Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

My name's Elizabeth and I'm new to the forum. My husband and I have a columbian boa named Seth and an eastern ribbon snake named Pete.

Pete is currently in a 20 gallon aquarium with a large dish of water (large enough that he can climb in and swim about). I'm in the process of switching him to a 29 gallon aquarium and I'd like to turn that into a vivarium for him - give him a bit more natural environment. At least a quarter of the aquarium will be water and the other section will be soil with live plants. My plan is to bury the plants in their pots into the substrate to control their growth and to give me the ability to move them around if I want to change it up a bit. I'll also be purchasing some rock and wood from our local pet store to add to the vivarium. Ideally I'd like to be able to have a piece of wood out over the water so that he can hang over top of the water if he'd like, as well as plant some "lush" vegetation near the edge of the water to mimic a natural environment.

My question is basically are there any plants I should stay away from? I don't want to inadvertently poison or make Pete sick by putting the wrong plant in.

As well, the only thing we can get Pete to eat is live goldfish. Any other suggestions on what to feed him? I'm not squeamish about feeding him goldfish, I'm just not sure they're the healthiest food for him. We tried feeder guppies but he completely ignored them.

Thanks so much for answering my questions, I sure appreciate it!

You should read the next few posts down they may answer some of your questions about feeding and what is best for them. As far as soil and live plants I do not personally agree with that. Soil can have much bacteria and parasites grow in it over time, it is a night mare to clean, and will most likley get all over the snakes food which will cause problems internally over time. Plastic plants are easy to clean, and will not come with parasites that live plants from the store or out side may have. You can make the tank look just as prety with artifical items, and it will be safer for both of your snakes in the long run. I take all of my wood wether from the pet store or out side and microwave it before I use it The micro wave nukes any thing from the inside out and kills it. I have done this foe years and never had a problem. Good luck Greg

Thanks for the advice! I've decided I'm going to follow it and just go with fake plants and paper towel for substrate.

Thanks for your help!