Click clack/plastic tub sizing help!

[Great Dane]

Hi all!
I’m wanting to purchase my first snake (leaning towards Stimsons python) and have been informed by multiple sources for a juvenile to be kept in a click clack style container. My problem is that many places do not suggest a size, I don’t want to purchase anything too big that it would stress it out or too small. What size click clack would you suggest to be used for the first year of a Stimsons pythons life?

I’ve kept lizards all my life so I’m a complete newbie when it comes to snakes.

Anyway, Thank you!

 

[Herpetology]

7-9L would be plenty for a hatchling to yearling, you want more ground space than height, but a little bit of heigh to put a dowel perch In wouldn’t hurt!

 

[Great Dane]

7-9L would be plenty for a hatchling to yearling, you want more ground space than height, but a little bit of heigh to put a dowel perch In wouldn’t hurt!

Awesome, thank you!

 

[PerthHerper]

Herpetology nailed it on the head

Newborn hatchlings are often kept in tiny 2L click clacks (especially by commercial breeders), though I'd assume this is only short term.

So I'd reckon 2L for a really small hatchling, and 7-10L for anything longer, up to the 35cm mark.

 

[Sdaji]

I find young hatchlings start off better in something much smaller than 2 litres. My preference is something about the size of a takeaway food container (though not those actual tubs as opening or closing them can freak the snake out).

Bigger isn't always better, especially with timid baby snakes. People like to be generous and it sounds nice to give them lots of space, but for a small animal which wants to feel secure, something more snug is usually more appropriate. Once established most of them will be comfortable going into something larger, even a great big enclosure, but if you're going to have trouble it's probably going to be because you put it in something too big rather than too small. 7-9 litres will be fine for many of them, but less than 1 litre is ideal for hatchling Antaresia.

If you're getting once which is already an established feeder it likely won't really matter though.

 

[Great Dane]

I find young hatchlings start off better in something much smaller than 2 litres. My preference is something about the size of a takeaway food container (though not those actual tubs as opening or closing them can freak the snake out).

Bigger isn't always better, especially with timid baby snakes. People like to be generous and it sounds nice to give them lots of space, but for a small animal which wants to feel secure, something more snug is usually more appropriate. Once established most of them will be comfortable going into something larger, even a great big enclosure, but if you're going to have trouble it's probably going to be because you put it in something too big rather than too small. 7-9 litres will be fine for many of them, but less than 1 litre is ideal for hatchling Antaresia.

If you're getting once which is already an established feeder it likely won't really matter though.

I ended up purchasing a 13 litre plastic tub (49 x32 x 14cm) as I am most likely getting a yearling (talking to a couple people at the moment with yearlings for sale). Once the water bowl, hide and a perch is in there, there really isn’t much room left which I assume the snake will like?
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Herpetology nailed it on the head

Newborn hatchlings are often kept in tiny 2L click clacks (especially by commercial breeders), though I'd assume this is only short term.

So I'd reckon 2L for a really small hatchling, and 7-10L for anything longer, up to the 35cm mark.

It does seem really small even for a hatchling... I understand that snakes appreciate crammed spaces more but I’d feel bad if it couldn’t at least stretch all the way out.

 

[Sdaji]

I ended up purchasing a 13 litre plastic tub (49 x32 x 14cm) as I am most likely getting a yearling (talking to a couple people at the moment with yearlings for sale). Once the water bowl, hide and a perch is in there, there really isn’t much room left which I assume the snake will like?

If it's a yearling that'll be fine. Probably a little larger than ideal but certainly won't be a problem for a well adjusted yearling.

It does seem really small even for a hatchling... I understand that snakes appreciate crammed spaces more but I’d feel bad if it couldn’t at least stretch all the way out.

After working with snakes for over 25 years and getting I have no idea how many thousands of hatchlings and newborns feeding, I can definitely say that the snakes are much happier starting out in tubs shorter than their own body length, they'll feel more secure, are clearly less stressed and less nervous, more confident and more comfortable to start feeding.

As I said, we all want to be kind and it's easy to imagine that bigger is better, but what the snakes actually like is what we should focus on, not what we imagine they want if it contradicts the reality we actually see.

 

[Great Dane]

If it's a yearling that'll be fine. Probably a little larger than ideal but certainly won't be a problem for a well adjusted yearling.



After working with snakes for over 25 years and getting I have no idea how many thousands of hatchlings and newborns feeding, I can definitely say that the snakes are much happier starting out in tubs shorter than their own body length, they'll feel more secure, are clearly less stressed and less nervous, more confident and more comfortable to start feeding.

As I said, we all want to be kind and it's easy to imagine that bigger is better, but what the snakes actually like is what we should focus on, not what we imagine they want if it contradicts the reality we actually see.

I understand that. Experience really does beat research in some cases, I might go pick up a smaller container before I go pick him(snake) up later tonight. Thank you for your response!

 

[Melmy]

What is a good, easily available cheap plastic container to use for little ones? I’ve got sistema ones at the moment but I can’t stand the noise they make when opening them!

 

[Sdaji]

I understand that. Experience really does beat research in some cases, I might go pick up a smaller container before I go pick him(snake) up later tonight. Thank you for your response!

I was actually talking about hatchlings, particularly in terms of getting them established and yours being a yearling (actually, yearlings don't exist at this time of year! They're seasonal and they're all currently around half a year or one and a half years old! But, yours is obviously already established), as I said would probably do fine in a larger tub.
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What is a good, easily available cheap plastic container to use for little ones? I’ve got sistema ones at the moment but I can’t stand the noise they make when opening them!

