Can tanks be too big?

I've received some conflicting information so I wanted to get some opinions here. I have a pretty small snake. I believe he was hatched in October. The person I got him from gave me a 15 gallon tank he'd been living in. Eventually I really want to move him into a 55 gal tank I have. The conflicting info I've been receiving is when I can move him to the larger set up. I've read info saying that snakes shouldn't go into large housing until they are adults or they could feel insecure but I've also been told that they can move into a larger tank at anytime. Reasoning being that when they are wild they live in larger areas. So I'm not sure who to believe.

So what say you?

No snake in the wild would confine itself to 18 X 18 inches of ground. Snakes in the wild are constantly on the move for food and water. As long as there are sufficient hides, some good decorations, and proper belly heat, the tank size doesn't matter to the corn. I would probably put two water bowls in a large tank though. The hard part is finding the corn in a large tank, especially if it hides under the substrate, as many hatchlings and younger corns do. I would feed the corn in a separate container, at least until it gets older.

I did an experiment with a young corn snake several years ago, and you could try it too. I had a 40 gallon tank with a screen top. I was wondering if the tank was too large for the corn. I propped a piece of cardboard in the tank with rocks so that the corn was limited to about a 5 gallon space. The cardboard was about 12 inches tall and up against the glass on the sides. Now if the corn was secure in his 5 gallon side he could stay there. But it wasn't long before he climbed over the cardboard and was slithering around the big part of the tank. So much for insecurity, but don't be surprised if most of the action occurs at night. Young corns feel safer when they are nocturnal.

Thank you. That's a good idea for an experiment. Maybe I'll try something like that. I was thinking since the snake is so little and the tank is so big would it be a good idea to put a warm side on each end and have the middle be the cooler area? I have a ton of hides and several water bowls so I'm all good on that. I really like that corns are more nocturnal, I am too. Seriously I rarely go to bed until around 3-4 am. So nocturnal pets are perfect for me.

Avaelbane said:

Thank you. That's a good idea for an experiment. Maybe I'll try something like that. I was thinking since the snake is so little and the tank is so big would it be a good idea to put a warm side on each end and have the middle be the cooler area? I have a ton of hides and several water bowls so I'm all good on that. I really like that corns are more nocturnal, I am too. Seriously I rarely go to bed until around 3-4 am. So nocturnal pets are perfect for me.

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You have the right idea, a warm side on both ends in a big tank. My young corns are usually nocturnal, and I feed them later than my older corns. But they soon figure out that when I'm in the room during the day feeding may be on the agenda. I'm sure someone will suggest that you monitor the warm side temps, so I'll mention it. Some digital thermostats have dual output plugs, or more, so the probe is placed on one side and theoretically the heat on the other side should be the same. But check it.

Thanks! I'm excited to get the bigger tank set up. Hopefully soon.

Never thought about having two warm sides. What a great idea.