Creating a very lush and green artificial enclosure for a spotted python?

[Wynona_Jane]

Hello!

I will be getting my first snake at the end of this year, a granite morph spotted python, I'm really excited!

I'm currently designing the snakes first enclosure, I'll be keeping it in a click clack for the first 6-10 months, I'm just excited and want it prepared before I get it. I really love the look of really green lush vivarium type setups, I love the moss and dark wood from being covered in water, with big ferns everywhere and ivy. I really want ti replicate that artificially in my spotted pythons tank.would I be able to do this? Is there realistic fake moss and is there a way to make wood look wet? I can just get artifical ferns and use coco peat as a substrate so it's dark. I don't want it to be real as the misting and water needed for the plants, and humidity, isn't good for the snake at all and I want him to be s

The enclosure I'll get will be a 60x45x45cm glass exo terra glass enclosure, can I heat it adequately with a zoomed 20x45cm heat mat if the ambient temperature in my house is about 18C~20C?

Here's an example of what I mean in the enclosure:

Lush vivariums https://imgur.com/gallery/rBbAa1J

 

[CF Constrictor]

Hi W. J
Welcome to the hobby. Unfortunately by the sound of it , the lush green setup you plan on using would be unsuitable for housing a python. There would be way to much humidity and it would end up leading to health issues like respiratory infections and scale rot. Unless you plan on using artificial plants .

 

[Wynona_Jane]

Hi W. J
Welcome to the hobby. Unfortunately by the sound of it , the lush green setup you plan on using would be unsuitable for housing a python. There would be way to much humidity and it would end up leading to health issues like respiratory infections and scale rot. Unless you plan on using artificial plants .

Hi! Yes I do plan of fully using artificial plants, real ones would require nothing close to what the spotted python need.

 

[Bluetongue1]

These days there are lots of artificial plants available, including moss. With good quality items one is hard pressed to pick the difference between fake and the real thing. They also make them UV resistant for use outdoors. Fake moss is a popular item for craft and fairy garden landscaping. You can get as small pieces, clumps, squares and even rolls. You can also buy moss covered rocks and logs (all artificial of course). Here are some images of these from the net -


You can also get artifical logs with moss and plants on them that look wet. There are a number of outlets where you can have a look at these thing first. Again I have included some images from the net -


There are a number of companies that do artificial green walls for people’s gardens and atriums. I’m sure they could do a backing wall for your terrarium. Here’s a pic from a mob in Sydney called Artificial Garden Walls, as an example of what can be done.


Over the years I have collected river stones and pebbles from people’s yards that did not want them, plus a few other places. They look awesome when wet but dry out to dusty muted colour. The problem is if you keep them continually wet, algae grows over the side exposed to the light. That can be addressed by using bleach on a regular basis but I do not want to[WU1] have to do that. So I prhave been thinking I’ll try spraying some with a matt or low sheen clear resin, probably polyurethane, and see how they turn out. If anyone has a better suggestion that works I would love to hear it.

The resin idea may also work for wood. To get a darker appearance, a little bit of black stain can be added to the polyurethane.

My house mate is into miniature models, so this is something I am interested in. I just googled “fake moss Australia” and “fake moss logs Australia”. If you use those and similar searches it will let you know what is available, where you can get it and what it costs etc. That should keep you gainfully occupied for a while, lol. Good luck with it.

 

[Wynona_Jane]

Ohhh, thank you so much!! I reckon some resin would do the trick, I see it all the time with mini resin sculptures, especially when it's of water it looks very realistic. Ahaha yeah it will keep me very occupied, turns out it's quite hard to make an enclosure with heaps of bits and bobs and have it be easy to clean and reliably stable, especially since I haven't really seen any examples of it! That's okay though Thank you for responding! It's put much more hope into this project! I have a few months to nail this

 

[Bluetongue1]

A few more thoughts to throw into the mix…

With an all glass enclosure, heat control can be problematic. It depends on the climate in your region, where in the dwelling it is kept, and what sort of internal climate control may be operating. In cooler conditions using a piece of good quality polystyrene, or similar rigid insulating material, on the sides and back of the enclosure will make a significant difference to heat loss. These panels can be festooned with artificial greenery to your liking.

As a base substrate you can use a piece of artificial turf – one that is to your liking - to continue the lush green effect. You’ll need at least two of these so that you can replace a soiled one while you wash and dry it.

You’d need to allow space for a heating/ basking area and a water bowl. Then you can start planning what other furnishings you intend to use. These need to include at least one hide and preferably two or three.

To achieve the sort of effect that showed in the photo you would have to put several elements together, embedded in some sort of base material that hardens up to be waterproof. It would need to be of a size that can readily be removed from and replaced into the enclosure. It would also need to be waterproof once it has hardened so that so you can hose it clean when required. I am sure there others on this forum that can suggest a suitable material. Although not essential, I’d reckon it should have a dead flat base and be heavy enough to discourage the snake from taking refuge underneath it. I’d reckon that It should also have a flat base with sufficient weight so that the snake cannot get underneath it. You can also include separate items in the available space, such as some moss covered rockd and wood hollows as hides.