Exo Terra or 20 gallon long?

[LisaJ]

I'll be getting an albino checkered garter eventually (not sure yet if a baby or adult). I was originally thinking about just a basic 20 gallon long aquarium for when he/she is full grown. But recently I noticed the Exo Terra terrariums, the Maya version is gorgeous. Are those dimensions OK for a garter? The 20 longs are 30" x 12" x 12", and the Exo Terra was something like 18" x 18"x 24". So not as long as the basic aquarium, but taller. Do garters climb a lot? If so, then having it taller would be fine. I like the idea of the front opening doors. I read on a post once (here or on Kingsnake, not sure which) of a person who said they liked the front opening doors better because the snakes don't get as scared as when you pick them up from above. I looked into the visionariums which had the same diminsions as the 20 gallon longs, but some people said their snakes escaped too easily from the sliding front-opening doors. So far I haven't seen anybody complain about the Exo Terras and escapes. Just want some opinions. Not sure yet if I'll have a male or female ( I realize the females are a lot larger).
Thanks

[TheArtist]

I know theres a thread on here somewhere that does discuss all the stuff you need to do to make a Exo terra cage safe, theres been a few escapes from flaws in design. I've also seen some images of garters climbing and from seeing some in the wild when I was younger, the would sometimes climb to a higher altitude. I'm sue it would be fine, there are a few people on here with the Mayan set up that will hopefully respond to this thread. I would personally choose an aquarium over exo terra, but at the same time, if the cage is higher up, it becomes a pain to spot clean it if your a bit shorter than some of the other population!

I also prefer an aquarium because of all the really fun DIY set ups you can do within the cage. You can make rocky background with outcrops or anything you want and if you don't like it it's not as expensive to repair or replace.

Also have you checked out BHB? They have beautiful Snow Plains Garter snakes that are solid white! and they are a very trusty worthy supplier in my opinion!
http://www.bhbreptiles.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/f445c0ed640700d53f84f2ab469b2705.jpg

BHB Enterprises - Gartersnakes (http://www.bhbreptiles.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=10&Itemid=12)

[gregmonsta]

Definately not a fan of exo-terra enclosures. The glass tanks are downright dangerous when it comes to smaller snake/lizard species. Nevermind the escape holes, lol, the doors leave a small gap as they swing out and I know someone that lost a gecko to it being crushed in this gap (door was being closed at the time and it was crushed as it was wriggling through this gap).

[GarterGeek]

I'd go for the aquarium. It's more fun to set up (if you're into that) and it's easier to clean. If you want, you can create climbing spaces for your snake by using taller plants and placing a stick diagonally. In an aquarium you can have both climbing spaces and ground hiding places. :)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I abosolutely hate those exo terra cages. I lost a pair of albino radiated rat snakes thanks to one of those!!! :(

[Quibble]

Im glad I read this, I was planning on possibly eventually saving up for an exo-terra cage in the future... Not anymore!

[TheArtist]

If you have enough money why not try making your own custom cage?! I've seen people do everything from make a tank completly from scratch to making tanks inside old cupbards and such! Theres one tank that I still remember, i thought it was absolutly beautfiul.



But theres many of different ideas out there! If you go hunting at garage sales your bound to find something, then it's just a matter of (safely) using some power tools to make a glass 'window' and making it escape proof, add some form of venting and your done! Some examples are below Not only are they pleasing to the eye, but with the right preparation and hunting for bargains it can cost very little!


http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif
http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gifhttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/15/19245461_ab3215b701.jpg?v=0
I think i would advise against this kind of lid, how he has it set up, I think a snake could get out through one of the grooves

http://shop.wharfaquatics.co.uk/images/vivariumcabinet.jpg
You can always get a smaller cabinet! Or a bigger one! I'm pretty sure a smaller one would be more feasible though

http://www.jjcardinal.com/vivarium.jpg
Coffee Table: Coffee Table Vivarium. at Pets Classifieds (http://www.pets-classifieds.co.uk/c65d24580.php)



Might be a fun summer project. Just make sure it isn't rotting (if it's wood), it's escape proof, and safe, then go to a glass store, ask for broken pieces or pieces that were never picked up, attach the glass and then you just wire it and your done!

[drache]

I have a few tanks with front sliding doors and no escapes from them beyond a couple in the beginning when I needed to figure things out
I really like the ones I've got and I have been very interested in the visionariums, although I've only seen pictures

[Seere121]

I have an exo terra for my baby carpet pythons while i'm building their adult enclosure, and a 20g long for my garters. I have nearly had the above mentioned problem of crushing the animal in the doors, and the exo terra is easily twice as heavy as the 20g. For Garters the 20g long would be a much better choice.

[LisaJ]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. From the sound of things I better keep it simple and just get the aquarium. I can always decorate it a bunch if I want it to look nice. I'm not 'handy' enough to build my own.
TheArtist, thanks for recommending the breeder in MI with the gorgeous white snakes. Unfortunately it's a bit too far away for me. I live in CA and prefer not to ship. I'll try to find a breeder here. The larger Vivariums have them sometimes. But I wonder if they are shipping them across the country?
Lisa

[TheArtist]

But I wonder if they are shipping them across the country?
Lisa

did you mean BHB? cause they do ship and from what friends have told me they d a very good job of it, plus i've seen how they ship which is comforting

[GradStudentLeper]

Just remember, keep it as naturalistic as you can, and as semi-aquatic as you reasonably can deal with. The snakes will be happier that way. Just make sure they have a place to dry off.