Garter snake enclosure size?

[Lee]

My garter (about 2 feet) is in a 20 gallon tank, I don't think this is large enough to house him. I'm interested in building a decent sized light weight enclosure for him. I was planning for the base, and 3 walls to be plywood. The front wall to be some sort of plexiglass door and the top being a screen to provide ventilation. Does 3ft long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet tall sound like a good size? and maybe being able to house another in there well? plenty of hides etc.. How does this sound to all of you? No, I won't be using under tank heating pads, just an overhead light if anything. Although I've kept him 2 years without any heating like that..

[Beautifylgirl]

Personally building your own sounds good. I would make it 3x3x3 just because I'm lazy and wouldn't want to mess up cutting the 2 feet sections. Make sure you don't have too much ventilation with the screen top and make sure it's fine (small) enough so the snake can't get through.
I have a 36inch garter and she's housed in a 46 gallon aquarium. I'm guessing it's 4x2x3 which allows her a lot of room to move around. I think the snake would be happy with being able to stretch out and not touch the sides of the enclosure.
Sorry if this post makes little to no sense, I've worked 34 hours the last 3 days and slept 3 hours last night. I'm a little sleepy
Good luck
Brittany

[Lee]

4X3X2 = about 180 gallons. According to my aquarium calculator.. 3 feet sticks out more than I would like, so I wanted 2ft, just better. Height yea it could be done at 3 ft, but its a bit over the top, its for 1 snake, maybe a second. Yea the ventilation would be fine enough to prevent escape. Whats wrong with ventilation? My current tank is just screen top, with a few books to cover it. I can always make the screen part a bit smaller than the actual lid, no big deal.
Would plywood be ok? I would have the floor covered and a bit of the wall to prevent too much absorption, but I don't think it would be a problem, especially if it was outside.

[GarterGuy]

Sounds like that'd be great as far as size for your garter. My rule of thumb(but everyone is different) is the snake should be able to stretch full lenght and not touch the sides of the tank, but more is always better....just as long as it doesn't get too big and he ends up getting lost in it. As far as ventilation......good ventilation is very important, and a screen top should be fine. Just make sure it's escape proof. As far as the wood, it should also be fine, but you'd want to treat it with something, since you'll be needing to clean it and such and you don't want the snakes waste soaking into the wood, or any water for that matter. Plain old polyurothane(sp?...it's late ) works well. Two or three coats will completely seal it up, you can also seal the joints in the corners with aquarium sealant. Hope this helps.
Roy

[Cazador]

Hi Lee,

The 20 gallon tank is more than enough to raise a single garter snake, but you'll get a lot more enjoyment out of it, if you keep your snake in a larger enclosure. Keeping a 2' snake in a 1' x 1' enclosure is possible, but they're going to spend most of their time curled up and not being active. They won't be very interesting that way, but it's possible... kindof like housing prisoners of war in boxes in Vietnam. As you increase the size of your enclosure (and add more props), the snake will become more active and explore more. A pen with more floorspace also allows you to temporarily add new things... like a second, large water container, a hollow log, a rock pile, different vegetation, etc.

Floorspace is the most important, and even with a 1' high enclosure, you could add props, like wood or plants, that allow your snake to climb. The floor area will also stay warmer in a 1' tall enclosure, since heat rises. Then you could put a second 3x2x1' enclosure on top of the first one and use the same amount of floorspace. I'm certainly not bashing the idea of a 2' tall cage... just offering another opinion. You'll be happy with the larger cage, either way, and your snakes will become even more active.

Rick

[KITKAT]

I like keeping garters in pairs, in aquaria that are "40 Long".

The 40 long is the same floor space as a 55 gallon tank, but is not quite as tall (easier to get the basking spot warm with a lamp on the top screen), and somewhat cheaper if you can find them in stock.

I don't go for anything fancy looking... I use aspen bedding, a tree branch for climbing, a ceramic bowl for water, and a plastic dish (flat with 1/2 inch sides) for non aquatic foodstuffs. (I feed live fish from the water dish and change it the next day)

[Lee]

I thought I would update, got carpet laid in the room where the snake is housed, moved him into a 10g and some fish (they needed the room) into the 20 gallon the snake lived in. Built a custom stand and the top just needs the aquarium to be finished. The bottom contains my 2 fish tanks, top will hold the garter enclosure. The tank measures 5X2X2 ft, 150 gallons if I used water in it. Got the bottom and 3 sides in, top and front will be done hopefully tommorow. Any idea if carpet can be used as the substrate? We got some leftover carpet so I wonder if I can use it to save money. I've already put 150$ into building supplies etc.

[rwgsnakes]

here are some pics of an enclosure i made for my garters when they get bigger.

[Cazador]

I think carpet would be okay while you're looking for something else, but it might become difficult to maintain over the long run. It would hold the odor from their waste and become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, etc. Also, make sure the carpet doesn't have a strong resin smell. Carpet glue contains benzene, which is a known carcinogen.

[Lee]

Figurd carpet wouldn't be best, I'll try to find a cheap alternative that looks good. Maybe some bark type stuff? Idk Rwg nice enclusure! How many garters you gonna put in there? They will be very happy with the levels!