The 7 litre Sistemas are pretty good, but if they don't suit your personal preference, there's a type available at $2 shops which I absolutely love. They come in three sizes (I'm estimating the smallest is under a litre and the largest about 5 litres), and they're my absolute favourite hatchling tubs. I love them so much that I actually went to the factory where they are made, in Vietnam, bought a suitcase at the nearby market, bought as many tubs as I could fit in it and brought it back on my return flight! For me, after using and loving those tubs for around 20 years, going to the factory where they are made was so much more rewarding than the usual tourist attractions (which I generally don't bother with). If you buy over 100 of them they'll make them for you in whatever colours you choose! They can even put little logos and stuff on them! Yep, I'm extremely weird and eccentric! The ones they ship to Australia are almost always a plain light blue colour. Most of mine are blue, pink and green (blue and pink for males and females, green is my favourite colour and can be used for anything )

Once an Antaresia outgrows the largest of these hatchling tubs I am happy to put it in a full sized enclosure. Unfortunately they aren't clearly branded and there are multiple factories which make them with different names, so I can't give you a name to look for. If you remind me I'll take a picture (I'll use an Australian blue one) and send it to you.

 

[Melmy]

Haha the click clack factory tourist stop off. Classic [emoji23]
That would be great thanks Sdaji
The two little marbles have settled in really nicely. The female hasn’t shed yet so didn’t eat but the male wolfed down his fuzzy on Sunday [emoji1]

 

[Sdaji]

Haha the click clack factory tourist stop off. Classic [emoji23]
That would be great thanks Sdaji
The two little marbles have settled in really nicely. The female hasn’t shed yet so didn’t eat but the male wolfed down his fuzzy on Sunday [emoji1]

I'm always filled with more happiness than is probably appropriate when I hear about them going well in their new homes <3

The small tub has ventilation (I install this myself, in this case I've used aluminium flyscreen, most often I use nylon, it works far better than drilling holes or giving yourself cancer by poking holes with a hot soldering iron, even ignoring the cancer). There's also a middle size but I just find I don't have much use for them. The small size (about 12cm long) is perfect for hatchlings like Antaresia or newborns like Death Adders, I've done many hundreds, maybe thousands of both in those tubs. The large size (maybe around 30cm long as a rough guess) will do Antaresia for 6-12 months, or is okay for larger hatchlings such as Waters, Womas or Black-headeds. I once actually bred Antaresia in those tubs! (it was an unusual case, they were particularly insecure individuals). These tubs have flat bottoms, rigid lids and nice secure catches. I wish they made them in larger sizes! (I've literally been to the factory, believe me I've checked!).

 

[Melmy]

I was very impressed that he ate given how much love he got from my daughter on Friday and Saturday lol
Great thanks! I’m sure I’ve seen those somewhere...just not sure where... will check the local shops in the next few days
Do you just cut the hole with something like an x-acto blade? What do you stick the mesh on with? Would hot glue do the trick?

 

[Sdaji]

I was very impressed that he ate given how much love he got from my daughter on Friday and Saturday lol
Great thanks! I’m sure I’ve seen those somewhere...just not sure where... will check the local shops in the next few days
Do you just cut the hole with something like an x-acto blade? What do you stick the mesh on with? Would hot glue do the trick?

Haha, usually I'd suggest not playing with them so much until they're settled in, but it seems like he was a keen enough feeder for it not to matter Sounds like your daughter had a lot of fun too, lovely to hear

Yeah, you'll have seen them around in various shops. They don't tend to turn up in any of the big name chains (Reject Shop, Target, K-mart etc) but in the smaller $2 shops.

If you have a strong, steady hand it's possible to do them with a Stanley knife or x-acto blade, particularly the smaller size tub, but it is quite dangerous and if you slip you can give yourself a nasty cut if you're not careful. I did hundreds with blades, but eventually I just got a Dremel which does the job more quickly, though probably not quite as nicely as with a blade, and I suppose they're also not without their safety risks, but if you wear eye protection and basic care you should be fine. I think you can buy a cheap rotary tool from Bunnings which will be just as good as a Dremel. But, if you're only making two or three rather than hundreds, you may be better off just sticking with a blade.

I do them with a soldering iron. I spent years trying everything conceivable to make these tubs, from using wire to thread mesh on (which can work but is extremely tedious) to various glues to even ridiculous and desperate attempts like melted wax (which obviously didn't work! Haha!). Hot glue won't do the job, it will not come off the mesh but it will come off the tub. Builders adhesive (liquid nails) will work but is very messy. For about 20 years now I've been using a soldering iron (make sure you have a fan blowing the fumes away from you! Nowhere near as bad as melting holes like many people do, but it still produces fumes/smoke, and that stuff is something you don't want in your lungs). Whatever method you use, make sure you thoroughly check it to make sure the job has been done well and the snake can't push it open.

 

[Herpetology]

These are good with some holes soldered into the top of the sides

Never had an issue with the lid, it can require s little bit of force to get them off, a small snake could not push it off from inside

 

[Sdaji]

These are good with some holes soldered into the top of the sides

Never had an issue with the lid, it can require s little bit of force to get them off, a small snake could not push it off from inside

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I used to use those (and the shorter version) about... wow, I stopped using them almost 20 years ago now, I feel old! They did the job and the lids were very easy to cut with a Stanley knife, but the lids didn't last as long, eventually the corners would wear holes in them. I never had a snake escape from one it was being kept in, although I did have a large Tiger Snake escape from one when I used it as a transport tub. Got loose in the house and I didn't recover it for a few weeks. Oops! I was always a bit concerned about squishing one's head when putting the lid back on, I much prefer transparent lids for that reason. I did keep using those tubs for some geckoes, small skinks and invertebrates even after the Tiger Snake incident, but eventually just found that other tubs were more to my liking. I think those 5 and 9 litre Quadrant tubs are still pretty popular with a fair few people though.