Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am interested in any habitats, decor, exhibitry that anyone has has success with for Eunectes genus animals. I am in the process of thinking about constructing a new habitat to inlude filtration, rockwork, pool, etc. Any help especially with pictures would be of great help. I like links to other sites as well. I am also interested in the vivaria structure as well.

thanks in advance,
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Peter Kriz
Aquarist/Biological Programs
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Sua Sponte

well this is going to be hard being that no one uses a cage set up like that. every one uses news paper and only a couple of us use large water dish for our animals to fit in and will be getting rid of large water dishes soon. there are to many problems that come in to play with a set up like that with bacteria, waterblisters, the list gose on. its better for you and the animal if you keep things simple.

CrazyCody
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I'm CrazyCody KadunkKadunk!!! I'm a herp god!!!

Kadunk was here

CrazyCody

Well, I still use the all natural settings
Since my girl doesnt go for the newspaper and a small dish of water. heheh Just means weekly cleaning.
I like the moss you get at the pet stores. Holds in moisture/humidity very well. And my girl LOVES it.
I use a fogger in her pool as well. As she LOVES to be able to get in her pool and be in stealth under the fog to sneak up on her already dead rat hanging over the side of the pool.

I also notice alot of people on here prefer using just heaters and not using UV heat lamps. Well, I think UV's are very important to snakes skin. I have it set up with the lamp over her water to keep her water a decent temp nad the other side, the dry side of the cage is dark and kept at a cooler temp. So she can decide where she wants to be.

She likes to get in her water for 3 things. To POOP, to SHED, and to say IM HUNGRY!!! She will only eat if she is submerged in her pool and has her fog to make her invisible.
I do not have any dirt in there. So under teh moss I have marble rocks. Not the kind with polish on them. Just unpolished marble rocks. And a log is in there as well. She likes to get half her body under it. And likes it when I put the rat on the log with it head hanging off over her pool.

A very picky girl! Messured her the other day at 8ft 2in. Now. Woohoo!

If you want pics of it you can email me at Gwas79@hotmail.com
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Crazy ZooLady

I agree, to make a generalized statement that "everyone" does anything is not very acurate. The whole reason I mentioned filtration was for just that filtration. The biological process to break down fecal matter etc. would be within the filtration unit In a large enclosure with aprox a 150-300 gallon water area I believe a good sand filter would be extremely beneficial. Is this not better than not cleaning out your H2O while at work etc.

What I am also trying to find out is the enclosure waterproofing agent. If it is possibly an two part epoxy that can be administered to the plywood or if I use FRP. FRP would be much too expensive. What I would really like to do is fiberglass coat the enclosure as they do to make aquarium displays.This would than also alow the plumbing to be included in the design of the pool to contain bulkhead fittings, ball valves, etc to either allow easy drain and fill (as I do for my crocodilians) or to incorporate a filtration unit in-line which could potentially have a waterfall or subsurface return.

Thanks,
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Peter Kriz
Aquarist/Biological Programs
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Sua Sponte

well i appoligize to zoolady i did not even know she was around or who she was. i bin doing a lot of stuff and not bin of the forum as oftin as i used to be.

CrazyCody
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I'm CrazyCody KadunkKadunk!!! I'm a herp god!!!

Kadunk was here

CrazyCody

` Considering that you're at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, I'm sure you have much experience with biological filtration. As you know, bio filters maintain a bacteria colony to process the Nitrates. They work well for aquaria, where the load is more stable. Also, when starting a bio filtering system, you must wait for the bacteria colony to grow, and not load the system heavily too soon. If you poison or suffocate your bacteria colony, or even shock it, you've got a big problem, right now!
` In a 300 gallon tank, even a little 60 pound E. notaeus would produce copious amounts of feces and urea quite suddenly, after feeding. I've had a great deal of experience with biological filtration with ornamental fish, and other aquatic animals, both fresh and salt. I've always thought that the long cyclic nature of the Boas feeding would not be suitable to a bio filter, such as a sand filter. Also, much of the urates and even the feces tend to stick wherever fall. You'd still be in there scrubbing. The bio filter would get its food in large doses, then long periods of low activity. Do you think a bio filter would react that quickly?
` I've always wanted to try it, though. My set up would have an easily maintained mechanical filter before the bio filter, and UV sterilization after it.
` Even with such a system, I would have my tank installed in the habitat so that it was easily removable. After many years keeping fish and herps, I believe that cleanliness is the key to successful husbandry. So, I an one of those who use newspaper, and small, easily removable soaking containers. Anacondas don't really need to swim, they just like feeling invisible under water, even an inch of it over them does the trick.
` If the budget will stand it, I will build from plywood, then have it shot with fiberglass resin and cloth with a chopper gun.
` Please keep us up to date on this project. I, for one, find it quite interesting. Is it to be a personal project, at home? I would like to know what you end up with. Rich Z.
`
`
` Not much for esthetics, but really easy to clean. No complaints from the critters, either. I have had many visitors remark that my cages are so Spartan, and not 'jungley'. I always ask them how they like the smell, and they always ask, "What smell?"

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` Stop the world! I want to get off.

