallon tank could be verry high and smal, bud also verry wide and not so high!

can someone pleas tel me how it works in inches.... or better for me in meters. (LxWxH)
thanks!

[jim]

b-jay,
a gallon is about 4 liters. a 20 gallon tank holds 20 gallons and comes in 2 sizes- tall and long. the meaurements for a 20l are (inches) 30x12x12. the 20high is 24x12x16. sorry i can't do the metric conversions in my head but an approximate for the long tank is 75cmx30cmx30cm. hope this helps.... :) ---jim

[Gregg]

A 20 gal. tank is 61cm long x 33.5cm high x 31.5cm deep (from front to back). It's about 303.2 litres, I think, if my math is correct (and it probably isn't).

[B-J@y]

Thanx!! thats what i wanted to know!

[jim]

3.78 liters / gallon and 30.4 cm / foot .... :) ---jim

[B-J@y]

Thanks Jim, I Knew that a foot = 30cm.... thanks to the Dungeons and Dragos game i play!

Now i need to know how many centimeters there is in a inch/foot

[carol]

A large tank will be OK, the only problem I have seen with that is sometimes when a tank is real big young corns have a hard time finding their water bowl. So simple solution is to provide more than one water bowl in a large enclosure.

[Reed Taylor]

Just put the waterdish closer to his hide box.