Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I finally got around to taking those pictures i promised. It's Kajika in her cage. Isn't she cute!

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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

and the rest of the pics... =)

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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

Very cool Jasmine!! I am a bit sad now though, Kajika lives better then I do

Seriously though.. I love it!!

>>and the rest of the pics... =)
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>>-Jasmine
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>>1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
>>(Mercutio and Kajika)
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

That is the nicest Vivarium Ive ever seen for a BRB....

How did you do it?!

Hey Jazzy,

Looks like you've got a very spoiled rainbow there!!!! Great setup, so nice to see those type of habitats even though I could never maintain my collection that way!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I worked on that damn thing for about 6 months, so it was by no means easy. I only have two snakes, so I like to make their cages pretty. everyone suggested that i not make a viv for my rainbow, and i see their point, it is a pain in the butt, but i have to say that making the cage doubled my enjoyment of snake keeping in general. It is like going to a job you love, it's work but you dont care. I am now starting on the viv for my other rainbow. whee! I got the idea from my boyfriend. he keeps dart frogs, and most dart frog keepers have vivariums, so i looked at his and thought to myself, now why can't i do the same for my snakes? I am so glad the 'Rainbow Masters' approve, I was afraid you would tell me to tear it down and keep my snake in a more sanitary environment. (by the way that viv is very clean, I clean up the visible poop and the plants absorb anything else)
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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

Yeah, my only concern would be long term build up of toxins.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Changing out the water when it poops in it!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

as for the long term build-up of toxins, I water the plants a lot and the water goes through the soil and I siphon it out of my drainage layer, so the soil is being cleaned in a way. as the water flushes out much of it. and coco bark seems to inhibit mold growth. as for the water I have a filter in there, and I clean it out when she poops in it. (which is about every 5-7 days) I imagine I will have to change the soil out every 6 months, but I was planning on that, because i have my plants in pots with potting soil submersed deep in the cocobark, because they have a hard time growing in coco bark. So I have to change the soil often anyway, because my plants are going to become rootbound in there.
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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

when i say i clean the water out when she poops in it, that means I shop vac it all out, and replace all of the water. it's not a very effecient system, but i'll probably learn little tricks along the way.
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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

Yeah, I figured the water changout would be the common cleaning that vwould be a pain. Of course changing out the soil will be harder but not nearly as often.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Hey Jasmine.. Also to help w/ waste and toxins, you can put some springtails in there.. They are little viv vacuums!! If you don't know what I am talking about your boyfriend will. There are a tiny tropical bug that will help to break down the waste from both your snake, and from the plants.. They shouldn't cause any issue w/ the snake either. I actually have them in one of BRB's tubs right now (accident - guess that is what I get for leaving it to close to the frog tanks.. ).

I keep lots and lots of frog tanks, and have used them years! They all get a nice group of springtails..

>>when i say i clean the water out when she poops in it, that means I shop vac it all out, and replace all of the water. it's not a very effecient system, but i'll probably learn little tricks along the way.
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>>-Jasmine
>>
>>1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
>>(Mercutio and Kajika)
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Well, Jasmine, have you thought about some kind of drain system for the water. Maybe a hose connected to the drain, open the drain water flows out where ever the hose ends. then you shop vac the bottom to get the left overs....

I dont kno how it looks on the side but im sure there is a way.....

funny you should mention it, because I just bought a springtail culture last month, they are thriving in my boyfriend's tank, but I can never see them in mine. maybe it's just because my tank is so big, and he only has a little 20gal one. An you guys are so right about the water cleaning being a pain! anyway I was reading a book of mine "The Encyclopedia of Snakes" by Chris Mattison (great book! this is the most educational snake book i have read thus far, he explained about convergent evolution, and i had always wondered why the emerald boa and the gtp looked the same ) anyway he says that snakes don't pee, but I could swear that they do, I mean what else is that bad smell when there's no poop? "snakes do not excrete urea in the form of urine...snakes reclaim almost all the fluid from their system and excrete their nitrogenous waste material in the form of uric-acid, a semi-solid white material that contains the minimum amount of fluid necessary to carry it out of the body." I could've sworn that they pee
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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

If there is not enough waste/decay in the tank, the springtails may have not made it. you can put a bit of cous cous or some cucumber peel in there for them until there is enough waste to sustain them.

As for urinating.. Snakes mostly expell a semi solid urate.. as described in your post. There is sometimes some liquid waste that accompanies this.. but they do not urinate like mammals do.

>>funny you should mention it, because I just bought a springtail culture last month, they are thriving in my boyfriend's tank, but I can never see them in mine. maybe it's just because my tank is so big, and he only has a little 20gal one. An you guys are so right about the water cleaning being a pain! anyway I was reading a book of mine "The Encyclopedia of Snakes" by Chris Mattison (great book! this is the most educational snake book i have read thus far, he explained about convergent evolution, and i had always wondered why the emerald boa and the gtp looked the same ) anyway he says that snakes don't pee, but I could swear that they do, I mean what else is that bad smell when there's no poop? "snakes do not excrete urea in the form of urine...snakes reclaim almost all the fluid from their system and excrete their nitrogenous waste material in the form of uric-acid, a semi-solid white material that contains the minimum amount of fluid necessary to carry it out of the body." I could've sworn that they pee
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>>-Jasmine
>>
>>1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
>>(Mercutio and Kajika)
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photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Duh, it is PEE.

