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For enclosures with small snakes, pots with Syngoniums or Pothos (devil's ivy) are very suitable - these plants are common and cheap in nurseries, and very hardy in poorly lit enclosures. I replant them in low & wide containers to prevent tipping, and have a rotational quantity of 3 per cage, so that after a fortnight I can swap them and the one just used gets about 4 weeks outside to refresh it.
They work well, and assist in keeping the air fresh within the cage (they remove a lot of organic vapours etc). As for bacteria - snakes crawl on bacteria riddled surfaces all their lives in the bush and in cages, so that is simply not an issue. As far as chemicals go, when you repot them into your new low pots, just make sure you rinse the plant and the soil well and allow it to drain, and it will be fine. Our shadehouse is full of frogs of several species and if anything is going to have a problem with chemicals, it is frogs.
Live plants in enclosures are a bit of work, but the effect is FAR better than anything artificial - if you get the chance have a look at the reptile house at Melbourne Zoo, where they use live established plants extensively. They are beautiful... I'd say go for it with smaller snakes, but as pointed out, the bigger ones are crushers!
Jamie.
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