Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have another question regarding my natural,live planted vivarium im building that i intend to house my favorite chondro in.im curious about parasites and if they can be transmited through using branches and rocks and stuff found outside.i have read once that reptile parasites can only be transfered from a infected reptile or a cage that an infected reptile was living in and cannot be transfered to a clean reptile from branches found outside.is this true?i have been cooking all the branches in the oven for a little while and throwing all the smaller things in the microwave,im just curious if this is needed or maybe im overdoing it.i think i read that greg maxwell uses live branches,so im sure its ok.also im wondering because i intend on adding things that i cant clean like live plants and moss,and also the potting soil.this is not the easiest way to house a chondro but i did want to try a planted vivarium.im hoping it will make a really nice display for one of my nicer animals.anyway,just looking for some advise and maybe some precautions,since this will be my first ever live vivarium.the actual construction is exactly like a dart frogs in the sense that there is a false bottom of pvc,covered in screen,then a layer of vermiculite then potting soil.the back wall is covered in coconut husk sheet that im hoping will hold humidity and be an anchor for my climbing plants.its not somuch insects im worried about,its any parasites like ticks and such or maybe ever internal parasites.am i safe or should i do anything as a precaution?

You cannot transmit snake mites from soil or something like that. It can only be passed from snakes. Not that there aren't snake mites in soil that are looking for a host, but I'm assuming you will be using professional grade soil or bed-a-beast or something like that to plant in. It would already be free of stuff like that. Live branches are usually free from any critters, and you can soak rocks and things like that in chlorhexadrine or a bleach solution. I usually take dead wood if I find it, wash it well in hot water and bleach, and then microwave it for a couple of minutes. The water in it keeps it from burning, and it basically steams the crap out of anything alive.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1~Green tree python~Tempest
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

Hey,
I agree with the aforementioned comments regarding parasites on found or harvested wood or branches. The only way a branch or piece of bark or wood can become a vector of transmission is by it being in direct contact or contact period with an already infected reptile, snake or otherwise. If it is something found on the streets, forest floor etc, the likelihood that it contains snake mites is nill. Other critters do make their home in these fallen branches harvested from the forest floors, but you will not risk infecting your collection this way. At any rate, do continue to disinfect and clean any branches used just as you have already.
-Angel
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In life you can fall many times, but you're only a failure, if you don't try to get back up!
Evil Canevil

>>i have another question regarding my natural,live planted vivarium im building that i intend to house my favorite chondro in.im curious about parasites and if they can be transmited through using branches and rocks and stuff found outside.i have read once that reptile parasites can only be transfered from a infected reptile or a cage that an infected reptile was living in and cannot be transfered to a clean reptile from branches found outside.is this true?i have been cooking all the branches in the oven for a little while and throwing all the smaller things in the microwave,im just curious if this is needed or maybe im overdoing it.i think i read that greg maxwell uses live branches,so im sure its ok.also im wondering because i intend on adding things that i cant clean like live plants and moss,and also the potting soil.this is not the easiest way to house a chondro but i did want to try a planted vivarium.im hoping it will make a really nice display for one of my nicer animals.anyway,just looking for some advise and maybe some precautions,since this will be my first ever live vivarium.the actual construction is exactly like a dart frogs in the sense that there is a false bottom of pvc,covered in screen,then a layer of vermiculite then potting soil.the back wall is covered in coconut husk sheet that im hoping will hold humidity and be an anchor for my climbing plants.its not somuch insects im worried about,its any parasites like ticks and such or maybe ever internal parasites.am i safe or should i do anything as a precaution?

Just out of curiosity, what size/age is this chondro. A cage like that is going to be a lot of work both to construct and maybe more so to keep up. You have your work cut out for you, best of luck. If all else fails you could also look into the dart frog thing. Clint
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0.1 Colombian Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "Honey"
1.0 Hogg Isle Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "Peeker"
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-(Epicrates Cenchria) "Houdini"
1.1 Argentine Boa-(Boa Constrictor Occidentalis) "Lacie" & "Oreo"
0.0.2 Green Tree Python-(Morelia Viridis)Biak type-"Smog" & Sorong type- "un-named"
2.0 Canines Husky-Cody & Husky/Shepard-Trail
0.1 Wife-Michele
2.0 Kids-Chris & Bodhi(still in the oven)

