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Peter Solarz

Andulka
Sade Olutola
we're not kids anymore.

oozey mess
AnasAbdin
Game of Thrones Daily
Cosmic Funnies
šŖ¼

ē„ę„ / Permanent Vacation
noise dept.

Janaina Medeiros
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me

⣠Chile in a Photography ā£
KIROKAZE
dirt enthusiast
No title available
Claire Keane
Mike Driver
will byers stan first human second

seen from Malaysia
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from T1

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from T1
seen from United States
seen from Mexico
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seen from United States
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@taking-wing-consulting
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fucking goldfish tiktok made me cry bro
The Dolichothele diamantinensis (Brazilian Blue Dwarf Beauty Tarantula)!
Want to see more on this species? Check out this video:
Have you ever come across Blue Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa caerulea)? Iāve just seen a post about them on Facebook and theyāre so adorable and such a pretty colour!!
Iāve never seen one in person since theyāre not native to where I live. But hereās one for everyone to admire:
This one was photographed in Malaysia byĀ gancw1 on iNaturalist. That is a nice bee.
@wisent15ā Yes, carpenter bees can sting. But like most solitary bees and wasps, theyāre not very aggressive and are unlikely to sting unless handled carelessly or if you try to mess with their nest.
Wildlife crossing underneath US Highway 93 in Montana
āIāve often thought about how all these different life forms occupy the same space as me during a given moment and how easy it can be to get so wrapped up in your own world you forget youāre part of something larger and marvelous.ā__Noel Marie Fletcher
Owl⦠you can FLY above the road⦠youāre just being extraā¦..
Lol me about my spiders
My lovely vivarium.. home of two melanistic garter snakes!
This is a pretty ingenious way to use larger tubs. (source)
Oh hey I never posted about my tegu enclosure here.
So these are Tiamatās digs! Itās a 4 x 8 x 4 grow tent, modified to have a clear front door. I got the idea from @kaijutegu :D
The base is a simple frame of 2"x12" boards screwed together in a rectangle that fits perfectly inside the twnr, with a pond linder stapled to it to hold in the substrate (12" of topsoil and cypress mulch) I also stapled the outer walls directly to the base inside with heavy duty staples, so she couldnāt easily squeeze down between the substrate box and the outer walls.
(This is about a ton of dirt we had to carry up a flight of stairs, one bag at a timeā¦)
The āwindowā is heavy duty vinyl from Joanneās. Importantly, itās cut to be larger than the opening! It goes all the way to the edges. I used heavy duty threas and a big mattress needle. You can see the black thread around the edges.
I also prettied it up and added extra strength by sewing green bias tape along the inner edge where it overlapped.
Just dont make the mistake I did- you want to cut and add the door BEFORE assembling the tent. x_x Doing it after requires extra hands and sucks.
All in all this was way cheaper and easier than traditional wood/glass/plastic, and with a little modification you can still make them look really nice.
I can answer other questions if people have any
Bioactive Vivarium Eval. (Long Post)
The subject of using a bioactive terrarium for a reptile has been widely debated in many of the herp keeping communities. As someone who has now used an acrylic plastic enclosure, a rack system, an RUB and now a Bioactive, I have put together some of my findings in the use, function, and care of a Bioactive specifically here.Ā
Please keep in mind that a bioactive enclosure is not for everyone or every pet! While they are lovely and relatively easy to set up, they require some work to maintain, and some animals (burrowers especially, such as Blue Tongue Skink and some Hognoses) may only destroy all your hard work by unearthing your plants. Also, some omni/carnivores might snack on your cleanup crew, so if you do decide to go the bioactive route, please be careful in selecting which insects you put in it, according to what animal will be living in the space with them!
Overall, Bioactives are my favorite kinds of terrariums to keep- and in fact Iāve decided to start making and selling them to others as enclosures for their pets or just as lovely additions to a shelf.
ā
PROS FIRST-
* Very easy to set up * Versatile in terms of which plants one can use! Vertical or horizontal cages, big or small, have different lists of plants that will thrive in them, many of them beautiful and low maintenance. Plants can also vary according to temperatures needed, humidity levels, and substrates * Supplies an excellent source of mental and physical enrichment for the animal * Displays beautifully * Enables the owner to observe their animalās behavior in a more natural and low stress way * If worried about a reptile who leads with their tongue (Bearded dragon perhaps) potentially ingesting substrate, putting down a layer of large grade pea gravel and moss on top of the bioactive layers doesnāt hurt the plants at all, and looks lovely * Cleanup crews help with the maintenance of the cage for you. Depending on which insects are introduced, help to reduce the chance of mold in high humidity environments, breakdown pet waste, and keep oxygen in the soil for the roots of the plants to thrive.
CONS NEXT-
