If you intend to have a pet snake, you have to give a lot of consideration about the types of snake cages that exist in order to find the proper one for your pet. Depending on the sub-species of snake you have you will need a large cage in order for it to have plenty of room in which it can move around freely. If you have a terrestrial species of snake, for example, you will need to have a horizontal cage. However, if you have a species of snakes whose natural habitat is in trees, then you will need to have a vertical style cage.
In order to keep your pet snake healthy, you have to make sure the cage is dry and clean. Even snakes that spend most of their time in water need to have a dry space for a large part of the day. This is necessary to prevent them from developing diseases of the skin, which can be done by having sources of unfiltered sunlight shining into the cage.
Some examples of cages for snakes include large wooden boxes, plastic boxes, aquariums or even a blanket or sweater box. In all cases you have to make sure that you have a cover on the cage, that it is properly ventilated and that the snake cannot find a way of escaping from the cage. If you find the top of the cage is a lit loose secure it with tape or strips of Velcro and drill holes in the sides of the cage to allow air to circulate throughout. The bottom of the cage must also have a lining, which could be sheets of newspaper, carpet suitable for outdoors, shredded aspen or even sheets of paper towels. Your snake will need water on a daily basis, which means you always need to have a bowl of fresh water in the cage.
You have to be very aware of the temperature in the cage and the humidity. In order for you to keep your pet snake healthy you have to replicate the temperature and humidity conditions of the natural environment as much as possible. Since snakes are mainly found in hot climates, the typical temperature should be in the range of 25 to 30. Even a few degrees lower than what the snake is used to will keep it from eating properly. Since the nights are colder in the natural environment, you can turn down the temperature in the cage at night, but you should never have it lower than 24. This means that you need to have a source of heat for your cage and a thermometer to measure the temperature.
Cage furniture is just as important in a snake cage as it is in a cage for any other pets. This includes all kinds of decorations, such as wooden pegs and an inverted cardboard box that the snake can hide under. For climbing snakes you need to have limbs or pegs that resemble tree limbs. You have to ensure that they are firmly implanted into the sides of the cage. Logs are also essential in the bottom of the cage, and here too you have to be careful that they won't roll easily and injure your pet.