Naturalistic Vivarium (now includes pictures)

[helifreak]

So I am in the process of upgrading my snakes' living quarters - with an Animal Plastics cage - so excited - and have thought about taking this opportunity to change from Aspen substrate which I use now, to something a little less irritating - I am not super allergic to Aspen, but I don't like how it makes my throat and eyes itchy when messing with it.

I came across an interesting article about an Environmental Enrichment tank setup on the T-Rex web site - and found another interesting article here.

So my question is - do any of you have any experience with this type of setup? I am specifically interested in information on substrate options.

I don't want to take away the fun that my snakes have burrowing in their aspen, so would definitely want an option that still allows for this activity - but at the same time, would love to find something a little more natural looking than aspen as well as a little easier on my sinuses.

Below is a blurb from the t-rex article:

Vivarium Design 2: Naturalistic EE* method


Owners are often surprised at how much more enjoyable snakes are to keep when provided with larger more complex vivariums designed with EE (environmental enrichment) features. When kept under such conditions, species that may have been considered dull pets prove interesting and a pleasure to own. This is true of corn snakes which end up spending much more time active and basking in the open rather than concealed in their shelters.

Substrates

A key component of naturalistic systems is to use a 2-3 inch layer of soil-less substrate, such as coir, peat moss, or special mixed formulas that are kept moist, with the upper layer allowed to dry as in nature. Maintenance consists of scooping out fecal material weekly, then stirring the upper layer of substrate such that any trace of waste matter or urates are driven into the moist sublayer. In time this moist sublayer will become bioactive and develop a bacterial flora that will break down waste matter. To keep the system active the substrate should be lightly watered or misted once or twice weekly to maintain a moist sublayer. The substrate should never be allowed to become soggy, which will kill beneficial bacteria and cause it to smell bad. This approach will require little to no additional maintenance other than addition or partial replacement of substrate every 6-12 months. A healthy bioactive substrate will remain odorless for years except for a rich fresh earth smell. Another benefit of a moist bioactive substrate in contrast to dry wood shavings or chips is that they can be kept moist when snakes are in shed to provide the humidity required for problem-free shedding. When kept on a moist substrate it is common for snakes in shed to burrow in the substrate until a shed is completed.

 

[helifreak]

Hmmm.... No one has any thoughts on this? Well, I guess I am gonna try it out - with a 50/50 mixture of organic peat moss and loose coconut fiber (*see note below). When that mixture is dry - its seems fluffy enough to be able to burrow around in - we'll see what the snakies think - and see if the "earthy" smell is too strong for the room...

I'll probably create a little corner or area with aspen shavings and if they spend all their time there will consider going back to just aspen.

* Update: It turns out that a 50/50 mix is not quite adequate. It needs the addition of some porous non compacting aerating substances - to add surface area to the soil - i.e., sand, bentonite clay (unscented cat litter), ground walnut shells, etc... These seem to be the secret in creating a safely bioactive state for the soil.

 

[AliCat37]

Yeah I have not tried a naturalistic setup like this, I have a mix of organic soil and peat moss in my lizard's cage, but for the corns I use aspen with cottonwood bark and branches. Let us know how it goes!

 

[Rdoyle]

Yea I would like to get some type of wood my cages it as a bowl with water/hide and tp rolls it is kind of plain

 

[helifreak]

Progress pics:

Yes I know... these are some spoiled little snakies! And who knows how tough its gonna be to get them out for feeding - but after getting laid off a couple weeks ago, I needed something to keep me busy or I would lose my mind... ok, maybe I already have lost my mind...

Cage: Animal Plastics T8 - with divider & Fluorescent light
Basking lights: Surface mount halogens picked up at Lowe's (each side has two - a morning and afternoon basking light)
Base Stand: Nexera 49" TV stand from RacksAndStands.com

Above each door is also a little surface mount battery operated LED light for use when front lighting needed.

Eventually all cables will be hidden and thermostat and light switches built into a custom little box which will sit underneath in stand.

pics 1 - 5 : Installation of lights, placement of temp probes, and rough layout of items

 

[helifreak]

Adding substrate:

Substrate is a 50/50 mix of organic sphagnum peat moss and eco-earth loose coconut fiber.

 

[helifreak]

Adding "Aspen Island" and items:

Creating a little "Aspen Island" with tiki theme. Right-side tiki items are in current viv with snake - so will be added when snake is added.

 

[helifreak]

Top and doors installed:

Installation of glass doors and top. Gonna let things settle for a couple days while I get a sense of temp and humidity levels... I might need to add some more ventilation holes to the cage sides to help keep the humidity levels down because of the moisture retaining substrate.

 

[toxiclight]

Wow that looks incredible.

