What do i do once my snake gets too big?

Question

i have a baby python and the guy at the pet store told me they can grow up to 10 feet. but they normally get the size of the tank and will grow to the size of there enviroment. he was really skinny when i first got him 6 months ago but now hes getting longer and fatter and hes in a small tank. i wanna get a bigger one for him but i dont want to keep having to buy a new tank when he out grows it. i dont want a snake 10 feet long ! do people give them away when they get that big or do they ever stop growing? i have no idea this is my first snake pleaseeee let me know :)

Answer 1

When they say that they'll grow as big as the tank allows, they mean it takes an extended period of time. If you keep him in the same tank he'll stop growing. If you keep buying larger tanks, he'll keep growing.



Okay, people who keep thumbs-downing me... I work with animals, snakes included, for the County. I have medical experience with reptiles. What's your experience?

Answer 2

You are literally the reason shelters exist. Ignorant people will buy animals knowing NOTHING about them and then give them off to shelters to take care of for their rest of their lives because they don't want it once it gets full grown.



Ready to be educated? Good. Reptiles don't grow to the size of their environment. Reptiles grow to the size that their food allows. If you feed them one rat a week, they will grow to the max size their body can sustain on one rat a week, which might be fairly large. If you feed two rats a week, that snake will be very large. Their is no max limit on how large they can grow because if they are given enough food, they will continue to grow. Now obviously, I doubt a corn snake will grow to be 10 feet long, but they can continue to grow throughout their life, albeit, slowly.



What python did you get? What breed? And this is honestly the dumbest decision for a first time snake owner...really. The best snake for a newbie would have been a corn or ball python because they don't grow that big and are probably two of the most docile snakes out there.



If the snake you got will get to be 10 feet long, the most economic decision would be for you to save up enough money to buy it outright. You'll need a custom made tank, so you can buy one online or something like that. http://monster-cages.com/cages.php has a lot of pretty standard caging for large snakes. But I'd also check your small pet stores (not Petco or Petsmart) because they usually get donated cages from people that they sell for cheap. Just get a large cage so that you won't need to continue buying one later.



Again, this was a not a smart thing to do for someone who literally knows nothing about the animal they're taking care of. For a snake that large, it will live for probably 15+ years. Just so you know.



Good luck

Answer 3

A ball python? Really? At most they will get about 6 feet and usually in the 4-5's depending on sex. A good size for it to adulthood would be a 40 gallon. However, if you have a small snake still then you need to provide lots of foliage for him to hide, and "get away". This doesn't mean you just add hides(you still need them). You need to add some plants (fake is fine) as well and decor. This makes a smaller snake must more comfortable in a larger enviroment. If you don't wanna keep upgrading his tank, then I would go with this. You can also find some cool cage ideas on youtube.

Answer 4

Well, what kind of snake is it? Because if you are a beginner than I am guessing you got a ball python and those get to be only like 4 feet. If it is a ball python then just get a 30 gallon tank cuz you won't ever have to get another tank (probably) If your snake isn't a ball python then what snake is it?

Answer 5

Thats a myth a snake will grow as big as a snake grows the enclosure doesnt mean anything; it will outgrow it. I seriously suggest you do your research and figure out if you can afford and cope with feeding, housing and caring for a snake that large. Which is what you should have done before you got it.

Answer 6

In my opinion you should not of got the snake if you aren't willing to get a bigger vivarium for it when it gets bigger. Snakes do not stop growing because of the size of their tank at all. If you was in a box, you wouldnt stop growing when there was no more room. Same for snakes.

Answer 7

Some pythons can get to 10 feet(or longer), 6 to 8 feet is more realistic. Not knowing what to expect when getting your pet, is one reason the everglades is infested with pythons, people discover they can no longer keep them and irresponsibly turn them loose.

What you do is get a larger housing for your snake, preferably investing in one it can grow into, not out of.

Be responsible and properly care for your pet. It would not be easy to find someone that can take a large snake for you.

Answer 8

you should've done your freaking research before buying a snake, you idiot. sell it on craigslist if you can't keep it, and make sure it goes to a better owner than you.

Answer 9

You sound like a troll to me



Animals don't grow to their cage size that's stupid