Pothos and enclosure question

If I could somehow manage to set this up and still keep the cage secure, could I drape pothos vine into the enclosure? I would house the pot/soil elsewhere, obviously this would have to be a pretty long pothos!

Are BPs good at escaping, are they more curious as babies in getting out, or is that a constant concern? I imagine its better safe than sorry.

Can I house a baby in the large enclosure I'll be using when he's an adult, or should I stick with something smaller?

BP's are pretty good at escaping, you will need to have something heavy on top of the cage top or a secure lock if the cage has front opening doors.

How big of a cage are we talking? The general conscious is that a small cage is better, but personally I have found that not to be the case (as long as you don't go crazy). I've had success with hatchling BP's in cages that are 24" x 24" x 12" (L x W x H), but keep in mind that larger cages are harder to maintain (heat/humidity/clean) and you will have to do more to make sure that your BP feels secure.

I don't see why you couldn't put pothos vine IN the cage, but not draped into the cage from outside the cage, as you need a very secure top to the cage. (1/4" wire mesh or smaller)

Pothos vine comes from a very different part of the world than BP's. You will probably have to use supplemental lighting for it to grow (never put a snake cage in direct sunlight as it will act as a greenhouse and get really hot inside) Plus BP's are know to smash plants up pretty bad.

Haha that's hilarious!

I figured it would help with humidity, and they are pretty hardy with very little sunlight from my experience. Another question, I've seen some tank setups use a light... but from what I can tell there is really no reason or benefit to the snake to do this if you already have a UTH?

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Originally Posted by Blitzjg

Haha that's hilarious!

I figured it would help with humidity, and they are pretty hardy with very little sunlight from my experience. Another question, I've seen some tank setups use a light... but from what I can tell there is really no reason or benefit to the snake to do this if you already have a UTH?

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Do you mean a heat lamp or a light that doesn't put much heat of and is for viewing purposes?

UTH's only heat the surface that they are in direct contact with, and not the air inside the cage. This means that if the room that the cage is in drops below 75 degrees a heat lamp will be necessary to maintain the air temperature inside the cage above 75 degrees (preferably around 80 F)

As for viewing lights such as LED or fluorescent bulbs they aren't necessary but can be a nice especially if your cage only has one side that is glass like mine do:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/c22733cf.jpg

If I do end up needing a heat lamp to keep the ambient air temp up, should it be over the warm or cold side? And what kind of bulbs are best? I read i should get a dimmer in the case that I need one as well?

Thanks for your help :bow:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Do you mean a heat lamp or a light that doesn't put much heat of and is for viewing purposes?

UTH's only heat the surface that they are in direct contact with, and not the air inside the cage. This means that if the room that the cage is in drops below 75 degrees a heat lamp will be necessary to maintain the air temperature inside the cage above 75 degrees (preferably around 80 F)

As for viewing lights such as LED or fluorescent bulbs they aren't necessary but can be a nice especially if your cage only has one side that is glass like mine do:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/c22733cf.jpg

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That's a super sweet looking setup you have there.

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Originally Posted by Blitzjg

If I do end up needing a heat lamp to keep the ambient air temp up, should it be over the warm or cold side? And what kind of bulbs are best? I read i should get a dimmer in the case that I need one as well?

Thanks for your help :bow:

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If you are using a UTH to provide the hot side temperature I would recommend a 75 watt infrared heat bulb centered on the cage with a dimmer or thermostat to keep the air temperature in the cage around 80 F.

I personally use and recommend these bulbs:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

They can be run 24/7 without any issue and put off very little visible light.

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Originally Posted by Anya

That's a super sweet looking setup you have there.

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Thanks I've got a few more cages in the stack these days. Animal Plastics makes great products.

As far as I know pothos vines are safe for reptiles. I see no reason why you couldn't actually put the whole potted plant in the terrarium. Just make sure you don't over water it to the point where water is coming out of the bottom of the pot. Yes it should help a little with humidity. Pothos should survive in a low light situation, it just may not grow very fast.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

If you are using a UTH to provide the hot side temperature I would recommend a 75 watt infrared heat bulb centered on the cage with a dimmer or thermostat to keep the air temperature in the cage around 80 F.

I personally use and recommend these bulbs:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

They can be run 24/7 without any issue and put off very little visible light.

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What kind of fixture do I need for that bulb? Or does it not matter?

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Originally Posted by Blitzjg

What kind of fixture do I need for that bulb? Or does it not matter?

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You should use a heat lamp dome with a ceramic top, stay as far away form the plastic ones as possible.

I use these personally: http://www.petco.com/product/111478/...p-Fixture.aspx

I saw those but I was worried they were too small, would just one work when it's an adult?

Does that fixture emit light outside of the tank, because I will be housing in my room?

I also wasn't sure what size heating pad to get , Didn't realize they came in a bunch of different sizes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blitzjg

I saw those but I was worried they were too small, would just one work when it's an adult?

This depends on how big the snake's adult cage is and how cold the room the cage is in is.

The heat bulbs are designed to project heat, and the aluminum reflector domes are designed to spread the heat.

Does that fixture emit light outside of the tank, because I will be housing in my room?

The infrared lights will put some light out, but very little, and the red light produced doesn't interfere with our night vision or appear bright. (basically it will produce a red glow around the cage

I also wasn't sure what size heating pad to get , Didn't realize they came in a bunch of different sizes

This depends on what size cage you are using. Generally speaking you want a UTH that covers 1/3 - 1/2 of the bottom of the cage

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I considered doing the live plant thing, but decided against it. Damp soil seemed like a good way to harbour bacteria and molds. It could also attract and harbour other bugs, etc that I'd just rather not have in an enclosure, and sterilizing a plant the same way you'd sterilize a hide or a water dish during a complete clean-out seemed trouble-some, and likely bad for the plant.

Pothos can be grown in water without soil though.

Not saying you shouldn't, just saying it seemed like more trouble than it would be worth for me.

I have tried live plants they were ok the snake kept knocking them over. Personally I would try it you will like it or not. Before I tried a heat lamp I would suggest a Fluorescent tube first they give off quite a lot of heat (surface hits just over 100ºF) this means they are fairly safe inside an enclosure and unable to melt burn anything but still manage to raise air temps dramatically. I get 10-15ºF from mine in a fairly well insulated enclosure. I use a deep blue led over night to hold air temps it also is shockingly hot in the mid to high 90s. (although anything below 98ºF feels cool to us). If these do not do enough a heat lamp can always be added led and FL fixtures with tubes are cheap and if you have a plant you will need one anyway.

So right now I have a 10 and a 15 gallon tank.

I assume I should go with the 15 and upgrade, but at what point?

The general rule (which is more of a lose guideline) is 1 square foot of floor space per foot of snake. A hatchling BP will be somewhere between 1-2 feet long so a 10-20 gallon long tank will work really well. Cage height really doesn't mater for BP's as they are ground dwelling snakes. My adult BP cages are only 12 inches high and that's more than enough.

After that it just depends how fast your BP grows.