Viv Project

[Demonic]

So, I was at Petco today picking up some pinkies and crab food when I noticed some plants. The label claimed that they were safe for use around reptiles. I picked up a nice looking 2 dollar plant and brought it home. Valkyrie loves it. She is crawling over the thing and chillin under it. So, I was thinking that I'd like to do a planted, natural looking vivarium for her (and me! lol). Here are my questions...

1. What kind of substrate would be safe for Val and good for the plants (brands, please!)? I currently have aspen, but that is unnatural looking and won't do for plants.
2. What about the roots? They are in a plastic thing currently. Will they be okay in there if I just gently pick them up on cleaning day?
3. I would like a piece of wood across the tank. Being the overprotective mommy that I am, do I need to worry about my girl falling off of it as she loves to climb?

Please and thank you!

 

[saszoo]

oooooo that's the one thing I'm pretty good at! i have naturalistic vivs for all of my retiles, with natural plants and what not. assuming you don't want to get too complicated, you can use coconut husk fiber (i believe i use zoo med) or even 100% for sure organic potting soil, one that's not made with manure or crap like that. place you plants where you would want them, chances are on the cooler side or in the middle, keep in mind plants add humidity so planting them near the UTH or the basking light will help the humidity, but could over warm your plants leaves causing them to wilt, or damage the roots. Put about 3 inches (or more, as deep as you'd like, depending on the height of your viv) of coconut husk in the viv, making sure to pack it down enough for mr. snakey to not burrow under it, unless you don't mind that. i would then top it off with a .5 inch layer of spagnum or beaked moss (zoo med, or whatever brand, no preference there) on top of the coconut hust fiber. you may want to mist the spagnum a little, and compact it down as well. You can then top with apspen, leaving fluffy so snakey can burrow and you can clean without ripping anything up.

That's for the entire viv, but you can always section it off, having the plants and plant substrate on one part and just aspen on the other side. to water the plant, water as normal, but don't over water and try to keep the water at the plant roots as to not sog up the viv. if you feel the plant needs lots of water or you're soaking the viv, you can always place an inch layer of medium gravel under the coconut husk for the water to perculate to, even adding a siphon tube into the gravel during creation so you can fit rubber tubing in the siphon tube to change the water, but i don't recommend that so much with snakes as opposed to frogs for instance, but i really don't think it would cause any harm.

you could also leave the plant in the plastic thingy assuming it has plenty of growing space for the roots.

as for the log, it is pretty, i'd go with it. snakey won't get hurt falling 12 inches or so, unless it's like a 3 foot tall cage.

it's past bedtime for me, so if i didn't describe something properly, hit me up! i'll post pics of some of my vivs for ideas in the morning.

good luck and be sure to post pics!