Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Folks,
I’m posting this question on this and at least two other forums, “Racers & Coachwhips” and “Small Terrestrial Snakes”, since these three groups include animals that spend a significant portion of their day above ground and may climb small bushes or trees.

My question is designed for you to give your opinion and be anecdotal, not a scientific study.

The question:
In your experience have you ever added greenery (plastic or real) to a cage and observed a behavior change in any of your animals?
-----
Regards, Bill McGighan

yes

Yes I use plastic plants for my imports to get them to settle down so they do not nose rub. Terrestrial snakes need a hide wether it is an empty box of Cleanex or shrubbery. If a hide box is violated it defeats the puropse. My imports feed better if they are hiding in plants when a meal stumbles along.

-----
"Life without risk is to merely exist."

I had a Western Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus) for a few years that stayed in his hide most of the time until I added plastic plants that he could climb on. After that I was just as likely to find him on the plants.

My Elaphe obsoleta are to big for plants that could go in their cages, but they do like to use the brances that I have provided for them.

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……

-----
Regards, Bill McGighan