* A little on the pricey side and may require plant specific lighting installed to keep them healthy * Very heavy, hard to move the enclosure once itās fully planted and full * Plants, depending on species, will require maintenance. Mostly self sustaining still means you may have to prune, trim, and train your plants to keep them under control * Plants might get parasites or pests, which will need to be treated very carefully to avoid poisoning your pet who lives among them * Cannot rearrange the enclosure once planted, so you have to make sure youāre happy with the setup before you finish it * If your animal gets hurt or sick, you cannot change the substrate to paper towels or tiles to better keep wounds and such clean without destroying the bioactive. The animal would have to be moved to a different space until recovered * Some animals might nibble or destroy plants/moss, so you must be careful about what you put in there. Research must be done to avoid toxic plants or fragile plants that will break under the animalās weight/die if chewed on
COST/SUPPLY BREAKDOWN
Substrate; First layer- Large grade pea gravel, hydroballs, anything that will hold form and act as a reservoir for water. You want it at least 1.5 inches deep depending on cage size. ((10-30$ USD Depending on what you choose)) Second layer- Mesh/cheesecloth/anything porous and soft to act as a dividing layer between substrate and reservoir. be careful to select something that will let water through with little to no molding! ((4-10 $)) Third layer- More variety here. Use any kind of potting soil that has no fertilizer in it, or a fertilizer that will break down very quickly. Avoid anything with perlite in it. Mix the potting soil with orchid bark and peat moss/sphagnum moss/ things like that to add space for air and break up the texture for the plants. Make sure it is between 4-6 inches deep for the roots to flourish- if planting a jungle/rainforest/more humid enclosure. You can also create substrates for desert environments using a combination of clay, sand, rocks, tiles, and hardening play sand to carve burrows out of and make a nice, firm ground layer with pockets for succulents and tougher plants.Ā ((10-30$ Per Item depending on what you choose))
Plants; LOTS OF OPTIONS HERE- Choose your plants based on the maximum size they will get and the size of the enclosure. For example, maybe donāt put a Mother In Lawās Tongue in a horizontal and relatively short cage or the blades will break on the top. Size is important as well as strength. Pick plants strong enough to support the full weight of your fully grown animal, or else pick plants that can easily recover from losing pieces.Ā Toxicity is a priority! Pick plants that will not hurt your animal if ingested or rubbed against, and know the numbers for exotic pet vets in your area to call in case of an emergency! Its best to get starts or adults. donāt start from seeds or youāll be waiting a long time to see your enclosure get to a habitable state. Make sure you give your plants at least a month to settle in before introducing your animal into them, this will also give the clean up crews time to settle and for you to make final environment adjustments. ((10-50$ USD Depending on your choice of plants and how many are in there))
Cleanup Crews
Springtails, roaches, red wigglers, and isopods all make excellent cleanup crews for your tank. Any combination of them is wonderful but I personally use isopods and springtails together, as they leave each other alone and have different jobs. Make sure not to buy them from bait shops, as many have been treated with chemicals or may have parasites.Ā
Feed them by sprinkling in some flaky fishfood under a log or rock or the waterbowl. You can also use rotting leaves from outside (but put them in the freezer for at least a week before using to kill anything in them), or bury a small piece of potato in the substrate for them to snack on. Do not overfeed, they donāt need much! ((20-40$ Depending on what species and how many you need, plus the shipping to get them to your house alive and quickly))
Lighting
Depending on the species of animal, you may need UVB/Sun bulbs for lighting, but you will also need aĀ fluorescentĀ grow bulb for your plants if theyāre kept in aĀ darker area of the house. ((15-30$ If you also need the fixture, and depending on brand/quality))
I have a screen cage but I want a bioactive, what should I do?
You have a few options here, friend! You can put in a deep plastic tray in the bottom to hold the substrate and water (or wood, but be sure to seal or cover it so it doesnāt warp or mold), you can mount planter ledges on the walls along with vine/climbing plant species, or you can use air plants.
Air plants come in a huge variety, and just need to be gently attached to the side of the screen or in the corners. They do not require any soil, and only need to be lightly misted when dry to sustain themselves. Theyāre an attractive and interesting take on bioactives.Ā Also, your clean up crews will be limited if you choose to not do the tray/substrate bottom layers. Please be aware of this, you might not get to use them if you do not have the substrate layers at the bottom. This is totally fine, but you will have to clean more and monitor your plants closely for pests like aphids.Ā
Conclusion
Generally speaking, Bioactives are an incredibly rewarding experience, but they do absolutely take some thought and work. They arenāt for everyone or every pet, but if you choose to put in the time, they make beautiful additions to your herp keeping experience. Always be sure to do your research on the needs of your pet and adjust accordingly!
