Size question

[GarterGuy]

Hello all,
Need to pick your brains and get your opinions on some enclosure size questions. I'm setting up some enclosures, but I'm stuck on exactly what size to go with. Wanted to know how everyone thought enclosures that are 24"X24"X12" would work for single females and pairs of males. The square footage of this cage is more then a 30 breeder, so I'm thinking it should be plenty big, but I'm worried that it's not long enough in either dimension for a full grown female garter ( I like to give them room to stretch out). Was going to do two 4'X2' enclosures and divide them in half. My other option is to go with four 3'X2' cages, but this seems awfully big for a single garter. I'm working with a cage builder on exactly what to do, but he primarily works with boids and not colubrids..so really can't help. I'm also trying to stay in budget, and the two cages in comparison with the four would be a lot cheaper. Thanx ahead of time for any opinions or suggestions.
Roy

[Sid]

24" x 24" floor space would do for most garters. If your female is more than the 24" in length, you may waant to consider a longer viv. Just my opinion.

I keep my smaller or young Garters in a 10 gallon aquarium and prefer a 20 gallon long for adults. The 20 long measures 30" in length.

Sid

[Cazador]

Like you, Roy, I would prefer for the snakes to be able to separate themselves in a longer enclosure, but if you add plenty of plants/ground cover to the 2'x2'x1' enclosure, it would serve the same purpose and be just fine. They could also stretch out diagonally in the square enclosure. The corner-to-corner length of the 2'x2' enclosure would be 2'9" long (33 inches).

Rick