Creative snake housing

[Tsanford]

My boa box.

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[Ax01]

^ Tsanford makes some really nice racks.

also there's a forum member on here named hungba that makes really, really cool vivariums and backgrounds. here's a T-Rex fossil background he made.

[distaff]

Very pretty, Snake Judy. Are the *living* plants and fallen leaves real?
Love the way it looks.

Would like to make some of my own designs one day. I've wondered if a slide-out plastic tray on the bottom might simplify cleaning. I think a golden oak frame for the outside, and a white impermeable white interior for the inside, and minimalist furnishings. I prefer hinged doors over sliding.

I e-mailed Reptile Basics about their standard black hides. I suggested they also offer them in white - in many set-ups that would look much nicer.

[Gio]

It all depends on your budget, the species and number of animals kept.

If you are into just a handful of snakes and don't require efficiency then you are limited only by space and budget in most cases.

This is a coastal carpet python cage. The background alone in this unit costs more than some standard cages. I wanted it so I decided to make this cage a full on display unit.



The ledges on the background come out to 11" in so areas, they don't sacrifice floor space.




I have been rewarded with very active animals when providing "options" for them, and IMO a beautiful and relaxing reptile room.






Those are three of the cages I have.

[Snake Judy]

Very pretty, Snake Judy. Are the *living* plants and fallen leaves real?
Love the way it looks.

Thanks! Yep, they are. Can't stand fake plants.

[Gio]

Thanks! Yep, they are. Can't stand fake plants.

The bioactive sub is truly awesome. I didn't catch that the first time around.

If you can pull this off, it is IMO, the ultimate.

This is another example of going the extra step. Not everybody can pull it off, but I admire the folks who do.

Nice work providing a totally live micro habitat!

[Snake Judy]

The bioactive sub is truly awesome. I didn't catch that the first time around.

If you can pull this off, it is IMO, the ultimate.

This is another example of going the extra step. Not everybody can pull it off, but I admire the folks who do.

Nice work providing a totally live micro habitat!

Yeah, I love it! I can't see myself going back.

Yours are amazing too, by the way! Bio or not, there's nothing better than an enclosure that provides an enriching environment like that.

[Ax01]

wow Gio and Judy, those vivs are amazing. i hope to build up to some beautiful displays like those some day.

a few quick questions:

-- how often to you have to clean them?

-- how are bugs and micro-organisms managed?

[lawnchaircrisis]

Wow, those are really amazing, thanks for all the awesome pictures

I love the idea of making a "bio-cube" or something along those lines with living plants, Kahlua would probably love it. Are there certain types of plants that would work better? They'd have to stay small enough to live comfortably in an enclosure, but also be large/resilient enough to not be crushed by a 2000g ball python.

[Snake Judy]

wow Gio and Judy, those vivs are amazing. i hope to build up to some beautiful displays like those some day.

a few quick questions:

-- how often to you have to clean them?

-- how are bugs and micro-organisms managed?

There's no "deep cleaning" needed in mine, which is nice. I spot clean feces because my bug populations aren't robust enough yet to deal with them quickly, but they handle anything that's left over, along with any mold or fungus. It's a few months in and the enclosure still smells fresh and pleasant, so I'm pretty confident about their effectiveness. Populations are kept in check by how much food is available. They'll die off when there are too many for the enclosure to sustain, and since ball pythons don't produce much waste I'm actually having a little trouble getting them booming. I've started adding in a cucumber slice now and then as extra sustenance in the hopes of boosting their numbers.

I love the idea of making a "bio-cube" or something along those lines with living plants, Kahlua would probably love it. Are there certain types of plants that would work better? They'd have to stay small enough to live comfortably in an enclosure, but also be large/resilient enough to not be crushed by a 2000g ball python.

So far I've had great luck with dracaenas. I've got a couple Dracaena compacta in mine. Sturdy and well-adapted to the conditions of a bp enclosure. The leaves are strong but flexible, so they're hard to break or crush. They do get quite big eventually, but they also grow very very slowly. If they're taking the place over in a year I'll just pull 'em out and replace them. I also have a prayer plant (Maranta leucoreura) that seems pretty happy. Any heat-tolerant tropicals should do okay. I place stones around the base to discourage uprooting. I also built little planters into the background of my enclosure specifically so that I'd have space for more delicate plants where she's less likely to crush them. I've been trying out different vines and creepers in them with varying degrees of success. I'm hoping some of them will take off and get really wild.