Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have been looking at snake housing's and noticed that some contain within them live plants? i would like to know from expert display keeper's what are the pros and cons that come from this? intrestingly enough, does it matter how old a Kingsnake need be for a live plant to be kept in with the animal?
futhermore this idea fascinated me due in part to the fact that i would like to give my snake's an extra abundant source of O2's we all need oxygen to breath No ? the more the better yes? or rather the more pure the better.In any event experts need only apply.ps i have also noticed keepers with screen tops place a bathtowel, or paper towel, and for what puprpose exactly does this serve, again if i can take some more of your thoughts are the waterfalls a wise choice?appr Mike S.

Live plants bring their own version of live animals in the microbes in the soil,which wont help a sterile snake environment.Besides the redecorating your snake will do with it,kings most times bury themselves in the soil so it makes a inappropriate display medium as well.As far as 02 goes,immaterial...remember where most snakes are found! Under stuff and underground.I suggest reading some books on keeping and husbandry techniques that are less than 10 years old.If you want a pretty picture take the snake outside and take the pic(or even let it go if it were native)but dont think you can re-create "nature" in a 10 gallon tank,lol.Jeff.......ps,the towel is to hold humidity.

...about that. As a botanist I can say with confidence that there's another reason other than the potential pathogens/external parasites that will be brought in - the plant itself.

The snake doesn't care about the plants proper. But if you do decide to use live plants, whatever you do, make sure the plants are similar to the ones the snake would live in if it were a wild snake. Putting plants in that don't mimic (the best you can) the snake's natural environment is not only dumb but potentially dangerous...

Plants evolved to be little chemical factories because most everything relies on plant life for existence and thus wants to munch on them. So plants use powerful compounds, etc. and other mechanical means to keep them from being eaten by too many animals.

I'm with Jeff...take your snake out and put it a nicely vegetated area and snap a shot rather than use live plants.

Peace.

-John

plus, I mean you have a snake to keep alive, who wants to have to deal with keeping a plant alive?!?! hahaha, maybe that's just me. If it's green I can kill it :-D I'm good with keepin animals alive though. Someday I would love to have a big vivarium in my office with live plants and poison dart frogs, I love their color and the pics in the frog forum make me drool. But that's a long way off, those things are a hassle to get started I think, and I would never want to have to move a couple-hundred-gallon tank.
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Sue Barnett
1.0 Florida King (Vega)
0.1 Western hognose (Sola)
0.1 Egyptian spiny mouse (Mia)
4.2 mini rex rabbits (Basil, Pippin, Reggie, Hayden, Jackie and Peek-a-boo)
0.1 Plott hound (Molly)
1.0 half Arab (Zarr)
1.0 Betta (Flash)

what are mini rex rabbits btw? and how big [lbs.] do they get? tia and better luck w/ the plants, probably just need less love and water.......

>>ps i have also noticed keepers with screen tops place a bathtowel, or paper towel, and for what puprpose exactly does this serve

if a snake's rubbing its nose on the screen top, because it can see thru the screen and it appears to be a way "out", then covering that with a towel can block the visual temptation & (with luck) stop the snake from rubbing its nose. it can retain humidity as noted; it can retain heat; it can block light, for whatever reason. just a mechanical barrier. it can also block air circulation fo course--NOT to a degree that would reduce O2, but fresh air circulation is always a nice thing, dissipate odors, etc.

terry

kay, thnx terry, appr it.Mike.