Enclosure entry

[DrKate]

Hm... With the top-entry tank, I can have the lid open to clean, or feed, or whatever else, and not have to worry about escapees. With the front-entry enclosures I've seen, the front just pretty much swings wide open. So for those of you with front-entry enclosures AND multiple snakes, how do you manage things like feeding or spot cleaning? Do you just remove the snakes to a separate container every time you need to open the door? Or do they all pretty much just stay inside? Since my boys are still babies I'm feeding them off tongs to make sure I know how much they've both eaten. So the specific scenario I'm envisioning involves my faster eater deciding to go walkabout while I'm busy waiting for my slower eater to take a fish or whatever. Since they're still awfully skittish about being handled (which may of course be exacerbated by the top-entry tank!) I'm letting them eat in their enclosure instead of trying to get them into separate containers to eat.

[Stefan-A]

Hm... With the top-entry tank, I can have the lid open to clean, or feed, or whatever else, and not have to worry about escapees.

That's one reason I gave up top-entry tanks, I couldn't even open the lid without having to worry that the inhabitant might escape out of some corner while I was cleaning or whatever else and I had to remove the lights and heat lamp etc. every damn time. I provide my snakes with plenty of climbing opportunities as well, so they could always access the top of the enclosure.

With the front-entry enclosures I've seen, the front just pretty much swings wide open.

Sliding doors don't have that particular problem. You can open them just enough.

So for those of you with front-entry enclosures AND multiple snakes, how do you manage things like feeding or spot cleaning? Do you just remove the snakes to a separate container every time you need to open the door? Or do they all pretty much just stay inside?

Spot cleaning is no problem, my snakes don't exactly start pouring out of the doors when I open them. These days, I feed most of them outside the enclosure, but before, I never experienced that it would have been problematic.

[brain]

So for those of you with front-entry enclosures AND multiple snakes, how do you manage things like feeding or spot cleaning?

I find with my Exo Terra's which have a door of what 6’ wide and 18’ tall, a simple hand raised in front of the snake keeps them in check.

Now that’s not my new garters. They are in an top open tank. Which I’m working on changing out.

[GarterNovice]

Personally I use a top opening enclosure because I wanted a water tight tank. But in retrospect my snakes get much jumpier when I view them from the top as opposed to the side of the tank. Thinking my next purchase for a tank will be either an exo-terra (so as to keep the water feature) or build one of my own with a side door and built in lamps.