Natural Enclosure

[Ctah_Lu]

hi, im doing my thamnophis´ enclosure whit natural stuffs,(peat moss substrate, plants,etc.) but i have a question about the ferns, are they secure to the garter snakes?, because i really want to put some inside, and i wold like know which plants help to absorb the wastes.
thank you.

[guidofatherof5]

Trying to mimic nature isn't an easy task. I think the biggest hurdle is keeping the humidity correct.
Scale rot and respiratory infections are a real danger. You also must consider soil parasites being introduced to the snakes.
Me being able to see and clean an enclosure gives me peace of mind.
If you use potted plants they can be removed, clean and treated without too much of a disturbance to the enclosure.
I too have thought about making a natural enclosure but gave up the idea to the practicality and safety offered my snakes by a more conventional enclosure.
My snakes don't seem to mind the compressed Aspen pellet substrate and fake vines. I do have plenty of natural wood and rock for them to use.
Best of luck.
Keep us posted on your progress.

[ConcinnusMan]

Trying to mimic nature isn't an easy task. I think the biggest hurdle is keeping the humidity correct.
Scale rot and respiratory infections are a real danger. You also must consider soil parasites being introduced to the snakes.
Me being able to see and clean an enclosure gives me peace of mind.
If you use potted plants they can be removed, clean and treated without too much of a disturbance to the enclosure.
I too have thought about making a natural enclosure but gave up the idea to the practicality and safety offered my snakes by a more conventional enclosure.

I'm with Steve on this one. I have ferns that do not require soil (licorice fern) but the conditions needed to keep them healthy indoors would not be good for garters. (cool and constantly moist) Also, they are too delicate to have snakes climbing on them.

Nothing wrong with creating a natural type enclosure. My big enclosure uses a driftwood log for climbing on, reptibark and coconut fiber mixture for the substrate, a few large rocks, lots of dried moss, etc., but the plants, including some ferns, (got them at dollar tree, cheap) are fake and that eliminates a lot of concerns. You're going to have to change substrate now and then, no matter what you do. Live plants will not clean the enclosure for you and definitely won't keep up with garter messes.

My garters poop a lot and get everything all messy and so I must periodically take out the fake plants, rocks, log, and scrub the white mess off in mild bleach solution.

Anyway, the enclosure looks really nice and natural and mimics what you might see on a temperate forest floor, but doesn't have all the concerns and maintenance issues of using real plants.