real or fake

[DirtySanchez]

I was just wondering if its better to have real plants or fake in your viv??? and what types would be best????

 

[Skye]

I voted for fake since this is a corn board, and it is much easier to take out the fake plants and wash them off/sterilize them as needed. I don't use any real plants with my corns.

Having said that, in enclosures where I need to keep the humidity up such as with our chameleon, anoles, frogs and toads, as well as our MHD we do use real plants. Mostly pothos as it is safe and sturdy, but a few others too like ficus with the chameleon.

Skye

 

[leia]

I don't know, I voted fake because I have a fake vine in there.

 

[Celestine8]

I voted fake because you have to make sure that the plant you like isn't toxic to animals, you can't pot in in the substrate so you have to bury the pot and unbury it and remove it from the tank to water or cut it ( no flailing around with scissors in front of snakes for me!) and some plants generally don't like intense light from heat lamps or like their roots being heated up unless they're succulents ( cacti, jade plants, etc) or really hardy tropical plants ( find one of THOSE that isn't toxic and doesn't die if breathed on wrong and I will give you a medal).

 

[MegF.]

I have a live plant in mine. It's in a bowl for a pot, and my snake loves to curl up under it in the pot. I put some of the substrate on the surface so that she doesn't get any of the potting soil ingested. It's growing like a champ, and it's holding up to her crawling around in it to reach the roof and investigate.

 

[Cindy]

Live plants

Do you have a photo MelF of your plant in a pot with your snake pal?

 

[CornCrazy]

Be careful if your live plant's pot has a base to it. I have read a post before about a snake that got caught between the pot and the base...it drowned. Just be sure your snake can't into the "drain pan" part of the pot if you use live.

 

[MegF.]

There is no drain pan. It's actually a bowl that I put the plant in. I try not to overwater it to avoid root rot. I don't have any pictures of her in it, but the next time she's in there I'll take one and post it.

 

[MegF.]

I took some pictures of her in her viv. She's partly in her bowl, but didn't feel like staying there for now. I do have one other photo where she is curled up in it, but it's cropped pretty close. Here they are..

 

[MegF.]

Here's the one's I just took. The wet paper towel is for her to hang in. She's getting near time to shed, and it helps get her nice and moist. She hung out there all afternoon, so maybe she's almost ready.

 

[MegF.]

She just decided to cooperate and go in there, so here is the pictures I just took.

 

[MegF.]

And here's the other one.

 

[CornCrazy]

That plant looks really nice. I like the bowl!

Your snake is very pretty and looks quite cute curled up in her bowl!

 

[MegF.]

Thanks! She is the coolest thing on Earth!

 

[Rachel]

I voted fake because when I had live plants I noticed soil mites in my snakes tank. They are harmless to the snake but pretty unsightly! It's also alot easier to clean if you have fake plants, if you ever (god forbid) get a mite infestation then a live plant would have to be chucked whereas fakes can just be bleached.

 

[MegF.]

So far no bugs of any kind. I made sure I used sterilized potting soil to begin with, and my house is sprayed regularly outside, hopefully preventing any exterior critters from getting in. I check the viv all the time though, just to be sure. I just love the look of the plant, and I think it helps keep a little humidity in the viv for her.

 

[Skye]

yes, a real plant will certainly help with humidity in the cage,

Skye

 

[Just A Beginner]

I that looks allot like a Leopard Lilly, arent they poisonous?

 

[MegF.]

No, the plant is the common Pothos. As far as I know, it is benign. She doesn't eat it anyway.....just crawls around in it, and on it.

 

[Skye]

pothos is completely fine for reptile enclosures, and we use it in a number of ours,

SKye