Utilizing the upper area of a terrarium?

toripyth · 06-09-13, 11:58 PM

I have my BRB housed in the Exo Terra large/x-tall terrarium meaning it's at a height of 36''. I feel as though the upper area of his tank is going to waste. I tried looking into ledges but it seems as though there aren't any that can support his weight. How do you make use of the upper area of your terrariums? If anyone could give me some suggestions on how to utilize the space so he has more room to roam that would be great.
Thanks!

formica · 06-10-13, 04:29 AM

is it made from wood? in which case, put shelving in, same way you would on a wall in your own house, with metal (or wooden) brackets; make sure that the wood is suitable for the enviroment of course. If the housing is not thick enough to hold a decent length screw, then attach a picie of wood to the outside aswell behind each bracket, to screw into, and use a good screw.

Mikoh4792 · 06-10-13, 05:31 AM

How big is your brb?

And formica I think he said exo terra which is made of glass. You'd have to think of a way to make a magnetic ledge, some kind of custom perch using pvc or wooden dowels/pipes and glue/silicone them to the walls. Or you could find branches that are shaped right for your cage so that your snake could rest on them up high. You just gotta be creative.

smy_749 · 06-10-13, 05:46 AM

I woulnt go magnetic with an adult BrB , they arent big enough either. Get some PvC pipes and make perches like GTP enclosures. He might use them. Or just get some nice tall pieces of drift wood and cover em with fake plants

toripyth · 06-10-13, 09:53 PM

mikoh: He's almost 6 yrs now and around 6'.
smy: For the driftwood- would I be able to pick some up at a local beach? Is there a way I could sanitize it so that it is safe to put in his enclosure? Because honestly buying wood in pet stores(even small pieces) is so ridiculously expensive! I imagine it would be quite costly to purchase a piece as tall as his cage.

smy_749 · 06-10-13, 10:13 PM

Just grab something from the beach or a lake or even a river and go for it. Pet store drift wood is redic priced, a piece for that enclosure would prob cost you 100 bucks at petstore prices if you could find one lol

Terranaut · 06-11-13, 01:58 AM

You only need to visualy inspect the wood for parasites. No evil present , fire it in. Nothing on it will harm the snake as long as it is a snake safe wood. No need for bleech washes or baking the wood. A bit of dirt isn't going to hurt your snake.

Starbuck · 06-11-13, 03:40 AM

i found tons of gorgeous peices of driftwood near my local lakefront. Only thing i did with them was dry them in the sun for a few days

toripyth · 06-11-13, 01:18 PM

How would I know if it is snake-friendly wood? Driftwood can be hard to identify.

Starbuck · 06-11-13, 07:17 PM

most driftwood in my area is from large hardwoods>> oak, elm, etc. We dont have cedar around here, i dont know of other non snake friendly trees.
If you are really concerned, i would just find an oak/suitable tree (not necessarily near a lake), and look underneath it for something that would fit your viv.

edit: i dont really use pine/pine looking branches, i select things that LOOK more like they came from a deciduous tree.

toripyth · 06-11-13, 09:49 PM

Okay thank you, I will do that. Most of the driftwood from around here is from coniferous trees. However, there is a lot of arbutus. Do you know if that is safe for snakes?

red ink · 06-11-13, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toripyth

I have my BRB housed in the Exo Terra large/x-tall terrarium meaning it's at a height of 36''. I feel as though the upper area of his tank is going to waste. I tried looking into ledges but it seems as though there aren't any that can support his weight. How do you make use of the upper area of your terrariums? If anyone could give me some suggestions on how to utilize the space so he has more room to roam that would be great.
Thanks!

Not a BRB... but here's a couple of enclosure utilising the arboreal nature of the specimen maximising the internal space.

Dual hides, one at the enclosure floor and one on a shelf

smy_749 · 06-12-13, 12:11 PM

Very nice enclosures red.

Mikoh4792 · 06-12-13, 12:46 PM

Amazing. What do you cut those branches with? and do you just throw em in after collecting them or do you treat the wood?

SnakeyJay · 06-12-13, 03:01 PM

Here's my brb's branches.