Enclosure Size vs Snake Length?

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markannab

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Hi all

I wonder if I can get a mathematician to work this one out as I can't sort it out. Since my carpet passed away, I'm looking at what snake to get next. I'm contemplating an Olive but don't know if my enclosure size is legally big enough to house the potential size of an Olive (NSW). In the case of an Olive, I don't think the government considers them as arboreal even though they, at least partial, are. Am I right?

The enclosure (which is tall) measures: 1700mmH x 550mW x 1000mmD. Could someone help me figure what is the maximum length arboreal snake I can keep in that size?

Your mathematical skills are appreciated!

Also, I read that Olives grow fast. Just how fast? :)

Thanks,
Mark.

- - - Updated - - -

FOLLOW UP: Searching through the enclosure size guidelines again, if an olive is considered a ground dweller (according to Appendix A), then the shortest floor dimension (550mm) limits me to a snake 2750mm long (meaning an olive is out of the question). However, the guidelines (before specifying Appendix A) say you can use the back wall area for "species identified as requiring climbing space" - which I understand, in reality, to include olives. If that were the case, I could have a snake 8500mm long! :)

Am I reading the Appendix correctly that, according to the government, olives have to be rated as ground dwellers? Thanks.
 
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Olive Pythons are considered E Class - 3-3.5m. This means you need a floor footprint of 1.225m2. The way they work this out is length should be half, and depth should be a fifth - 0.5 x 0.2 of the length of the snake. 0.5*3.5m = 1.75 wide. 0.2*3.5 = 0.7m deep.

So in short, not a big enough foot print. The private keeper's guidelines don't consider the olive to be a climbing species, so the height is irrelevant. Having said that, I would provide some height for it anyway.

In that enclosure, you are looking at C class - woma, jungle or RSP.

Not the reply you were hoping for, but an accurate one!!
 
Guess it really sucks now to have bigger snakes in NSW...
 
Probably not too often. But, with no judgement on others, I just prefer to obey the law ? even when, as in this case, it's not in my favour.
 
Technically, I probably could. Then I could fit an 8.5m anaconda! However, our lounge room and my wife would not allow this. :)
 
Mark,

in terms of snake length permitted (or size in relation to length) the NSW COPS state that the shortest floor dimension should be no smaller than 20% of the length of the snake housed in it. This does not override the surface area calc for the specific species...but is an additional requirement.

The application of the surface area calc can be applied to either wall or floor for designated climbers (floor only for ground dwellers) but the 20% rule applies to the smallest floor measurement....it isn't interchangeable with height dimensions for climbers.

So to answer your original question, the longest snake you can legally house in your enclosure is 5 x the smallest dimension of the floor which is 5 x 550mm = 2750mm. This is irrespective of species or class.

incidentally the suggestion of putting the enclosure on its side would still not gain you anything, but by putting it on its back (most likely impractical) would lift the maximum snake size to 5000mm (the shortest floor dimension becomes 1000mm x 5 as the previous 550mm length now becomes 'height' and is not used for length calculation).

Your enclosure is has an arboreal surface area of 1.7sq metres, and a non arboreal of 0.55sq metres., total snake length not to exceed 2.75 metres. If Olives were arboreal you would be legal with an Olive until it reaches 2.75 metres in length - unfortunately Olives aren't classed as arboreal. It would make an excellent enclosure for a large Morelia up to 2.75m as the wall surface area is nearly double the minimum for Class D. The 550mm floor dimension kills you from going longer despite the more than generous vertical surface area.

The NSW COPS are actually very easy to apply...they are just written extremely poorly and the average person gets easily confused by them. There are only 2 requirements - surface area calc for the applicable class of animal applied to wall/floor or floor depending on climbing status, and the 20% rule for maximum length. Feel free to drop me a PM anytime if have any queries - happy to help.
 
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