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Size of tank??

nhaislip

nhaislip

New member
Ok I have a recently aquired corn snake and she is 13 inches long. I have her in a 5 1/2 gallon aquarium right now because I really didn't think she should be put in a 10 gallon aquarium right now. She has a good bit of room to move around in on the ground floor, as well as over half of the aquarium has hides for her. I also have two hanging vines that she readily climbs and I get her out almost every day for 20 minutes or so for exercise. Is this 5 1/2 gallon tank big enough? When should I move her to the 10 gallon? Thanks all
 
You'll notice when she doesn't have as much room to move around. I personally would have started with a 10 or 15 gl. after using a rubbermaid box. I almost always use the cheaper rubbermaid containers for hatchling to yearling age as they are inexpensive and stackable. Not as easy to view the snakes, but they are opaque. Sounds like your girl is happy now though.
 
What if you skip the 10 and go straight to a 20 when it's time? That will last a _long_ time, then. I have a 12 inch baby in a 20 and he just looks ridiculous in there- but he's very happy and active and goes all over the place. He certainly doesn't seem "lost" in it.

Nanci
 
Most of my adults are in a 30 gl. I have my big amel in a 40 gl. but he's very active and huge. I just wanted him to have more room.
 
We have our new baby (she's tiny) in a 20 gallon but with hides, logs and trees.. and she seems fine. Is there a big problem in putting them in a big tank right off? And in the rubbermaid boxes is there a problem with heating? It's getting cold here and I don't want to worry about her getting too cold without her heat pad and light ?
 
I think it is absolutely fine to start off hatchlings in larger cages as long as you give them lots of hiding choices. I think this is actually better than having them adjust to multiple new enclosures along the way. It really is individual choice though, not a right or wrong equation. If you get to know your animal, and really study its behavior, you will be able to tell what is best for it.

Best wishes
 
Actually it's not our individual choice, it's our animal's. They will tell you if it's too large for them to be comfortable in. As Dawn stated, study your animal's behavior and go from there. For convenience I put my babies in a rubbermaid container with a uth attached to a piece of glass under one end for heat so they have everything they need in a small, space saving area. When you've got 20 or so hatchlings...it's not practical to have something bigger. Once they've outgrown the rubbermaids they go right into their full-sized tanks.
 
VooDooVinnie said:
It's getting cold here and I don't want to worry about her getting too cold without her heat pad and light ?
Click to expand...

Just wanted to note, that It isn't necessary to use a heating light source if you have a heat pad beneath the aquarium. The heating light can actually cause the air to get too dry which will create shed problems for you. Also the snakes do not appreciate the bright light.

Best wishes
 
So it's not necessary to have both? Don't they need a certain amount of light during the day? Also does the bark help the humidity in the tank or is it good to spritz water in the tank like I've had people tell me to do to up the humidity?

See how confused I can get on this lol

I will say that with only one snake then there's no worry of having 20 hatchlings in containers :) Also the first snake we had hid alot even when he was 3 foot long and well acquainted with his larger space. You almost never saw him out really unless it was feeding time :-/

I just want to do what is right and best for the animal.
 
Snakes do not require uv light to remain healthy as lizards and turtles do. The ambient light coming in a window is just fine for them. They also do not require high humidity. I spritz the cage only when they are ready to shed, the rest of the time I don't worry about it. Too high a humidity is bad too. You don't want to end up with them getting scale rot.
 
Aah ok thanks:) We don't have her close to a window because of the heat here in the summers.. she's actually in our bedroom right now because the other seemed happier when things were quieter. Should I move her closer to a window do you think?
 
Some people speculate that infrared heaters could damage their eyes, but no proof has come out. I wouldn't move her too close to a window. Direct sunlight on a viv turns it into a sauna that can kill them quickly. Indirect sunlight is fine.
 
I just cut to the chase and bought Cornflake a nice, big viv when I got him. I think it is 3ft x 1ft x 1ft...anyway, he's over almost two years old now and it's still MORE than big enough for him! lol

Didn't want to buy a small cage that he would outgrow and then have to buy another...lol
 
Yeah, as soon as I knew I was getting Rose, my dad and I built a big cage for her. It's 3 by 1 by 1, like Meg's. I was happy that she adjusted really well. I didn't think of it at the time (I was 10) but now, I think I would have been like "Shwoah!"
 
VooDooVinnie said:
And in the rubbermaid boxes is there a problem with heating?
Click to expand...

Rubbermaids, Sterilites, etc. are actually much easier to maintain heat and humidity in. Since it's not an open screen, you can maintain it easier to not be the same temperature as the room aside from the heating pad. Of course, that's not as important for corns as it is for, let's say, a ball python, since corns usually do well with cool side temperatures in the 70s/high 60s and ambient humidity (unless your ambient humidity is way too low or way too high).
 
Little snakes

Im about to buy two 5 inch corns. How long could I keep them in a 10gal. before I go to a 20 long?
 
Why not just buy the 20 gallon anyways and avoid a second expense later? You just need to provide extra places to hide with a larger tank.
 
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