Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I’m planning on growing potted plants in my boa enclosure both for beauty and to help support humidity. The substrate will remain aspen, plant soil will be used in rectangular pots along the edges. A 12 hour bright photo period will be provided.

***Are there any common soils and/or fertilizers that are potentially harmful to the snakes … anything to look out for?***

Can you please recommend what soil to use, how to set it up, etc…

Can you recommend specific plants that work well for this application?

Kind thanks in advance,

Leon

As much as I love naturalistic vivariums I wouldnt do it if I were you. There is too much risk in getting bacteria colonies, decaying matter, or other undesirables in the enclosure.There are better methods to maintain relative humidity that are far more efficient and reliable. A boa would also, probably, destroy any softscape you place in the enclosure by crawling around, in or on top of it.
Just my 2pesos.
Cheers
Lat

potted plants and soil in a snake cage look good but can be a freakin' mess!
What about air plants? You could just get moss and secure them (very very very well) to some decorative branches and logs, use bark or some natural looking substrate and maybe throw in a few fake vines to add to it.
just an idea...
I use all fake plants, they look good, cheap at dollar stores and easy to clean

I agree that real plants and soil are not recommended, bacteria, fungus, mold even bugs. For humidity I use a plastic sweaterbox (or larger for larger boas) with an inch of peat moss and an inch of green moss. Nice and damp. Need to check often for messes an/or mold. And I always change at least once every two weeks if not messed in. Typically gets messed before it gets a chance to get moldy.

You can see in my cage pic:

NO LIVE PLANTS! THANKS

There are a few problems you will encounter however that you should be aware of.

1- Heat, hot lights and heat will kill most plants. They need to be kept on the cooler side of the enclosure.

2- Your going to need to give your plants occasional sunlight which is easy when you keep them in pots.

3- Your going to need to make your plants vivarium ready. Ive used no pest strips succesfully to rid bugs. Clean the roots off and put a small peice of no pest strip in a trash bag with the plant for a day or two then replant it in new soil. It will kill all of the bugs.

Now some tips...

I think that using concealed pots is the way to go which sounds like what you are doing. The best substrate for a more natural looking enclosure is cork bark, or coconut neither will mold on you and you can sink your pots into the bedding hiding the pot. You can also hide pots using cork bark as done in my photo here. You might also want to put a nice plant grow light for your plant. And occasionally switch them out and put them in the sun. Have back up plants ready. Air plants are readily available and when your snake is larger they are really the way to go. Tillandsias are great you can mount them anywhere on tree braches, mats to place along the back of the enclosure etc. That way they are off of the ground and cant get trampled, which is what will happen. Good luck on your naturalistic enclosure its well worth the work to see the beauty you can obtain if you keep at it.