Authored by Pete Hawkins: Chameleon Network / Bearded Dragons Network / Snake Network / Amphibian Network / Lizard Network
Bioactive Vivarium for the Ball/Royal Python
Bioactive, is a term thrown around a lot among reptile groups and forums the past few years, even though its methods have been around for much longer. Many of the various frog keepers can tell you this.
In a nut-shell, using a suitably sized vivarium for your Ball/Royal, you create a natural living space, from substrate, to foliage. Where the use of various organisms (Clean-up crew), such as, woodlice, earthworms, and European and tropical springtails, will help maintain the vivarium by breaking down any organic matter (Faecal). Also, they will prevent any forms of mould or fungal growth within the space.
More so, the movement of the clean-up crew inside your vivarium will keep the substrate breathing, alive, and full of nutrition. In-turn, aiding in plant growth, along with the natural growth of these organisms in population numbers. The populations will maintain themselves of course. If there is not enough food for them, some will die off, leaving only the amounts able to be sustained.
You can often find booms in population, and the odd low too. But it’s all relative to the eco system you’ve created.
Luckily for us though, we are able to purchase the likes of springtails
What’s Needed
Assuming you already have the appropriate sized vivarium for your Ball/Royal. You will also need;
Aquarium sealant
Pond liner
Play-sand
Sterilised Topsoil
Coco fibre
leaf litter
Natural bark, wood
and of course, the clean-up crew (woodlice, earthworms, & springtails, etc).
The drainage layer used in the likes of my bioactive Chameleon set-up’s, are not needed. Due to the Ball/Royals natural environment being far more dryer than many other species. This is what we are ultimately replicating here. You will find, with the leaf-litter, and substrate mix, along with the odd spray, humidity is easily achieved to the correct levels anyway.
The Set-Up
First off you are going to want to seal the vivariums internal joints. This will not only protect from any moisture damage, but also any wannabe escaping bugs. Once the aquarium sealant is dry. I usually leave 24 hours, you can move onto the pond liner.
Sealed Vivarium
You are going to want to cut the pond liner a good 4 or 5 inches bigger than your actual vivarium floor space. Reason being, this will provide a protective barrier between the wooden vivarium surface, and substrate. Which will obviously be a few inches in-depth.
What I did, was actually use the sealant to secure the pond-liner around the top, to the walls of the vivarium. This will stop any substrate being pushed down between the liner and vivarium walls. If you decided for some reason you wanted to remove it all. It will not ruin your vivarium, removal is very easy.
Again, you will need to allow this to dry out for 24 hours. Once dry, check for any gaps between liner and walls. If any, seal them up. Once good, on to the actual substrate mix.
Pond Liner In
Mixing
You can do this directly inside the vivarium if you wish or, use a bucket. I found the vivarium method far easier. I have no real ratio levels to speak of regarding this part. Initially I just mixed up the sand and topsoil. But I definitely went more topsoil heavy and stuck with that, at a guess, I’d say a 60/40 ratio.
Then I added the coco fibre, moss, and a little orchid bark for more texture.
Again, I just added until it felt, and looked natural. Once all that is in, and you are happy, It’s time to add the leaf-litter and clean-up crew. I added the leaf litter first, although I don’t believe the order matters at all. I make sure I have a nice even spread, just enough to cover the surface.
It’s only going to get moved around when your Ball/Royal is out for a wander anyway.
Then I roughly spread out what clean-up crew I have.
Once you get hides, and a water bowl etc inside the vivarium, your clean-up crew will find areas to shelter and congregate, and venture about where needed. It’s worth providing a sprinkling of fish-food flakes for your new crew. Just to keep them happy until your Ball/Royal has provided some waste to eat.
Substrate mix added, and clean-up crew
Once that is done. It’s a case of strategically placing your collected, foraged woods, for maximum stimulation for your Ball/Royal.
Woods and Leaf Litter
For my woods and bark used inside the vivarium, I collected from a local woods floor (bark is great for the woodlice). I’m not one for tearing branches off tree’s. Stick to collecting away from any roads, so no carbon pollutant has tarnished your collected wood. Also, be sure the area is pesticide free.
I also stick with harder woods to be on the safe side, Oak and Birch for example. Wood such as pine is known to cause irritation. It’s not the wood itself, more the sap. So to save hassle, stay away from areas where trees have needles, stick to trees with leaves. Look on the ground for these signs too.
This goes the same when collecting leaf litter. Again, no need to worry any UK/USA native bugs collected within the barks and leaf litter (including mites). Nothing will harm your snake. Pretty much everything, if it can survive the vivarium conditions, will benefit your bioactive vivariums living substrate.
No need to wash anything down either. It will be good to go from the off. But if you do feel better washing them, just a soak in some warm water will be adequate. There is absolutely no need to bleach, bake, or freeze anything you have collected.
All done.
Finishing Comments
It will take time for the vivarium to establish itself. But the rewards, not only for yourself, with it being extremely aesthetically pleasing. But I found, and it was clear to see, my Ball/Royal showed enhanced natural behaviours. Compared to what he was showing on the likes of Lignocel, Aspen, etc.
So any Snake waste produced, for the first few times, it may be worth removing some. And then leaving some in for the clean-up crew to deal with. (You can bury it just under the surface if you wish).
But once established, it can be gone in hours.
As well as any shed.
As always, any more information needed, feel free to catch me in my Facebook group’s, Chameleon Network(was Chameleon Britain) ( www.facebook.com/groups/chambritain ), and Bearded Dragons Network ( www.facebook.com/groups/beardienetwork )
But also, much information is available on my go-to Bioactive site, and very good friends, RABS ( www.facebook.com/groups/RABS )