Babies and enclosures

[GarterGuy17]

So I was wondering if there was a way to make a 20 gal tank w/a wire mesh top and clamps fully escape proof for babies ? or would it be recommended to use plastic tubs until they are big enough ?

[guidofatherof5]

A lid with a wooden frame cut to the inside lip of the top with screen door mesh will keep the little scrubs in.

[GarterGuy17]

Thanks for the tip , by the way what size tank do you think would be better in the long run 40 gal long or 30 gal for 2 adult females ?

[chris-uk]

In the long run you will want something that has a width of around 3-4 feet and I am guess a depth of a couple of feet, height similar to the depth. That should give a couple of adults enough room to explore. The adults won't often get to much more than 3 feet. There's a rule of thumb I read somewhere (maybe on this forum, maybe elsewhere) which was that the width plus depth should be at least the length of the largest snake. That sounds like a good minimum to me.
Garters being active snakes thrive when they have more room than larger snakes, unlike the more common pet snakes they don't just curl up and sleep for weeks between feeds.