Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know most keep them on aspen. And some on carefresh. Just curious if anyone keeps any in a more natural display. With live mosses and plants? That is how I have my blue stripe right now.

peace,
nate
Uluru dragons

I use regular unfertilized garden peat, it's better (won't mold, relatively safe if consumed) and far cheaper than the commercial alternatives that are available here. Tried living plants, but they were killed off quickly. Plastic plants are good enough for me, although I do try to keep "unnatural" stuff to a minimum.

I would love nothing more than to have a garter vivarium, but it just doesn't seem practical.

I would like to. I figure you would need a huge tank with a draim in the bottom, and every so often you would want to "rain" away the waste you can't spot and remove.

-----
Jamie W.

(url)http://rosyboas.tripod.com(/url)

You could rig something up i suppose. but as long as you have the right layers of soil and plants then you dont really have to worry about it. The plants eat up whatever you dont clean out. anyways ill post pics as soon as i finish the tank.

peace,
nate

The bacteria in the snake excrement probably would make it unhealthy for your snake pretty quickly. Like in frog vivariums (if I've understood the concept correctly), you would also need to have the right kind of bacteria in the tank.

Actually, making a garter or water snake paludarium would be a very interesting project. A lot of space would be needed, though.

Keeping plants isn't hard, but you need to choose ones that live in the shade; and provide full spectrum lighting. A drain isn't necessary, just daily spoon cleaning of feces and shed skin. THe plants take care of everything else. The size of the enclosure needed depends on how well you keep it clean in this manner. A larger enclosure can recycle more "missed" waste.

Ian