pythons, minimal time in enclosure - possible?

[Insane]

Gday all,

I am doing my research before getting into the python world.

I'm 90% set on a jungle yearling, stripy if possible. I have room for, and would like a decent sized enclosure.

I live in a 2br apartment that has a small balcony. Would it be ok to have the snake out of the enclosure as much as possible? ie. only leave it in there when I'm not home or at night?

My thinking goes that as long as I make sure it can't escape the apartment, (only way I can think of after looking around is the front door, already blocked with soundproofing) is there any harm to leaving it out? possibly even having a heat mat and hide in an out of the way corner of a room or something...

I understand that if an enclosure is too big, a snake can get stressed, but as long as there are plenty of hides and not too much activity, I can't imagine it would be too bad.

I have done a few searches and not turned up anything. Although I have a gut feeling that if it were acceptable practice, or even possible, more people would do it.

Also another question, would a snake be disturbed by a decent subwoofer? I understand that they are not fans of vibrations... Not that its turned on all the time, but occasionally I like to crank it and watch a movie.

please note that I have only commenced research recently, I am by no means even educated about snakes at all, there may be something I am missing or am incorrect with.

Cheers,

Daniel

 

[Jen]

No idea about leaving it out in the house the whole time, except - it will crap everywhere, it will leave sheds everywhere, it could get into the back of your fridge and short it/die, how would you feed it?.....My advice would be not to, there are too many cons, and not enough pros to do this. Why would you want it out of the enclosure anyway?

 

[Guest]

NO! dont leave the snake out of the enclosure unless you dont let it out of your sight! LOL you cant just free range them! and I dont really think the sub woofer is a good plan eaither! what size cage can you fit in your apartment??

 

[percey39]

I think the only time i would even think about letting a snake free roam would be if its one of the larger species ie coastals, olives and scrubs. Even still it would only be for short periods.
It would be not good in your case as its very easy to lose a young snake and its very hard to find them ( they are great hiders ) I think most snakes enjoy their enclosures as long as they are the right size, temps, hides and conditions. Also a sub near your snake is a no no, some wont be too stressed by it after a while, but most will not leave their hides and bite at every opportunity.

 

[bongie555]

i'd be doing more research....lol

 

[Dipcdame]

Would be hard to control temps and humidity to assist with sheds, and digesting meals.

 

[Insane]

Ok, fair enough, I just thought, why not?

Just thinking that snakes in a natural habitat I assume move around a bit, so why keep them in a box

having been given several reasons why this is a bad idea, I will not be letting it free roam, however I would like to let it out for a while each day, under supervision. I have just been reading the "do snakes like handling" thread and the "do snakes require stimulation" thread, which both pose interesting points and ideas, but no conclusions.

Re: the sub, I don't mean the snake enclosure would be on the sub, merely that the sub would be in the same room as the snake enclosure (living room) and that whilst watching a movie, it would be turned on. Maybe I could put the enclosure on a set of speaker spikes to prevent bass vibrations being transmitted?

Re: size of cage. I can fit a fairly large enclosure, I am thinking 4'W X 2'D X as high as it needs to be. (one of my reasons for getting an arboreal species) from what I have read on here that is adequate for even a large python.

Thanks for all the relevant responses guys, I AM doing my research, by asking questions like these. I am not the kind of person that just does the minimum reading a newbie guide and following it to the letter, I like to get creative and expand on basics a little.

Cheers,

Daniel

 

[percey39]

Daniel your enclosure sizes would be a palace for a jungle. I would make it three or 4 foot high that way its a pretty good display tank since its your first snake. Good to hear some thought and research has been put into your decision

 

[Jungletrans]

You may think there is no way it could escape but how do mice get in ? l have worked building houses and you would be amazed at the little cracks , gaps and holes . Look under your sink where the drain pipe goes through the floor for instance .

