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In a departure from my normal boids, my husband and I want to start a viv with a couple of ribbon snakes. I have a 20 gallon long that I'd like to use, and I want to set up some live plants. Live plants in an enclosure are also a new thing for me; I gather that it's easier to keep them potted instead of planting them in the substrate. I've looked over a few caresheets for ribbons, but they don't seem to be all that informative. Does anyone have any tips on set-up or lighting? Would it be better to use an aquarium-style UVB over the top and rely on UTH for the actual heat? All input is appreciated!
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~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."

I just use an incandescent bulb as the single source of heat and light. UVB is not necessary. I put plants in pots - it's just easier to maintain them that way. You'll get a lot of enjoyment keeping your snakes in a naturalistic setup. I have Santa Cruz Garter Sankes, which have a similar lifestyle to Ribbon Snakes.

One bit of advice is to have "layers" of basking rocks, so the snakes can thermoregulate while hidden.

Tim

Third Eye

What wattage do you use?
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~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."

That depends on a lot of things - the distance from the basking rock to the light, ambient room temperature, the temperature in the warmest part of the tank, etc.

You need to use a thermometer to determine that a hot spot in the upper 80s is accessible to the snakes, as well as cooler areas. Usually a 25 watt or 40 watt bulb does this in my setups.

Tim

Thanks for all the info. I'll have two thermometers, one for each side of the tank, and I do have a small temp gun. I was thinking 60 watt, so that's obviously overkill! I've seen stacked hides for garters before; I think I'll try that as well. I'll post pictures of the set-up when I have it arranged.
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~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."

Ok, got the set-up done. I'm probably going to pick up my little guys on Wednesday, so I've got some time to tweak it. What do you think?

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~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."

That looks pretty good! The only additional thing I might consider is to put a basking branch in there. Something that the snakes can climb on to get even closer to the light. Over time you might find that the "built-in" water basin is a hassle to keep clean, compared to a water basin that you can remove - but you may just want to wait and see how it goes.

Tim

The water dish is removable - it's a hefty acrylic tray I found at the Container Store We liked it because hopefully it will allow us to watch the snakes feeding a little better than the traditional opaque dishes. I'll have to see if I can rig a branch into the log. I did put some rocks inside the log to make it a little bit tighter of a space. I'm hoping they'll be able to climb on the bromeliad also. Thanks for all your help! I'm excited!
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~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."

So just got them home and in the tank, and so far everything is going well

Ribbon snakes 09 by cynfamonster, on Flickr

Ribbon snakes 10 by cynfamonster, on Flickr
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~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."