Terrarium and Snakes?

18 years ago

Hello people, I don't normally post on the forums (I'm one of the guys that spend their time reading up and looking at all the amazing pictures with jealousy) but as the weather turns colder I'm getting more and more depressed. I can't grow things outside. The past few years I've done a few window sill plants and that's kept me content. Lately, though I've felt the urge to do more. So I've decided to try my hand at growing terrariums. I've done a bit of reading around and am surprised to see that no one starts their terrariums from seeds. Is that mainly because it's easier, or just because you see results faster? Or is it even possible to grow a terrarium from seeds?

I know, I've been rambling on about terrariums but the subject also mentions snakes. I have always wanted a pet snake. I can't explain why, perhaps it's just a guy thing, but I've recently discovered that my girlfriend is also interested in having a snake. Perfect, right? Why not make a terrarium for the snake? Well I'm not sure if that's even a good idea. We're planing on getting a corn snake, something relatively small and not to expensive. But everywhere I check suggests substrates of wood shaving, paper shredding, or outdoor turf. Can I even use dirt? And what should I grow in it? I'm planing to have grass in there, but I don't know what else. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated, and I apologize if I'm rambling. My girlfriend saw I was busy posting and thought it'd be the perfect time to go over finances with me.

Thanks for the help,

-Jarek

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Comments (6)

cactus_lord
18 years ago
I would recomend you spend quite a bit of time researching snakes and terrariums. A terrarium for cornsnakes sounds like it would be quite a bit too humid for cornsnakes. Alternatively I believe royal pythons like rather high humidity. As I said, read some books, search the web etc.
lucy
18 years ago
www.blackjungle.com - lots of info and 'stuff'!
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mdahms1979
18 years ago
I keep a Candoia carinata carinata in a terrarium and he does wonderfully but then again this species is from the pacific islands around New Guinea so the humid environment inside the terrarium is just what the snake wants. It is always best to design the enclosure around it's inhabitant and their natural habitat. You should not create a tropical rainforest type environment to house a temperate snake species but try to simulate an environment that the snake would feel comfortable in. Corn snakes are very easy to care for but they do get quite big in adulthood. If you are planning on getting a baby snake you need to keep it in a small enclosure to monitor it's feeding etc. and then move it up to a larger enclosure once it is not so small. Many European reptile keepers house their animals in terrariums/vivariums but it is still fairly new here. When growing live plants you really have to plan on the eventual size of the plants involved or they will outgrow the terrarium or not grow well. You might want to try Kingsnake.com for info on the different snake species that are available and which one would be good candidates for keeping in a naturalistic set-up.

Mike
deadhamster
18 years ago
I've done {{gwi:568366}} with terrariums and snakes. It isn't hard. You just have to remember a few things. The snakes and plants both have special environmental requirements. Having a large collection of cacti with a tropical snake wouldn't work out so well. Stick to plants and snakes that have the same temp/humidity requirements. Keeping snakes in a terrarium also creates problems with cleanliness. The reason newspaper, shavings and astroturf are recommended is because they are easy to clean. A dirt filled terrarium is much harder. You have to scoop up after them like you would a dog and clean out any water feature you have often.

-DH
cactus_lord
18 years ago
The best snakes for a high humidity settup are Pythons and tree boas. As for non-venomous snakes for high humidity, i'd say Boa Constrictors are your best bet.
Nightsforgottenchild_gmail_com
15 years ago
I have 2 corn snakes who live happily together in a glass inclosur. I also have cat and they ate all the leaves off one of my house plants, so I placed the plant(not sure if it would live) in with the snakes and they love the plant and it is growing great. I have now seen they have found another plant to eat so I might reset up the snake to include the other plant. Corn snakes are great they don't get huge and their food is small. Read up and decide look in to which plants can/will grown in with the snakes.