yea its not too large.its just large enough to house a single chondro with comfort.its custom made of salvaged window glass ,so i dont know the gallons,but its about 32" tall and about 24"wide and 24" deep.not too bad.cleaning im hoping will be easy as i designed the cage to kinda clean itself.when the snake deficates,ill remove the solid feces but as far as the rest of the cleaning,well i designed it exactly like a darf frog cage.it has a hollow floor that i made with a thin pvc tube frame.then a screen top to the hollow floor,on top of the screen will go the soil,live moss and plants.inside the hollow floor is an intake for water and on the ceiling of the cage will be a misting system.the idea is that there will be daily mistings(like rain)that will water the plants,wash off all the cage plants and furiture,and hydrate the air.the dirty runoff water will seep and be filtered through the soil(fertilize plants)then will collect in the hollow floor.once all the water is collected in the floor it will then be pumped out using a canister filter,be cleaned in the filter and then get pumped back to the misting system and them become rain again.i can also do water changes but dumping the water in the hollow bottom when needed.anyway,thanks for the advise again.i was just worried about an infestation as this is my first living vivarium.i hope it works because i have always wated one.im carpeting the entire floor in live moss that i think combined with the trees,will have a very zen/bonsai look.

yea its not too large.its just large enough to house a single chondro with comfort.its custom made of salvaged window glass ,so i dont know the gallons,but its about 32" tall and about 24"wide and 24" deep.not too bad.cleaning im hoping will be easy as i designed the cage to kinda clean itself.when the snake deficates,ill remove the solid feces but as far as the rest of the cleaning,well i designed it exactly like a darf frog cage.it has a hollow floor that i made with a thin pvc tube frame.then a screen top to the hollow floor,on top of the screen will go the soil,live moss and plants.inside the hollow floor is an intake for water and on the ceiling of the cage will be a misting system.the idea is that there will be daily mistings(like rain)that will water the plants,wash off all the cage plants and furiture,and hydrate the air.the dirty runoff water will seep and be filtered through the soil(fertilize plants)then will collect in the hollow floor.once all the water is collected in the floor it will then be pumped out using a canister filter,be cleaned in the filter and then get pumped back to the misting system and them become rain again.i can also do water changes but dumping the water in the hollow bottom when needed.anyway,thanks for the advise again.i was just worried about an infestation as this is my first living vivarium.i hope it works because i have always wated one.im carpeting the entire floor in live moss that i think combined with the trees,will have a very zen/bonsai look.

That sounds so awesome!! I hope you post pictures when you get it finished. I just got some stuff for the Bonsai I'm doing and they sent this soil that has microbes and minerals and microfungi that help the plants grow. I would think something like that would be great for a project like yours.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1~Green tree python~Tempest
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

You know just for the sake of the question roses have mites and numerous other plants will have a bad effect on your chondro just be carefull about the plants you choose just a thought on my part.I was useing bromilliads and ficus benjamina trees in my large cage and it seemed to work rather well

hey tuna,thanks for the advise and ill make sure not to use them.actually im not going to overdo it with the plants,mostly a lot of live moss as a carpet,airplants,a bromilliad as a center piece,and maybe a few scattered small ferns and things.i plan on decorating most of the cage with old rotted,moss covered wood,riverstones,half exposed roots,ect.just looking for a jungle look but not very overgrown.by the way,you say you use live plants with yor chondros?how to they fare with the snake?what i mean is,does your snakes do a number on their enclosure?im trying to design everything kinda sturdy because i figure he may destroy some of the shallow rooted plants.i wanted to add a waterfall but now that iv gotten this far,it seems that im short on floor space(its a rather tall cage and less wide)any suggestions on what i can use as a waterbowl that looks natural?i dont want to use those fake rock looking water bowls sold at petstores.they look pretty fake to me and this cage is comeing out so nice i hate to ruin it with a cheesy faux stone bowl.oh by the way,not sure if i already asked this but since im in no rush to introduce my snake ,and i wanna make sure everything is running smooth and temps are ok,i was thinking about maybe using a pesticide to kill any hitchhikers that may have been introduced with the live moss and plants.the wood i cooked and killed anything that may have been in there but i noticed a few critters lastnight as a watered my new moss,i even saw a small slug that made it in in some really heavy live moss i found.whatabout placing a dog flea and tick collar in the cage overnight with the sliding doors closed,after that,ill remove the collar and let the cage airout for a couple days.anythoughts?if thats a bad idea anyone know of a safe pesticide used to kill mites and ticks on reptiles that wont make him sick?im not worried about him catching mites or anything from the tank but i did read that vivariums can get infestations that can kill off some of my plants and thats something id hate to have happen.the design of my tank makes it a problem to replant anything that may die so id like to avoid any problems before they have a chance to start.

Hey you know another good plant is the tilanzias check the spelling but they work nice to