Live Plants = Less ventilation?

[Tiny Boidae]

So, I'm brainstorming and planning and ordering the supplies for my Beauty's cage (although it won't be assembled until I move, I just like to have everything now as it spreads out my money spending), and I was thinking about getting some hardy plants that it PROBABLY won't smother (like some pothos, a fern or two... still not sure exactly what yet), and it got me thinking. If I plant the cage with live plants, will I need as many, if any, ventilation holes as the plants produce oxygen for the snake, and the snake produces carbon dioxide for the plants. It sounds a little naive to me, but I'm just curious if this is logical thinking.

[trailblazer295]

I could easily be wrong but I still prefer to have the ventilation and air holes. Without air flow air will be stagnant. Personally I'd rather have the air flow and work around the heating and humidity challenges it creates vs a sealed box. I don't know the ratio of plants it takes to produce sufficient oxygen for a snake/lizard.

[Tiny Boidae]

Trailblazer295-

I was actually worried about the snake not making enough carbon dioxide for the plants, but it was just a weird thought of mine. It's not too difficult to maintain heat and humidity if you balance heat and ventilation (or at least it's not with my water dragons). I'll still have ventilation holes in case those plants don't do their jobs, but it was just me over thinking things.

[Minkness]

Eh...I'd still say put air holes. No reason not to really, even if they are just tiny holes.

[Tiny Boidae]

Alright Mink, it isn't a problem. Again, I was just being nosy ^.^

I don't want to make another thread for this since I just posted this one, so I've got another question to run by you. I'm trying to figure out the drainage layer for the plants, and the sealant used for long-term submersion gets pretty pricey (like $80 of Pond Armor for what I need), and I was thinking about using tiles and siliconing them together to separate my water from my wood. Thoughts on this? I can get tile pretty cheap (like $1 a pop) and I'd think those used for bathrooms and such would be pretty water-proof, but I'm no carpenter in any aspect so I have no idea.

[Minkness]

Most of the water damage probably comes from general humidity. So sealing all of the interior wood would be a good idea, but the tile idea sounds nifty =)

[Tiny Boidae]

Minkness-

Yeah but that's going to be exposed to actual, liquid water for extended periods of time, so it's going to need some stronger stuff. Like I used Pond Armor for my water dragon paludarium at someone's reccomendation, but it cost me more than the cage itself and I guess I'm still feeling the sting from that. I'm definitely going to seal the entire enclosure, but I thought the tile would be not only cheaper, but also easier to clean and such. Maybe even a little more durable?

[Minkness]

So just tile the whole enclosure? That would get heavy o.o

[Tiny Boidae]

Oops, don't think I made that clear enough. I'm just tiling the bottom. For the sides and top I'm not sure what I'll use yet as far as sealing goes, but only the bottom is getting tiled.

[Roman]

With a large colubrid like a Taiwan beauty snake (Orthriophis taeniurus friesei) I wouldn’t use ferns. They are too delicate to withstand such a large snake for long, at least when I had one in my tiger ratsnake (Spilotes pullatus) enclosure it did not last more than a month.

Some information about plants -- > http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/natur...errariums.html

I would leave the plants in their pot, so you don’t have any trouble with water in your wood enclosure. Hide them behind some structures like cork tubes or branches. It makes it also easier to replace the plants, it might be a good idea to have two sets of plants, one inside the enclosure and one as a kind of reserve and exchange them as needed, so any plant might get a chance to recover.

You will still need the ventilation holes, I don’t think that your plants will be able to generate enough oxygen for your snake, especially as they need light for photosynthesis and shut down during the night.


Roman

[Tiny Boidae]

Roman-

Thanks for your help on this thread too

Yeah, for the majority of the plants in my water dragon enclosure (most of which are fakes, the girls tear them to pieces pretty quick when they were all real), I have the original plant growing under the stand. Whenever I need a new plant, I usually either take one of the ones that I've already propagated and grown, or I just give it a quick snippy snip depending on the species.

Well that's disappointing news about the fern for sure, I was really looking forward to that beauty, but I'm not going to waste my money on a lost cause like that. I was thinking the golden pothos would be nice because (and I think that is this plant) it can mat up on the floor of the terrarium and that might be a nice place for the snake to hide in.

My original plan consisted of having the bugs and plants in there for at least a month before I introduce the snake, so that they have a chance to sink their roots in before all heck breaks loose. I can definitely just keep them in their pots though, although will the bugs still be able to get into the pot to break down the waste for the plants? Or will they kinda just be on their own for that?

[Roman]

The bugs will break down the waste where ever it is, but your plants will eventually cover more or less the whole ground of the enclosure and the tendrils of the pothos will grow their own roots, so they will get their nutrition from there.


Roman

[Tiny Boidae]

The pothos is one of the plants that my dragons felt content to tear up pretty quickly (they were draped against the back wall of the enclosure, and they used it as a climbing opportunity so it got pretty battered up). Mei is always my worst enemy when it comes to maintaining live plants in that enclosure, as that spaz will go on mini-rampages when she gets spooked by my cat, or a car alarm, or anything really. Xiu might sit on them on occasion, or attempt to climb up the vining plants, but when my newest potted friend gets torn up, I always know who to thank for that :/

Story aside, I'm not too worried about being able to see the ground after a little while. It'll probably make maintance even more of a pain, but I'm not too partial towards being able to see soil. Kinda looks nicer when it's a bit overgrown in my opinion, and if it ever gets to where I can't handle it then I can always trim it back.

[Tiny Boidae]

Ah, one more question. I got to thinking of what's a durable plant that doesn't mind a lot of light and moisture, and can probably provide some peace of mind to the snake when it's out in the open. What about a grass of sort? I've never heard of anyone putting grass of all things in their enclosure, but I don't really see a problem with it. If I can drive my car onto it on occasion without any problem, I don't see why it can't hold up to my snake. Plus it'll be able to withstand a bunch of temperatures, light conditons, and with a bit of care it'll grow up to a nice length of tall grass. Granted it's not going to be as condensed or short as a lawn's, but it's a thought.

[toddnbecka]

I use silk plants in my enclosures. Easy to place just about anywhere, don't require light or water, and just rinse in ther sink to clean snake poop off, lol.