Bill, Bob, Rick,

Thanks very much for your contributions.



I needed some opinions as a sanity check, lest I’m loosing my objectivity from spending too much time in the snake shed (I'm starting to talk to the frozen rats and they're talking back!)



What spawned this?

My wife and I were in one of the large chain hobby shops

and I was totally caught up in the realistic plastic plants

available. I’m not talking about the fake houseplants,

philodendron or dieffenbachia, but the natural duplications,

palmetto, fern, grasses, etc.



I bought some to try: some tall plastic grass for

Eastern Fox Snakes, some palmetto for Traditional Yellow

Rats, swamp fern for the Everglades and several others.



Even though most of the eastern obsoletus variants’

cages have a hide and multiple climbing branches, and use the branches 30% of the time, positioning greenery seemed to have an immediate affect. Now these animals spend 80% in the branches with the greenery and thus in a more observable view.

Terrestrial plants like palmetto and ferns were positioned under and intermingled with climbing branches to support the weight of the larger animals.



The E. Foxes seem quieter. (Haven't selected the right plant for Western Foxes yet,)



The Western Green Rat (Chiracahuas), seems to spend less time in the rocky hides and more time in between two short grass patches that look like the stream side bunches at Cave Creek near Portal, AZ.



I gave the subocs and Bairds a cactus or two in their rocks - No Change - No suprize.



Added to this request for opinion was an episode I had years ago with rough green snakes and greenery, discussed in the Small Terrestrials Forum.



I doubt if Rat Snakes can see color like Tortoises and some land Terrapins can, but……






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Regards, Bill McGighan

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