I've always thought and told the kids during classroom presentations that they have three bodily functions.

#'s 1 and 2 like us and a third excretion of concentrated uric acid and calcium. Similar to #2 but white instead of brown.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

something, a gallon of fluid, looks and smells different than the logs he leaves for me. eeekkkkkke
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

WOW!!! I absolutely love your terrarium you have set up for your BRB enclosure! That looks like a little slice of the jungle! Could you give me some details about it's size and how you made it, what all you had to buy to make it etc. I am needing a new cage for my brb and would be very intersted in making something similar to your setup!

Ike Lightner

Thanks! it is a 125gal, the pond area is just tow slabs of glass siliconed in at an angle to make it more realistic. I then covered the whole water area with black slate by siliconing the slate to the glass. the bottom of the pool is just a bunch of black slate i didn't silicone that down for easy cleaning. There is a simple fountain pump in the pond that goes up the back and spills onto my driftwood background to make a water fall. (see my gallery in the photos section) the background is expanding foam and cypress driftwood(so it doesn't rot) covered in black silicone and coco bark. the land areas are a little trickier. the passion vines are actually in unglazed terra-cotta pots submersed deep in the rest of the substrate. the rest of the substrate is cocobark cuz it doesn't mold. inside the submerged pots there is regular(unfertalized, just to be safe)(this is what the orchid mix arrow is refering to in my picture) potting soil.(do not use potting soil for the whole substrate or it will mold) this is covered in tropical moss(no other kind any other kind will die off in these conditions.) the moss prevents burrowing to protect the snake from any potential mold in the submersed flower pots. there is also a turtle filter outside the tank, with tubes running to the pool. below the substrate there is a drainage layer made of hydoton, this allows the water to leach toxins out of the soil(the water has to siphoned out) and it keeps the plant roots from rotting. I made kajika a hide hut out of black slate to match the pool. and the vines are wired to the background and the top. The lights are grow lights, and I think that's it. I suggest going to blackjungle.com they will give you a step by step on how to make the background. And if you email me: atheris_squamigera@yahoo.com then I will send you my step by step photos, cuz I took some along the way. If you want more info you can email me or go to dendroboard.com and look at the vivarium forum.

>WOW!!! I absolutely love your terrarium you have set up for your >BRB enclosure! That looks like a little slice of the jungle! Could >you give me some details about it's size and how you made it, what >all you had to buy to make it etc. I am needing a new cage for my >brb and would be very intersted in making something similar to >your setup!
>
>Ike Lightner

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-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

>>Thanks! it is a 125gal, the pond area is just tow slabs of glass siliconed in at an angle to make it more realistic. I then covered the whole water area with black slate by siliconing the slate to the glass. the bottom of the pool is just a bunch of black slate i didn't silicone that down for easy cleaning. There is a simple fountain pump in the pond that goes up the back and spills onto my driftwood background to make a water fall. (see my gallery in the photos section) the background is expanding foam and cypress driftwood(so it doesn't rot) covered in black silicone and coco bark. the land areas are a little trickier. the passion vines are actually in unglazed terra-cotta pots submersed deep in the rest of the substrate. the rest of the substrate is cocobark cuz it doesn't mold. inside the submerged pots there is regular(unfertalized, just to be safe)(this is what the orchid mix arrow is refering to in my picture) potting soil.(do not use potting soil for the whole substrate or it will mold) this is covered in tropical moss(no other kind any other kind will die off in these conditions.) the moss prevents burrowing to protect the snake from any potential mold in the submersed flower pots. there is also a turtle filter outside the tank, with tubes running to the pool. below the substrate there is a drainage layer made of hydoton, this allows the water to leach toxins out of the soil(the water has to siphoned out) and it keeps the plant roots from rotting. I made kajika a hide hut out of black slate to match the pool. and the vines are wired to the background and the top. The lights are grow lights, and I think that's it. I suggest going to blackjungle.com they will give you a step by step on how to make the background. And if you email me: atheris_squamigera@yahoo.com then I will send you my step by step photos, cuz I took some along the way. If you want more info you can email me or go to dendroboard.com and look at the vivarium forum.
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>>>WOW!!! I absolutely love your terrarium you have set up for your >BRB enclosure! That looks like a little slice of the jungle! Could >you give me some details about it's size and how you made it, what >all you had to buy to make it etc. I am needing a new cage for my >brb and would be very intersted in making something similar to >your setup!
>>>
>>>Ike Lightner
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>>-----
>>-Jasmine
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>>1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
>>(Mercutio and Kajika)

Whoa! Kajika has a great looking set up! I bet she likes it a lot. Great job!!
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