Decorative BRB set up

[nimrodfiftyfour]

I think I have decided on getting a BRB. I have a few questions about the set up however. I have a spare 50 gallon aquarium to put it in, and I plan to seal the top to keep the humidity up. I've done 80 to 100 percent humidity in aquariums before, so I shouldn't have a problem with that. First of all, can I keep live plants with a brb, and what kinds. I'd specifically like some of the predator plant, ie fly traps. Also, I plan on making a waterfall decending from one end to the other of the tank, would that pose any danger to the snake. I plan on having a large pool on one end, maybe about 10 gallons of water, once again, good or bad idea? Also, and this is going to sound a little weird, could I keep fish in the tank with the snake? I was thinking either some killis or endlers, poss. mudskippers. I know husbandry on the fish, but would the snake attack them? Thanks for any help

[nimrodfiftyfour]

Also, I was going to make a few shelves out of electrical egg crate in the cage, do you think that could damage the snake's skin? Thanks again.

[dr greenlove]

To a point i would think that you probably could keep some types of plants in the BRB cage. But Venus Fly Traps would be a big no-no. Mainly because the plants would die in the conditions an BRB needs, and the actual tropical pitcher plants would be a/to delicate and b/ might prove hazardous to your average inquisitive snake.


In my experience (admittedly not anywhere near as great as many of the other posters) the only cage furnishing a BRB wants is a sheet of newspaper to hide under. Other than that you are just creating much more work than you need to.

I shudder to think of the amount of cleaning that the set-up you described would need...which would mean much more disturbance for a shy animal. Not really ideal.

And i would have thought that mudskippers were enough of a challenge in their own right...why combine unnecersarily?

[nimrodfiftyfour]

I've kept the mudskippers, really not that hard if you set it up right. I guess I'm just still to aquarium minded and can't stand those sterile cages. Anyway, just throwing it out. Thanks.

[Christine]

Originally posted by nimrodfiftyfour could I keep fish in the tank with the snake?

Do you want your BRB to have a supply of little snacks?

If you want venus fly traps, fish, and a BRB, and you want them all together... then I would compromise and keep them all in separate enclosures next to each other, to insure the health and saftey of all of them.

One thing to think about with having a waterfall is how large the filter is. You don't want something that a baby snake could get stuck in.

You should also keep in mind that BRBs hide all the time. They like dark tight places.

You don't want to do anything that could compromise the safety and health of any of your pets.

[Linds]

Please don't start mixing and matching animals within the same enclosure. It's a recipe for disaster. Captive conditions are too different (no matter how hard you try) from the wild for this.
If you really want to use live plants, you are going to need something sturdy, which most aren't. Ficus trees might work. Most safe plants are relatively fragile. You could try using pothos vines as well. Logs and thick climbing/hiding branches would make the best addition to a natural setup. As Dr. Greenlove mentioned, this kind of setup will be incredibly difficult to maintain, and BRB are not a snake that will make it worth it to most people to even attempt since they are such poor display animals. They would rather hide all day. If you don't like sterile setups, you can still compromise with a more natural substrate (such as cypress mulch) and some large logs and branches, and maybe a rock dish ;)

[Stockwell]

Like Linds says.... don't mix and match species.
Herps aren't good candidates for "community tanks"
Save that for tropical fish.
I've tried keeping live plants with lots of snakes..
Take my word for it, SNAKES WRECK PLANTS!!
I've even had a problem keeping fake ones looking good, with time they wreck those too.
Stick to an old dead barkless Elm branch, and perhaps a hollow log or simiar dead stuff. Anything else will prove to be more trouble than its worth

[ChaosCat]

skip the plants, skip the fish, skip the waterfall. Keep it basic and it will be easier to clean and take care of.

My BRBs are kept in a 3' x 2' x 2' neodesha filled with 2" of moistened ecoearth. Each end has a large, black plastic hide. Under one end I have taped an ultratherm heat mat, attached to a thermostat, and set to 85. The other end has no heat and averages around 70-72. I put in a plastic branch for them to climb on. There is a 40 watt heat lamp above that in case they want to bask. In the center, I have a large, ceramic bowl full of clean water at all times-sometimes has to be cleaned every few days as they do like to soak after eating.

They seem to like it so far, and its been holding humidity well at 95%. Their sheds have been A+ and so has their health.

The whole set-up is extraodinarily easy to spot-clean when necessary, and also easy to take them out of when I take them out to feed.

-cat