Real Plants for Terrarium

Hi all,

I am seriously considering using real plants in my terrarium. It's resident will be a milk snake.

The plants I am currently considering are: green lily, ornamental asparagus, philodendron, pteris, and spiderwort. I have read that these plants are semi-moist and require average light, as opposed to a ton of light.

Does anyone have experience with real plants in a terrarium?

Dawn

Use Pothos. It's non-toxic, and virtually impossible to kill, and it grows fast. Avoid anything too toxic, as you don't want your snake to come in contact with the sap. Anything delicate will be trampled.
Make sure humidity levels are species-appropriate (a lot of milks come from arid or semi-arid areas, or grasslands).

I agree with the pothos. You can't kill it just about. You will have to trim it back though. I've got a variety of stuff in my tanks and have never had a problem with them. Some snakes will climb and break off parts of the plants but I've never had a plant die due to that. Make sure the soil you use doesn't have any extra fertilizers or chemicals in it. It might not do anything but why take the chance? I've used organic soil from bags in at Lowes without any problems. The first planted terrarium I set up actually had a lot of bug eggs in the soil which was bad news (flies everywhere) so I'd go with a name brand if possible. I haven't had any problems from them. Good luck!

It's not a bad idea to 'seed' the terrarium with isopods and springtails. They'll help clean up any waste that you miss.

Thanks everyone!

Dawn