Questions for BRB owners

[BoaBaiter]

I'm going to building my first snake tub for my first snake this weekend. And I know the humidity must stay above 80 percent, but how hard is this to maintain? I am going to buy Cyprus mulch, and I also have spaghnum(sp) moss to make a humid hide with. Is it okay to use the moss outside of the hide to keep up the humidity? Also I am planning on few ventilation holes to keep the humidity in. I also bought a large water dish. Which is the best to keep it on for humidity?

[John1982]

With humidity that high and few ventilation holes you might run into mold problems. I haven't kept BRB since I was a kid but I didn't worry so much with overall humidity, just kept a damp hide and never had shed/health issues. To answer your question though, moss outside the hide is perfectly fine.

[BoaBaiter]

Thanks! Also, I don't want to pay ten dollars for a small twig of zoo mess fake plants. Can I use regular fake house plants if I disinfect them?

[bioteacher]

You might just want to use a little soil or pots and put some pothos in the tank. It grows well for cover, is easy to maintain, and will help with humidity.

[AndrewGeibel]

I keep mine in a 4x2x1 enclosure currently. I use cypress mulch and use a double shoe box sized tub for water. Keeps the humidity where I need it.

[BoaBaiter]

You might just want to use a little soil or pots and put some pothos in the tank. It grows well for cover, is easy to maintain, and will help with humidity.

This sounds like a cool idea. Wouldn't the snake crush them? Would I set the whole pot with soil in the tub or plant it in the mulch?

[bioteacher]

I've done it before both ways... with a pot and just with soil in the tank.

With a pot: Just put the pot in a corner or a couple pots in a couple corners and put the mulch around the sides to make it stable. My juvie haitian boa would curl around the plant in the pot (I think because it felt secure there).


Out of pot: You could put a few inches of soil in the bottom of the tank (this does wonders for helping humidity), just make sure there aren't any additives (fertilizers, chemicals, etc.). Then plant a few plants. Your BRB won't be able to climb on them, but they'll provide cover and humidity. You can also cover the dirt with mulch, just watch for mold. I've done potted pothos with Sibon (they loved to climb on it), GTPs (good cover and I also provided climbing branches which the pothos will grow on), and with ATBs (same idea as GTPs).

[roseyoungblood]

Would a philodendron work in a viv?

[SquamishSerpents]

I've done it before both ways... with a pot and just with soil in the tank.

With a pot: Just put the pot in a corner or a couple pots in a couple corners and put the mulch around the sides to make it stable. My juvie haitian boa would curl around the plant in the pot (I think because it felt secure there).

That picture is sooooooo cute it hurts!! Love it.

To the OP, we keep our 3 BRB's in tubs right now. Previously we were using Eco-Earth, which is coco fibre. I switched them from the Eco-Earth to aspen, because the Eco-Earth is too freakin' messy!

They're doing fine on aspen. They shed perfect all the time. I've never had to soak them. All you have to do is make sure they have a large water bowl. We currently have them in 34 quart tubs (tried to move them up, but they didn't like it) with 8" water bowls, I believe. I'll find the thread I started a little while ago regarding BRBs.

My biggest piece of advice is don't be scared of their humidity requirements. It's super easy to maintain, especially if it's going to be in a rack, like you said.

Here's my thread: BRBS, what substrate do you use?

[bioteacher]

Philodendron should work as long as you have the proper lighting, heat, and watering. It will grow a lot, so you can let it cover and provide security or trim it to allow better viewing.