my thamnophis fish and terrarium

[ssssnakeluvr]

that's a nice set up....however the humidity will cause you snakes serious skin problems. also I see little area for the snakes to stay out of the water.

[De Foezel]

well its like he can hang in de decorative plants also so i think for now its ok but when he grows larger i realy should expand the land AREa
grtz

[Snakers]

hope you dont mind loosing fish either if those snakes ever get hungry who knows

[De Foezel]

thats the purpose of the fishys they are FOOD for when sneeky gets hungry in between meals of dead fish
i pray for the day a fish is missing
greets richard

[jitami]

I think it's really cool! If you can add more land area and keep the water filtered I'd go for it.... that said I don't have as much experience as these other guys Make sure the snake can dry off well when it needs to. Looks a lot like their natural habitat (minus some dirt). Is there any way you could add a shelf taking about half the tank with a lip so you could add some substrate. I'm thinking something that doesn't hold moisture like carefresh or maybe aspen?

[De Foezel]

thats a great idea
thnx
i was already planning on making a extra shelve but if there some kind of soil there the snake will like it more
it will be easy i can just bolt a shelve under one of the excisting shelves
i think it will be the right corner shelve or the upper one which wil become larger i was thinking 1/3 of the terrarium in size.
but as always ill make several nice ideas on paper and choose the best with a friend of mine......
im starting that once i finished my waterfall(building one because "exo terra waterfalls" suck)
if u still got comments id love to hear them
btw i decided im going to clean 1/2 of the fishtank water each week
it a bummer i cant clean it all the way because the fish will die of poor waterqualitys
grtz and thnx for ur helps and concerns

[ConcinusMan]

Your idea of a multiple tier environment is awesome and zoos often do this in a large enclosure. However, I also have concerns. While it's really nice to have a water/land habitat, I think it could spell disaster for the snakes and eventually for all the inhabitants. You just cannot contain an entire ecosystem in something that small. Snake feces are nasty and bacteria is a major concern. Snakes, even garter snakes found near water, need a dry, clean substrate.


Remember the BIOSPHERE projects? miserable failure.

Without going into details here's my opinion:

Get those snakes out of there and into a proper land enclosure made just for them. It will have a large water dish, plenty of dry ground, and a warm spot to bask under, and a cool end with some hiding places. Get some warm tolerant amphibians to live in the water tank. CA or rough-skinned newts would probably do well in there. The snakes don't belong there. Seriously. Get them out!

[De Foezel]

so if i understand correctly....
i need to adept my enclosure so there will be more land less water?
i could fill in half the tank with pebles so it will form land would this be ok?
i was planning to adept the enclosure with a expanding piece for 1 of the shelves that would cover 1/3 of the enclosure and a waterfall with some hidingplaces and some dry area to bask and rest for the snake

[ssssnakeluvr]

any of that would work, as long as you don't keep the snakes in it. they need drier cages with a water dish to prevent skin blisters and infections that could kill them. the humidity is going to be way too high for them.

[ConcinusMan]

A small water feature such as a pool with a little waterfall can work out OK in a very large enclosure if it's done right and has an all screen top, but those snakes need dry land and 50-70% humidity. Do not ever use pebbles as snake substrate. It harbors bacteria, is not absorbent and will result in blisters on the snakes bellies. Once they get it, it's hard to get rid of and can be fatal.

Please heed the advice and get those snakes on dry land before they get an infection. Florescent lighting, live plants and amphibians would be very cool in that setup. It's just not for snakes.

Might be a good idea to give the snakes a good thorough cleaning with Hibiclens or similar product containing chlorhexidine gluconate to prevent skin infections.