Home >> Reptiles >> Woodland Vivariums
Woodland Vivariums
The woodland terrarium, more than any other, will tax the artistry of the herp enthusiast who contemplated it. Once again, an ordinary aquarium is probably the best container with which to start. Over the bottom, lay an inch thick layer of charcoal and coarse gravel, well mixed. The charcoal and gravel will assist drainage and help keep the cage free of disagreeable odors caused by souring of the soil. Slope the floor covering from rear to the front. The taller plants will be in the rear, and this is where the greatest depth will be required. Next, add about two inches of good soil, select this from a place where many and varied plants are growing in profusion. If you do not have the inclination to go out and dig in the woods, potting soil nay be purchased in stores, purchase only natural soil with no chemical additives like fertilizer. An advantage to selecting soil from a healthy natural woodland is that many of the plants and seedling trees may be picked up along with it and one can be sure that their soils will have the correct degree of acidity and alkalinity for the species found in that area.
Aquarists have produced beautiful arrangements in the tanks of their exotic fishes, and it is no less possible to do the same with an artistic arrangement of forest plants. Try to visualize a piece of moss-covered rocks and the decaying portion of a tree bark. Here we have all the ingredients of a beautiful design, it remains only to carefully pot the plants so as to appear natural, yet no hide the animal forms the vivarium will contain. A container of water should be sunk flush with the surrounding terrain near the front of the enclosure. Small stones embedded in the soil about the perimeter of the pool will make easier the removal and daily cleaning of it. If woodland plants are used they may be set directly into the soil of the terrarium. Potted plants that are bought in a store had best be left in their containers, which should be sunk flush with the surface of the surrounding soil. This type of terrarium should have at least a partial covering of glass and should be sprinkled frequently. Tree climbing lizards will appreciate limbs over which to climb, in fact. a terrarium of the woodland type can be heightened to provide a good home for arboreal as well as terrestrial and burrowing animals. Salamanders may peer from beneath pieces of bark while anoles chase each other over the branches. It is about the only kind of set-up in which herps of very different types may be mixed. With due regard, of course, for the respective sizes of the animals.
Some care must be used in feeding terrarium inmates to make sure that a few do not get the entire food supply. If any small snakes are introduced, make sure they are of kinds which will not promptly devour the other animals in the cage. The growth or decline of the plants in a woodland terrarium is a good indication of whether the soil has a correct moisture content. Spraying can be adjusted accordingly. In general, it is best to keep the bottom layer of gravel and charcoal quite wet. With the woodland terrarium it is possible to bring indoors for year-round enjoyment a small portion of the forest and its inhabitants.