Posted by:
Hotshot
at Thu Dec 4 10:48:06 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Hotshot ]
I would say it could be done, and hae thought about it as well. But the size of the cage would be huge. You would have to have enough floor space for the "ecosystem" to work correctly. One of the first questions I think would have to be answered is: How long would it take for snake waste to be broken down. You wouldnt want alot of waste build up in the cage. And 99% of the time my snakes poop in the same spot. So if your snake did this, you would have an area that would have alot of waste and would be hard to decompose quick enough. However you could periodically remove it to help "sanitize" your setup. You would have to have a moist/cool end and a dry/warm end as well. As you stated most big terrestrial snakes do not do well on moist/damp substrate. Ringnecks, dekays, redbellied browns, worm snakes, and earth snakes would do great in this kind of setup. The only problem is you would have to have an abundant supply of earthworms, as all of these snakes will readily devour earthworms. I think it would be a neat idea for these little snakes, but they are very secretive and you wouldnt see them much, if at all!
As far as bacteria, the big one would have to be salmonella. That is where the salmonella can come from on snakes. If they crawl through their own waste, then you handle them you could get salmonella on your hands. Then not washing after handling, and you eat something using your hands could get you sick pretty quick. That is a big reason I am a clean freak when it comes to my snakes. I check their cages daily, and clean them out with soap and water once a week. Yes its time consuming, but the snakes have a clean environment and it cuts down on any possible nasty bacteria etc.
But with the little snakes, this probably wouldnt be too bad at all.
What ever you decide let us know, I may be interested in how it goes. You never know, I can catch any of the smaller snakes any day of the week here at my house. Might be an interesting project!
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Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian
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RE: Decomposers in the terrarium? - Hotshot, Thu Dec 4 10:48:06 2003