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BONSAI AND BOA ~ a perfect match
Russ Jones
www.natureconservancy.ca
Last year I got my hands on a gorgeous old ficus tree, an overgrown bonsai shrub really. *I have always wanted to grow a tropical bonsai tree in a terrarium, heres a few pics showing my methods and progress *so far.
The first thing I had to do was hack the tree back to a size that would fit into my 18x18x24 Exo terra. *I wish I had photographed the plant prior to pruning it back but I didn't think to, here's a photo of it after the initial pruning though. *If you can imagine, I removed about a grocery bags worth of foliage.
Secondly I needed to change the substrate from potting soil which would surely have rotted the roots and killed the tree without proper drainage (there is no drainage in my terrarium). *I decided to use clay chips, aka oil absorbent. *It works really well for this, and maintains a nice even and consistent moisture level. *I am considering changing to a diatomaceous earth mixture, but it hardly seems necessary. *It is an option though, and I might see if I can get some more vigor from the tree by switching the next time I clean the enclosure. An additional benefit of diatomaceous earth is that it is very effective at killing insects so would double as plant substrate/chemical free insect control.
The next step was to form the tree into a shape that would provide the most aesthetically pleasing design but also provide good thermoregulation opportunities for my Candoia c. carinata. *It might look ugly, but it was just temporary and frankly zip ties are very effective at forming trees, plus they don't bother the snake at all. *The zip ties stayed on for about 8 months
The next step was to form the tree into a shape that would provide the most aesthetically pleasing design but also provide good thermoregulation opportunities for my Candoia c. carinata. *It might look ugly, but it was just temporary and frankly zip ties are very effective at forming trees, plus they don't bother the snake at all. *The zip ties stayed on for about 8 months
I water the tree with aquarium water, it provides all of the nutrients needed without having to fertilize... fertilizing in a snake terrarium was obviously not an option.
A year or so on and here's how it looks now.
A year or so on and here's how it looks now.
The ficus is filling out nicely, with regular pruning and at the growth rate I have had so far, expect this setup will reach the maturity and look I am going for in another 2-3 years. *I'm having alot of fun with this, it's almost like having two animals in the terrarium... except the tree requires more of my time and effort then the snake does.
Some additional considerations I needed to include were lighting, I needed more than just the two bulbs that fit into the canopy lid, so I added an additional two bulbs. *I could have just got a second canopy but I wanted to save some humidity and also have an option to switch from heat emitter to light source as and when necessary. *This was my solution...
Some additional considerations I needed to include were lighting, I needed more than just the two bulbs that fit into the canopy lid, so I added an additional two bulbs. *I could have just got a second canopy but I wanted to save some humidity and also have an option to switch from heat emitter to light source as and when necessary. *This was my solution...
I also stuck a sheet of Mylar coated insulation, cut to size on one of the walls for both light and temp reasons. The back wall is just an Exo terra foam background but does a great job of insulating and looks good too.
You can see the insulated left side in this picture
You can see the insulated left side in this picture
I should also mention that my cellphone photos hardly do any justice, it is a very attractive feature in my livingroom!
Here is the boa, I managed to find a rat eater . This snake spends the vast majority of it's life in the branches of the tree, making it a great display animal!
Here is the boa, I managed to find a rat eater . This snake spends the vast majority of it's life in the branches of the tree, making it a great display animal!
