Hi all,
I'm hoping not to offend by asking for help here. I'm not looking to build a terrarium per-se, but I am looking to build an extremely natural habitat for a snake (a jungle carpet python). Jungle carpets are a semi-aboreal (tree dwelling snake) and I'm fascinated by both reptiles and terrariums and am looking to have the best of both worlds.
Being that carpet pythons are a pretty decently sized snake (5-6') I can't load the enclosure up with plants, but I'd like to have several small plants mixed in with some driftwood, a moss bedding and possibly a small water hole on one end. I'm working with a 70 gal. terrarium.
I was looking to use hydroponic clay pellets as a substrate under the moss for filtering, but have a few questions:
1. Do I need to put soil or anything between the pellets and moss?
2. What type of moss would you recommend? I'd like something hardy and that won't mind light 10-12 hrs a day (reptile lights, not direct sunlight).
3. Can you recommend any plants to use that are sturdy and won't require a lot of maintenance?
4. Any tips on the water feature in general would be much appreciated.
Again, I hope I'm not posting this out of place considering this won't be a true terrarium, but I'm looking to you as experts since most reptile-keepers are satisfied with just bark, a tree branch and a cheesy water bowl. I on the other hand, love the natural look and would like to imitate a bit of nature.
Thanks for your help,
- Sol
I'm hoping not to offend by asking for help here. I'm not looking to build a terrarium per-se, but I am looking to build an extremely natural habitat for a snake (a jungle carpet python). Jungle carpets are a semi-aboreal (tree dwelling snake) and I'm fascinated by both reptiles and terrariums and am looking to have the best of both worlds.
Being that carpet pythons are a pretty decently sized snake (5-6') I can't load the enclosure up with plants, but I'd like to have several small plants mixed in with some driftwood, a moss bedding and possibly a small water hole on one end. I'm working with a 70 gal. terrarium.
I was looking to use hydroponic clay pellets as a substrate under the moss for filtering, but have a few questions:
1. Do I need to put soil or anything between the pellets and moss?
2. What type of moss would you recommend? I'd like something hardy and that won't mind light 10-12 hrs a day (reptile lights, not direct sunlight).
3. Can you recommend any plants to use that are sturdy and won't require a lot of maintenance?
4. Any tips on the water feature in general would be much appreciated.
Again, I hope I'm not posting this out of place considering this won't be a true terrarium, but I'm looking to you as experts since most reptile-keepers are satisfied with just bark, a tree branch and a cheesy water bowl. I on the other hand, love the natural look and would like to imitate a bit of nature.
Thanks for your help,
- Sol