 

[Guest]

4x2x2 would be fine for a jungle!
the sub situation really depends on the snake but the speaker spikes could be a good idea any prevention is better than none as the bass could stress the snake alot! id try to place the tank as far from it as you could!!

 

[ozziepythons]

Hey Daniel,
As long as the snake has a good hide spot in its viv, it should be ok. I wouldn't let it roam your place, just let it out on the couch while your with it, or on the floor, under supervision. Let it do so on warm nights when its restless, not bloated with food or milky ready to shed. Much of the time they curl up not ready to move for extended periods. I believe its better to have more room than less, as they don't like being squashed into small cages either, in large ones they just need a good hide.

 

[Norm]

Hi Daniel, welcome to APS, just in regards to your sub. I have 2 in the same room as my snake and I play my music pretty loud and it doesn`t seem to bother her BUT my house is on a concrete slab and they are at opposite ends of the room about 7m apart.

 

[Insane]

Gday,

Re: Percy, Cheers mate, I was thinking about that size also, 4' or so.

Re: Jungletrans, no mice here, just heaps of cockroaches (newcastle issue, not cleanliness of my apartment haha.) but fair point. Just checked in cupboard under sink and yeah, not snake escape proof.

Are you saying that a python is able to force its way into a closed set of cupboard doors? I understand it's broad depending on the snake and the cupboard, but in general? I have been reading some whacky stories about escape artist snakes...

re: Ozziepythons, thanks for the response, sounds like what I was planning after the initial free-roam type idea was rejected.

re:, Norm, thanks for that, apartment floor is really thick concrete too, vibrations are minimal, but you can feel them. would only be 3m between sub and enclosure. Sub spikes now on my list to add to an enclosure when I get it.

One last question for now, are snakes suicidal in their escape attempts? I have a small balcony - 2.5m X 1.5m that I have some pot-plants etc on. the outside balcony wall is solid brick and approximately 1m tall. there are no trees in the immediate vicinity and the balcony is on the first floor (one up from the ground) would it be possible for a snake to be left outside to sun itself without suicidally slithering off the edge of the balcony?

Cheers all, thanks again for the helpful responses.

Daniel

 

[Jen]

You would lose your snake if youn left it outside by iteself - dude, its Newcastle lol. You can get fabric mesh hanging enclosures to sun them, just make sure its not in full sun, and don't ever leave it totally alone while its out.

 

[Norm]

If its a small snake you need to be wary of birdse.g. kookaburras

 

[Paulie]

hey daniel,
saw your thread and it reminded me of a video i saw you probably could set something like this guy has. i am going to try when i get my jungle. seems pretty cool and the snake would enjoy it.
heres the video btw.
[video=youtube;xFHezTnubZk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFHezTnubZk[/video]

 

[Insane]

You would lose your snake if youn left it outside by iteself - dude, its Newcastle lol. You can get fabric mesh hanging enclosures to sun them, just make sure its not in full sun, and don't ever leave it totally alone while its out.

Thanks for the input Jen, this isn't an attack, but just wondering if you correctly read my post. I stated "on a small balcony" I am not sure if you are implying that the snake would be stolen, or that it would escape.

re: Norm, Cheers for that, would definitely be on the lookout until it got bigger. (not that I have seen any around, only owls at dusk)

thats it for tonight, will check this out again tomorrow, but Thank you all again for the helpful responses. Finding an information source such as this has made my intention to own a snake clearer, helped define ownership needs and clarified several doubtful points I was having.

Cheers,

Daniel

 

[Jen]

Hey, I was joking a bit about the being stolen in Newie, tho being from near there I wouldn't leave anything outside unattended.... But in all seriousness, it would escape, or be attacked by kookaburras/maggies etc. Just letting it roam on the balcony would be a bad idea. However, taking it into the backyard for a roam on the grass - supervised - is good for them - well, they seem to like it, its not like they can tell us, right?

 

[Tuatara]

I am with Paulie.. that is one cool set up!!