I dont know anything bout the bio filters
But I do like that branch you have in your cage!
That is a cool pic.
And I like your qoute at teh end.......Stop the worl, I want to get off
heheh.
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Crazy ZooLady

National aquarium. I went there a couple years ago while visiting my father who lives in baltimore. I thought that the dwarf caiman set up was exceptional. I was standing there at that one exhibit for so long that my wife and the rest of our party left me. If you arein anyway responsible for that exhibit I would like to let you know that I found it to be the most interesting thing there. Even more interesting then the stingray tank.
That said, I would consider making a pool in your enclosure that could just be 'flushed' like a toilet. Have a caretaker with a pool brush scrub the floor of the pool and the open the valve and let it all run into the sewer. Then with an empty pool you could sanatize it with a bleach solution and flush and rinse that as well. As dfr already said, urea excreted by eunectes is like concrete when its stuck to the cage. To me it sometimes even seems harder when its submerged.
What is the filtration used in the caiman enclosure? If I remember right there were 3 or 4 dwarf caimans in that cage with some snake neck turts and some fish. I would bet that the fecal load generated by all those animals combined would be comparable to one anaconda.
Yes a 2 part epoxy will work but I would go with the fiberglass coating for the reasons you already mentioned.
Is this prospective exhibit going to be at the aquarium? That would be very nice.

Arik

He has probably had as much experience with large, naturalistic Eunectes enclosures than anyone in the country. They have housed murinus and notaeus in large units with pools, rocks, plants, etc. I am sure he could answer many of your questions. It would be nice if private individuals could maintain anacondas in this manner, but obviously only large operations like zoos or aquariums have the resources to properly accomplish this. Let us know how it turns out.

Kelly

This is a personal project and has nothing to do with the NAIB. I am the aquarist responsible for the Amazon River Forest (ARF) and we have had a 17' E, murinus in there with no problems with bio-filtration even after defecating etc. The filtration consists of 2 VERY large sand filters. I believe that the WCS (Bronx Zoo)maintains their murinus in a drain and fill set-up which is also where I may be leading. (I may be wrong)I have been going to the Bronx for years but I don't recall any notaeus. However the nicest notaeus I have ever seen was kept at the Staten Island Zoo in the newly remodeled area. I guess the question I still have is has anybody done any fiberglass work on plywood. I am interested in pics and links. Also anyone who gets a chance, the murinus at the Philidelphia Zoo is stunning.
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Peter Kriz
Aquarist/Biological Programs
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Sua Sponte

apparently has moved out their notaeus. I don't have any personal experience with fiberglass on plywood, but I have heard of people that have used it. You just need screws, dowels or a wire mesh attached to the plywood to help anchor the fiberglass. I am curious as to the history on the 17' female murinus in the ARF. Do you have much background info on her? Thanks,

Kelly

I just keep my girl in a large space with newspaper bedding and a hide box. I was at the st. louis zoo over the summer, however, and they had a setup similar to what you are describing with two juvies. You might try to get in touch with them.
Ian

Peter,
This is Shane from Croc School. I hope all is well with you! Anyway, you may be looking for a more visually pleasing set-up, but here is what I am setting up now (in my reptile house). I am using a 6 X 8 Rubbermaid walk-in shed with a 150 gallon poly pond. Basking lights are protected with rubber coated 1/4 inch wire baskets drilled into the building and the heat cord is protected by dex type poly floor covering. The pond will be heated with a titanium heater incased in a customized pvc pipe holder. The floor on these sheds are also a high density plastic so the clean up should be very easy. I am using a heavy rubber hose with a ball valve on it for the pond and customizing the doors with 1/4 inch lexan for viewing. I am not sure there are too many options for filtration for large anacondas, unless your willing to fork over thousands. Also, my large female (13 feet, 110 lbs) has urates that are like super glue so I am not sure filtration would do much good in the pond anyway, but that is only my opinion.
Good luck with your set-up! As soon as I get mine done I'll email you some pictures. Feel free to email me anytime at
sprovstgaard@earthlink.net
Best Regards,
Shane Provstgaard

Be sure to post photos when it's complete. I definitely agree with you on your urate observation. It does setup like concrete under many conditions. I have noticed that it typically does not setup has hard on polypropylene or polyethylene plastics when submerged. Therefore you may not have difficulty removing it from the pond liner surface where it's underwater.

Kelly

n/p

Shane, What's up. I am glad you sent me the e-mail. I looked at our croc school binders but you did not have an e-mail adress in there. send me pictures when you have your building completed, and I like the shed idea. Later, Peter

ps say hello to your wife for me and are you going to RATE at Animal Kingdom next year.
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Peter Kriz
Aquarist/Biological Programs
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Sua Sponte

Peter,
Good to hear from you. I will probably not be going to the meetings in Florida this coming up year as I had to submit my proposed conferences prior to the date being set for the Animal Kingdom meetings. Anyway, keep in touch and I'll pass along your "hello" to the wife.
Best Regards,
Shane Provstgaard

Shane,
Which conferences will you be attending? I will be going to IHS again this year, RATE, and hopefully the AZA amphibian course.
You can e-mail me at NAIB at pkriz@aqua.org
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Peter Kriz
Aquarist/Biological Programs
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Sua Sponte