Please feel free to come to me with any questions or suggestions! Iām still learning too, and am more than willing to make adjustments based on the experiences of other keepers! :)
Thought this was a pretty neat idea. Snail enclosures (source).
I found some nice oak branches today, so I added them to sparrowās bioactive enclosure. :) he was happily exploring once I tapped his butt in!
corvid will get some new additions soon too. I mostly just have to, ah, lift his 40b filled with sand on top of sparrowās 3 ft high enclosure. what a task.
@amazingpetenclosures
Beautiful! Thank you for the tag :)
Hello! I have a sweet tegu boy (possibly girl) who just turned 1 and he seems to have a lot of energy! He always seems to want out of his cage, so I let him out to play every day, but all he seems to do is run around and explore. Do you know of any tegu activities he might like? I don't want him to be bored!
Exploration IS a tegu activity! Heās having fun and getting used to his surroundings- figuring out what things are, what he can climb, where he can hide- getting used to what he sees as his territory is engaging his mind and body!
However, if you want to shake things up, play some games with him! A holey roller feeder ball is a fun food puzzle, and thereās all kindsĀ of things you can do with scent trails. Putting food under a cup and then setting up other cups for him to knock over is fun for both of you. If you have other animals, shed skin or fur can be super fun to smell, especially if youāve got a variety of animals- Kaiju, for instance, totally ignores leopard gecko shed, but is always interested in my Madagascan hognoseās shed. Rubbing a large ball in some new, interesting scent and offering that to them can be interesting.Ā PVC pipes with food in there juuuuuust out of reach are also fun- your tegu has to figure out how to knock the pipe around to get at the prize. Paper towel rolls with food are fun similarly- although destruction of the roll is more likely. This is actually similar to how they forage in the wild- theyāll split open rotting logs to get at animal nests inside, or honey, or grubs. Nest foraging is easy enough to set up- get some quail eggs and paper crinkles, and put them in a basket or tupperware or bowl or whatever. Heāll have to dig through the crinkles to get the eggs.
Also, nowās a great time to get him started on some training, if youāre into that! Target training is easy to teach and can be used as a basis for more advanced behaviors. I just did what this person did:Ā https://sybilsden.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=13039
It works pretty great. You also might want to start harness training, too. Getting him used to the idea of a harness and associating it with fun exploration time can make taking him on walks easier, if thatās something you want to do in the future.Ā
If you want more ideas, one of my favorite things to do is look for videos of Komodo dragon enrichment on youtube for inspiration. I have no idea how to build something like this, but it did give me the idea to set up some suspended prey thatās a little harder to reach!
Improvements
I have no idea if the reptiblr community remembers MONSTER, the enclosure of my adult ball python Rufus.
MONSTER got an upgrade several month“s ago.
Long side: L 360 cm Ā H 60 cm Ā W 60 cm Short side: L 200 cm Ā H 60 cm Ā W 60 cm Heating: heat cable
From left to right:
I don“t have a green thumb, so all my plants are living in plant pots. This makes it way easier to rescue take care of them. They are already doing a great job keeping humidity up to at least 62 % or more.
Basking spot with UV light.
This enclosure is holding heat and humidity so well, I couldn“t be happier. As for Rufus ⦠Rufus is totally fine with everything. No signs of stress. Sleepy at day, active at night. He totally uses the room given to slither around, climb and do whatever he want“s to do. He has perfectly shed last week and eaten just yesterday evening.
I couldn“t ask for more.
Thank you, sweetie, for getting along so well with everything!
Azura and Lucien got their upgrades today. Lucienās isnāt quite finished, because I ran out of plants. But Iāll pick up more tomorrow to fill it out.Ā
Elsweyr also got a tub reno, so now everyone is on a soil mix substrate except for Boethiah and Dibella. Bella will be on paper towel until sheās cleared from quarantine, and Bo is currently just on orchid bark. Iāll switch her eventually, but the bark is working well for her, so it isnāt a priority.Ā
Next thing on the list is refreshing the oldest threeās substrate. After that, prepping Meridiaās tub :)Ā
Diglettās bioactive upgrade! He seems to really enjoy it now, after about 6 hours of what I can only imagine is sensory overload. Heās already dug a ton of tunnels and gotten dirt on almost every non-dirt surface, including but not limited to: the water bowl, the front door, the rock stack, and every single plant. He is the Dirt King.Ā
Equipment List
40w RHP on a VE-200 thermostat
Arcadia Shade Dweller UVB Fixture on a digital timer
Secondary LED Light on a dimming timer
34x18x18 PVC Enclosure
Digital thermometer & hygrometer
Bioactive List
Organic Topsoil
Playsand
Cork
Oak Leaves
Isopods - Armadillidium Nasatum
Springtails that might or might not survive
Live Plants
Golden Sedum
SedeveriaĀ āLilac Mistā
SedeveriaĀ āJet Beadsā
Crassula Ovata
Other Stuff
Fake grass tufts
Slate retes stack
Super cool nameplate