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Getting a correct size and type enclosure is very important for a well-being of your reptile or another exotic pet. Everything starts with an enclosure, as this is your pet’s home. In this guide, you will find how to choose correct size and material tank/cage for a reptile/exotic pet, and few of the best types of cages to choose from depending on your pet’s needs.
What do you need to consider before getting a cage for your pet?
Factor #1: Age of your pet
For most reptile/exotic pets that are still hatchlings or babies, it’s a better option to introduce them to a smaller tank. This is because putting them in a large tank straight away might be stressful.
However, this is not always the case for some reptiles, if you can provide enough hides and even cover the sides of the cage. Please research what is recommended for your pet and then make a decision.
However, it’s often recommended to start from a small-medium cage and then move to a permanent home.
Factor #2: Shape of a cage
Cage shape is another very important factor to note when getting one for your pet. Reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans and other exotic pets can be arboreal (living on or climbing trees), terrestrial (spending all the time on the ground or semi-arboreal (both).
That’s because if you don’t provide space for your pet to move around, it will be stressed and might start ‘surfing’ or hitting top of the cage.
Depending on what type your pet belongs to, you will need to choose a vertical (for arboreal), horizontal (terrestrial), or horizontal with more vertical space (semi-arboreal) cage, to allow some climbing.
Factor #3: Enclosure size
Once again, you might house your pet in a smaller cage first, and then move it to a permanent home once it turns one years old or similar.
There are always recommendations for how big a cage should be for your pet type. However, if your pet is very large or if you wish to get or build a custom tank, you might determine the size yourself.
In general, the length and height of a cage should be at least 1.5-2 times greater than the length of your pet. If your pet needs more vertical space, multiply by two, and only by 1.5 for height (and other way round for pets needing more horizontal space).
Depth should be the same length as your pet or 1.5 times greater than your pet’s length. When calculating this, multiply the length of an adult (or maximum predicted size for the species) animal, if you wish to get a permanent cage.
For most smaller reptiles, you can start with a 10-20 gallon cage, and then move to a 40-60 gallon cage, after 3-10 months or so. If your pet needs more space, you will often need to get a 60-120+ gallon tank. That will vary with each pet. House reptiles singly to avoid any injuries and stress.
Factor 4: Cage material
Cages for exotic pets are made of different materials. Depending on how much heat and humidity your pet needs, you can choose a more suitable cage type for it. The main cage material types are:
- Glass
- Plastic tubs
- Wood
- PVC (check out here)
Glass tanks
Glass tanks are great for visibility and for pets that require medium humidity levels and medium heat. Tanks made of glass have a screened top, so heat and humidity might escape. If your pet needs higher heat or humidity, you might need to cover the portion of the screen top.
A cage made of glass will not rot with high humidity, is easy to clean and allows to see your pet properly. It’s also easy to setup lighting in a glass cage, as lights can rest on of the screened top.
However, some animals might experience stress in a glass tank (too open). So, you might need to cover one or few sides with a cloth. Glass tanks are also heavy and might crack, so it’s better not to move it around. They are often a bit more expensive, too.
For example, a great glass cage for smaller species, equaling 33 gallons would be this 24×18x18 Exo terra medium wide glass tank. Or, a larger and wider Carolina Custom cage that is 48x18x18 (almost 70 gallons).
Plastic tubs or boxes
Plastic tubs can make a cheap and simple caging for a pet. This kind of a setup is more suitable for snakes that don’t require UVB (no way to set it up), and can receive heat by using an under tank heating pad.
Plastic tubs don’t allow good visibility and are not suitable for pet lizards, tortoises etc. Often, plastic tubs are more suitable for pet snakes. Some even use rack systems if they have a lot of tanks.
If you decide to get a plastic tub cage, make sure that the lid is secure and uses a locking mechanism. That’s because most reptile pets are great escape artists.
For example, a good large plastic cage would be this 95 quart storage box with a locking lid. You might find larger ones (over 100 quarts), for larger pets.
Wooden cages
Wooden cages are great for pets that require low humidity and high heat (bearded dragons, uromastyx and other pets coming from hot, arid places). A cage made from wood will hold heat nicely, and won’t rot as humidity levels in a cage are low.
Wooden cages often have front sliding glass doors, so you have great visibility, while the sides are non-transparent. This provides extra sense of security for your pet.
Setting up lighting might take more time as there’s no screen top. You would need to install a bracket fixture on the top inside of the cage for bulbs (not hard to do, however).
However, some custom made cages will come with an open top air screen for easy light installation. Wood is also porous and can be harder to clean, so sealing joints etc. is important.
Mesh/Open air screen cage
Mesh cages are made of metal mesh and provide great visibility and good airflow. Some exotic pets, such as chameleons, do well in open air cages. That’s because they need an excellent air flow.
However, in a mesh cage, heat and humidity can escape easily, so you might need to cover one or two sides, or get other accessories to help with sustaining optimal levels.
An example would be this medium vertical 16x16x30 ReptiBreeze open air screen cage.
PVC caging
PVC cages are great for pets that require higher humidity levels and medium-high heat. Cages made from PVC are sturdy, long-lasting and look great. When choosing a PVC cage, choose non-porous, rigid, closed cell PVC. Avoid plasticized PVC (which can potentially off-gas toxic fumes).
PVC cages are often custom made and can take longer to arrive. However, they are a good investment and last for a long time (permanent home). Most good quality custom built PVC caging have a screen top, aluminum frame and front glass sliding doors.
You can find great custom PVC cages, such as this 4 ft long cage, on this website.
Whole room
If your pet is very large, you might choose to dedicate a whole room to your pet. This means that you would need to make it pet-proof, so that there is no danger to your pet.
For example, you can find this iguana-proofing guide of a whole room (new tab).