 

[Kris13]

Great look

Very nice looking vivarium. I am also trying to do a natural look with live plants (potted) and a Eco Earth substrate, and I'm hoping it will last for awhile. So far my new snake loves it. She climbs and burrows and I never know where she might be, though she's already got a favorite place, wrapped around the plant that I have perched in the tree.

Please keep us updated on how your system is working, and what you might have to change to keep it healthy.
Thanks-
kris

 

[helifreak]

Bahhhhh.... I am not sure if I am going to be able to keep the natural substrate. I can't seem to control the humidity. If I leave the doors open and let the viv dry out - things start off ok - but as soon as I close up the doors, there is just not enough ventilation with these PVC enclosures to keep the humidity down.

So the current options I am weighing...

1. abandon the awesome looking peat moss/coconut fiber substrate for the much dryer aspen
2. replace the awesome looking glass doors with screen doors
3. drill some large ventilation holes (8") in the side and back of the cage and cover these holes with screen

I am gonna try building some screen doors first - as I already have the stuff to make screens with - but I am not sure how good they are gonna look compared to the glass doors.

I would do #3, but I don't know of a good way to cover round holes with screen so that it looks good.

Hmmm.... this is almost feeling like it now belongs in the DIY forum?

 

[Recluse]

So jealous!! That looks amazing!

 

[joann42]

That is so beautiful...Try cypress mulch, not quite so wet, its my choice for the naturalistic enclosures, let it dry a bit before you use it and pick out all the big pieces.I wouldnt mess with the glass doors.Screen might cause nose rub and make it difficult to regulate temps. You have to try different substrates until you find the one that works for you.Orchid bark and redwood bark all look great as well.
My favorite part of owning snakes is building the enclosures and making them as natural as possible when I can.You might get the book "the art of keeping snakes".I love the whole concept of snake vivs as works of art.That leaves you open to not just naturalistic vivs but lots of other ideas as well.

 

[helifreak]

...You might get the book "the art of keeping snakes".I love the whole concept of snake vivs as works of art.That leaves you open to not just naturalistic vivs but lots of other ideas as well.

Thanks for the substrate suggestions and the book suggestion... that looks like an awesome book for this project.

I tried the screen doors, and they just look... well, crappy. The glass just looks so professional - I have to stick with the glass.

More testing is needed... I'm still thinking there are just not enough ventilation slits or holes - so when the water in the water bowl evaporates, there is just no where for it to go. The current substrate is actually super dry. But maybe it just absorbs too much moisture before it has a chance to escape through the vent holes...

 

[joann42]

You could install a soffet vent(I think they are called that).Those small round vents that they sell at the hardware store.It would be hard to cut a perfect circle in the pvc cage though.

 

[helifreak]

Cutting large circles (like up to 8") is the easy part - they sell drill bits that do that kind of stuff.... It's just the professional covering that I am not sure how to do. I don't want to just simply glue a piece of screen over the hole - that just sounds like trouble.

 

[helifreak]

I love the internet!

roundVents.com

Thousands of round screens ready to plug round holes. There has to be something there which will work.

 

[Alaya]

I'm really impressed with the idea. I live in a place with extremely low humidity (when its -40 outside the air simply does not hold any moisture, inside or outside). I run humidifiers in the winter but you can only do so much. I wonder if this would help me keep humidity at a healthier level for my new corn.

 

[helifreak]

It seems there are two things contributing to the out-of-control humidity. First, is that these are PVC (plastic) cages with glass doors - the only ventilation included with these are several slits cut in the sides and back. Adding to this lack of ventilation is a moisture holding substrate.

So in my case I am having to try and find ways to reduce the humidity - because as soon as I close up the doors, the relative humidity jumps to over 90% in about 1 hour. This is without adding any moisture to the substrate at all - the substrate humidity level outside of the enclosure is measuring about 55%.

When I leave about a 2 inch opening in the glass doors, the humidity levels settle to a good point - so I still think adding ventilation is the way to go. I am waiting on the plastic vents and drill bits to arrive.

I do live in a more humid climate, however, my house has a brand new heat pump / AC unit which is super efficient and super good at reducing humidity inside.

This is turning out to be a little more difficult than I anticipated, but so are most things in life...

 

[joann42]

I was going to say I just noticed you live in North Carolina and Im thinking you have a bit of humidity there anyways.
Is the cage for a Ball python your corns?
I have the opposite problem here.I have my Brazilian in a bin because I couldnt keep the humidity up enough in his tank(tanks arent the best for humid loving snakes).So I gave the tank to my son for his turtle.
I have a wood enclosure I built that is 4x2x2 that stands empty because I cant figure out how to get it to at least hold some humidity.