Post by Shrimply on Sept 8, 2006 20:29:30 GMT
OK I have been doing some experimenting lately and I know that I am not the only one who dreams of a totally natural vivarium. This method will bring you a step closer cutting out the worry of digging, fertilizers and spilt soil.
Interested then keep reading but first of all I will run through the basics to keeping any plants in a snake’s vivarium. Firstly not every plant can be used. Some are poisonous to your reptile and others are just not suitable due to spines, sticky outsides or just being generally delicate.
List showing suitable plants can be found at the following links.
www.geocities.com/the18_angel/dansweirdweb_snakes_plants.html
www.homegrownherps.com/pages/plants
Your choice of course needs to involve a bit of common sense using a desert plant in a tropical setup is obviously not going to result in success. And any bushes with spikes are not a great idea for in your snake tank- unless you are interested in snake kebab.
My personal plant choice is either the jade plant or spider plant. Both respond well to neglect and cuttings or plantlets are easy to take and propagate which means you will not run out of supplies. Jades are my preference as they grow huge meaning that you can get them to fit any viv, they are very strong and sturdy and grow well in almost any condition.
It is also good practice to keep multiple plants and rotate them in and out of your setup. This gives the plant a chance to recover and get some natural sunlight.
Now what to do with the plant, first you want to take it out the pot and remove as much of the original soil from the roots. This is mainly because you do not know what is in the substrate any added fertilizers or other components may have a bad effect on your snake. Similarly I would not use a plant which has been recently sprayed with pesticides. It is probably a good idea to rinse the plant leaves as a precaution anyway.
Next you want to choose a pot, this can be anything as long as it has drainage holes (these are vitally important if you use my method). Try to get a new pot or make sure the one you use has been thoroughly disinfected. A clay pot may be a better choice as it is less likely to get knocked over.
Obviously you pot this up like any ordinary plant, making sure the stones you place in the bottom are also clean. As a planting material I recently started using a coconut fibre substrate called Eco Peat which suggests it also works well for plants. This is perfect it contains nothing that will be harmful to your snakes and provides an excellent growing substrate for the plants. This is what I suggest you use. It will be sold in most reptile shops and is simple 100% shredded coconut bark. It is usually sold in cube form and all you do is add water.
After you get to this stage you could leave it as it is. The plant, pot and soil are all completely clean and safe for the snake. However your snake will love to dig in this and create a lovely soily mess all over your vivarium.
So this is where my stroke of genius comes in it is really messy and great fun to do. All you need to do is get some non-toxic children’s PVA glue (clear drying) and mix it with clean fish tank gravel. You then pat it in to the top of the plant pot and 24 hours later you are left with a nice solid top to your pot. Which looks pretty good.
To water you simply remove the plant from the vivarium and sit the pot in a saucer of water. If you ever want to remove the plant from the pot run it under warm water and the glue will drain away. You don’t of course have to go for the natural look. Fish gravel comes in every colour under the sun and then there are glass beads. Your choices are amazing. As long as everything is snake safe the possibilities are endless.
I hope some of you find this useful, I know my snake loves the new plants.
Interested then keep reading but first of all I will run through the basics to keeping any plants in a snake’s vivarium. Firstly not every plant can be used. Some are poisonous to your reptile and others are just not suitable due to spines, sticky outsides or just being generally delicate.
List showing suitable plants can be found at the following links.
www.geocities.com/the18_angel/dansweirdweb_snakes_plants.html
www.homegrownherps.com/pages/plants
Your choice of course needs to involve a bit of common sense using a desert plant in a tropical setup is obviously not going to result in success. And any bushes with spikes are not a great idea for in your snake tank- unless you are interested in snake kebab.
My personal plant choice is either the jade plant or spider plant. Both respond well to neglect and cuttings or plantlets are easy to take and propagate which means you will not run out of supplies. Jades are my preference as they grow huge meaning that you can get them to fit any viv, they are very strong and sturdy and grow well in almost any condition.
It is also good practice to keep multiple plants and rotate them in and out of your setup. This gives the plant a chance to recover and get some natural sunlight.
Now what to do with the plant, first you want to take it out the pot and remove as much of the original soil from the roots. This is mainly because you do not know what is in the substrate any added fertilizers or other components may have a bad effect on your snake. Similarly I would not use a plant which has been recently sprayed with pesticides. It is probably a good idea to rinse the plant leaves as a precaution anyway.
Next you want to choose a pot, this can be anything as long as it has drainage holes (these are vitally important if you use my method). Try to get a new pot or make sure the one you use has been thoroughly disinfected. A clay pot may be a better choice as it is less likely to get knocked over.
Obviously you pot this up like any ordinary plant, making sure the stones you place in the bottom are also clean. As a planting material I recently started using a coconut fibre substrate called Eco Peat which suggests it also works well for plants. This is perfect it contains nothing that will be harmful to your snakes and provides an excellent growing substrate for the plants. This is what I suggest you use. It will be sold in most reptile shops and is simple 100% shredded coconut bark. It is usually sold in cube form and all you do is add water.
After you get to this stage you could leave it as it is. The plant, pot and soil are all completely clean and safe for the snake. However your snake will love to dig in this and create a lovely soily mess all over your vivarium.
So this is where my stroke of genius comes in it is really messy and great fun to do. All you need to do is get some non-toxic children’s PVA glue (clear drying) and mix it with clean fish tank gravel. You then pat it in to the top of the plant pot and 24 hours later you are left with a nice solid top to your pot. Which looks pretty good.
To water you simply remove the plant from the vivarium and sit the pot in a saucer of water. If you ever want to remove the plant from the pot run it under warm water and the glue will drain away. You don’t of course have to go for the natural look. Fish gravel comes in every colour under the sun and then there are glass beads. Your choices are amazing. As long as everything is snake safe the possibilities are endless.
I hope some of you find this useful, I know my snake loves the new plants.
