5 gal. tank?

[ConcinusMan]

Who's to say what an "adequate" sized enclosure actually is? It's extremely common practice in the reptile hobby to keep young snakes, hell even adults, in bin systems, because in all honesty, snakes do not need a ton of room.

While this may be true, it never would hurt to have more room than what is adequate. Since we are not necessarily the best judge of what is adequate, then why push it to the smallest possible size?

I'm going to be pretty blunt about this, but garters do not "love" to climb and explore. Snakes do not have feelings toward you, you are a warm tree to them. When a snake is out and about, it isn't because it wants to explore and play, its because either it's hungry, or something in it's husbandry isn't proper, and it's looking for a more suitable place to meet its basic needs.

Can't say I agree with all of that even though you make some good points. I can honestly say I've observed the difference in attitude, appetite, and general mental well being of snakes, depending on the size of their enclosure, how it is setup. Big improvements in attitude, growth, appetite, etc. happen in well designed "roomy" enclosures as opposed to living in a box or minimal enclosure. The opposite is true for snakes that enjoy being confined and sedentary.

Snakes in the wild do not "come out and explore", they are a prey animal for numerous species, the risk of "exploring" simply isn't worth the chance of being eaten, they move when conditions aren't right, or they need food. Every other chance, the snake is hiding somewhere out of site, in some small area or under a rock, because it's dark and secure.

That's like saying that you would never leave the house, go outside, explore the outdoors, or get out to move around, just because you don't need to.

I keep nearly all of my snakes in tub systems, which I keep at certain humidity/temp depending on snake. I feed every 5-7 days depending on individual and they honestly have 0 reason to move around much. Even the 2 snakes that belong to my girlfriend, in 4x2 cages, sit in their hides 24/7 unless hungry or thirsty.

And that's the thing. Many snakes will tolerate and even thrive under certain range of conditions. They aren't set at a certain point. I prefer to give them a range of comfort zones they can choose at any given time. Sure, they'll live within the range, but that's not the same thing as giving them a choice.

If you want some display snakes, by all means, pick up a 20 gallon tank and have a blast decorating it and keeping them, but to be perfectly honest, you're decorating the tank for YOUR needs, for YOUR viewing pleasure, the snake could care less.

-Mike

I beg to differ. The snake does care. A shy snake can be made to be outgoing, a nervous, poor feeder can be made to eat well and be calm, all depending on how you setup their enclosure. I design the enclosures with their comfort in mind first. Ease of access and maintenance comes second, how it looks to me is last and quite frankly irrelevant if the above needs are not met first. Honestly, i've heard the same arguments from anyone who is trying to justify keeping their snakes living in highly confined spaces. There are certain species that are well suited for such living. Garter snakes are not among them.

Perhaps I need to go back and reread this thread but I felt the direction it was going "How small of a container can we stick an animal in and still have it live?'" not being the best of interest for the captive. When we take on the responsibility of caring for an animal, we also have a financial obligation as well to provide as much as we can for them. This was my main concern. Although overlooked, it almost inspired a caresheet.

Anyway, just expressing my opinions and what works for me as everyone else here on this forum does. I certainly wouldn't want to undermine your top knowledge in reptile husbandry or misguide anyone to raise their animals on a level you consider unfit and substandard.

Well said Karen. I'm not accusing or trying to say I'm right, you're wrong. Just voicing my concerns about using such an enclosure. Not saying it couldn't possibly work. I just don't think it's ideal and would be difficult. If you don't think so, then that is fine.