Live Plants

[Full3R]

When i get my diamond enclosure, and the Snakes, i was hoping to make it look like a nattural forest, like a peice of the natural habitat in the enclosure, how would i go about doing this with live plants, eg. In pots, what type of plants etc.

[Inkslinger]

My Diamonds artifical plants but natural cork background

Live plants for pythons are not a good idea for a number of reasons soil can harbour bacteria chemicals etc, not to mention the damage to the plants a wandering python could do.
If your tank was big enough a tree typ plant would work like an indoor fiscus etc

[Pythoninfinite]

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.

[Inkslinger]

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.
Not captive bred ones, and the bacteria in their cages is or should be friendly bacteria, A diamond python is not a small python either, yes I also keep frogs 4 species all in Vivariums that are fully planted and therefore self cleaning however frogs are much smaller and not as destructive.

[slim6y]

We're in the game of providing the ultimate and safest habitat for healthy snakes. Soil in the outside world harbours bacteria in unconfined spaces (generally speaking).

In a controlled temperature and humidity environment dangerous amounts of bacteria could cause several problems - including smells (ammonia can be released), legionella (causes respiratory infections in humans) and possibly many other diseases and problems.

I would be erring on the side of caution from using live folliage on those very pretenses.

If you do use a natural forest, then make the enclosure suitabley sized... for example I wouldn't even put an african violet in a 4 foot tank... A shed might be more approiate sized for a small forest - but adequate ventilation is the main concern - bare that in mind!

On top of this, your snake my choose to deficate in the pot plants' soil and this also begins to increase the problems with bacteria.

With all this - do you still want living plants?

The risk is minimal, but unnessescary IMO.

[Full3R]

Hmm, Well, the tank isn't going to be big enough to compare to a shed, so i might stick with artificial plants at the most, i'll wait until i get a big mother of an enclosure3 before growing plants,
thanks guys

[junglepython2]

You won't need a shed to grow plants Full3R, they can be grown in a standard enclosure, but the bigger the better. With plants in enclosures I've always used full spectrum lighting and I'm not sure how they would go without it. Ive had yucckas which flourished in python cages and even palms that went well. Occasionally a plant will start to drop off, when that happens I just take it outside for a few weeks which usually does the trick.

As the pythons get larger they do tend to destroy things so be prepared to loose a plant or two. As pythoninfinite said bacteria is everywhere and a plant is the least of your worries.

[slim6y]

hehe.. JP - i was just making mention to the 'natural forest' comment - hence the shed.

[Jen]

Air plants might be an alternative, though they give a 'desert' look

[waruikazi]

I use those creeper looking ones that grow without soil. I out them in the water, they take along time to grow but they look pretty good.

[waruikazi]

These ones

[rednut]

Originally Posted by waruikazi

I use those creeper looking ones that grow without soil. I out them in the water, they take along time to grow but they look pretty good.

Eh? Freshwater or salt? Are they a succulent? They sound like a type of CAM plant, but I have no idea which one you're talking about

EDIT: Beat me to it, lol.

[waruikazi]

COuldn't tell you then name, botanist i definately am not.

[Magpie]

You could also use Bromeliads - I'd suggest Vriesias or Guzmanias for indoor use. They can be grown in a pot full of rocks.

[Full3R]

Well, I've decided for now, ill just buy a 4'X2'X2' enclosure for a young Diamond to live in, So Whats a nice way to set that up with plants (artificial or not)