An Introduction to Housing Python Regius

In a BioActive Terrarium
Written by Sabrina Scott

Introduction

I have been an animal enthusiast my entire life. From a very young age, animals have been part of
my household. From dogs & cats, to rodents & birds, amphibians & reptiles, Ive kept as pets. Even to this
day when Im in the presence of animals, I feel at one with my inner child.

As I grew older, my passion grew with me. During the summer, herping became a favorite pastime.
As I am native to Ottawa (Ontario, Canada), I have become adept at identifying wildlife in my region. My
calm disposition enabled me to easily observe, capture and release various creatures, as I would explore
the forests & swamps in the National Capital Region.

In this article, I will share with you my personal experience & knowledge Ive obtained following
my research on the subject. For the sake of this specific topic, the main focus will be housing python regius
the naturalistic method of housing reptiles.

What is BioActive

For those of you that are reading this, curiosity and common interest brought you here. If youve
never heard of bioactive housing before, its actually a method of keeping animals that have been around
longer then you think! Private collectors, museums and zoos have been using this method for years be-
fore the term gained its popularity today. The most common form is in naturalistic fish tanks; they are the
aquatic equivalent of a bioactive terrarium.

When you break it down, bio is the latin word for life. Therefore, active would imply the interac-
tion in response to living organisms. When you hear the term bioactive when it comes to housing animals,
there is some type of living culture of invertebrates within the substrate of the enclosure.

-STOP-

If you are easily squeamish of insects, this method of keeping might not be for you. However,
knowledge is your best tool. Sadly, there are many myths and misconceptions of the effects custodians
may have on the inhabitant of the enclosure circulating the web. The real question you should be asking
your self is this: What/where would my animal be right now if it werent for its domestication? Most likely
outside in the wilderness amidst countless other invertebrates. They are in the soil, in the air, in the water
and everywhere in between.

Why choose BioActive

As pet owners, we all want to provide the best care for our animals. Keeping an animal alive is one
thing, but to have an animal thrive is the ultimate accomplishment. When I first started researching bioac-
tive setups, the first thing that struck my mind was the psychological benefits this type of housing would
provide to the animals. Any living thing has a soul and personalities, thus they are aware of their sur-
roundings. I am convinced that they can sense the difference between whats artificial and whats natural.
Fig.1: This is my 12 year-old ball python in his once sterile enclosure.

For example; if youve ever watched care videos on social media, take notice to the behavior ex-
hibited by the animal in question. Too often have I seen signs of depression such as lethargy and stress
induced behavior such as face rubbing and scratching in the corners. Now there could be other reasons at
play, but I cant help but sympathize when the enclosure is nothing but a towel with a hide and water dish.
This brings up another point; sterile housing.

When you visit a petshop with questions regarding bioactive, dont. Petshops are there to make
money. They want you to buy their $40 branch and $15 pouch of sand. So any mention of taking things
from outside, they will discourage it. There are some things to consider such as the possibility of intro-
ducing harmful chemicals and bacteria, but that will be covered later on.

The second benefit to choosing a bioactive setup is its efficiency and self-cleaning properties. Your
animals are at your mercy, so when you forget to spot-check their enclosure, they are subjected to liv-
ing in their own filth until further action. The beauty with bioactive is that this wont be an issue once a
proper roots system is established in the soil and the custodians are healthy in numbers.

Plants are natures lungs; the photosynthesis in the leaves break down the CO2 and releases it
back into the air as pure oxygen. Sounds like a breath of fresh air, dont it? The same process takes place
in a bioactive enclosure. The plants filter the ammonia released by excrements and the roots absorb the
nutrients from the rest. Any larger pieces of fecal matter gets broken down by the custodians, but spot
checking is encouraged until these factors are well established in a setup.

The final benefit is simply in the esthetic appearance. Coming home in the dead of winter never
really gave me the blues because my home looks so tropical with my enclosures lit up and lush. It does
require a lot of time and investment to get started, but its always well worth it once you observe your
animal behaving naturally in a natural environment. You are basically creating a slice of nature for them.
Python Regius

Before and foremost, knowing where your animals are indigenous to is fundamental before start-
ing anything. Getting the temperature and humidity right is one thing, but actually knowing which part of
earth these animals are from will determine your success.

In this article, we are covering everything about ball/royal pythons. Known for their docile tem-
perament and easy care, they make a great beginners choice for housing snakes, especially constrictors.
As a fun fact, python regius got its royal nickname through Cleopatra who would often wear these snakes
around her neck as jewelry. In southeastern Nigerian folklore, these animals are symbolic to the earth as
this snake is a very terrestrial species.

Native to Africa, these snakes are found from Senegal through to Uganda. They are found between
the Saharan Desert in the North and the lush tropical jungles to the South. Whats been effective for me
was to recreate a type of wooded grassland since these snakes require moderate humidity. Misting in
small amounts is a must, to enable periods of draught in between watering (just like these regions are
subjected to throughout the year). These snakes spend most of the day hiding underground, sheltered
from the scorching heat, and come out at night to hunt.

Plant Fauna
Fig.2: Echeveria Shaviana close-up.
Now that we know where our animal is from, choosing
the right plants will be much easier. Through my experience,
it has been a lot of trial and error. Some plants worked better
then others for reasons of durability. As you may know, some
individual snakes tend to climb more then others, but are all
curious nonetheless. Considering a plants durability will save
you money.

Plants that require drought between misting are what

we want to play with. When researching plant fauna indig-
enous to southeastern Africa, you will find the most common
are grasses and succulents. There are many types to choose
from, the rest depends on personal preferences. In my current
enclosure, I have a pothos vine, ground star (type of brome-
liad), crassula gollum (type of jade plant) & echeveria shaviana
(type of succulent). Providing leaf litter on the wet side of the
cage helps simulate the wooded area of the enclosure and
provides food/shelter for the custodians.

When buying plants from garden centers or hardware

stores, dont be shy to ask the clerks if any pesticide have been
used on your selected plants. Its always a good idea to wipe
the leaves down with mild soapy water before introducing
them to the habitat.

Note that not only are artificial plants over priced, but
their fabric absorbs most of the fecal matter on the occasion
of the inhabitant defecating on/around them. Cleaning these
becomes tedious as you want to avoid any harsh chemical, yet
soaking them in boiling water is only effective so many times.
Fig.3: Crassula Gollum, base of plant is stabalized by a Fig.4: At the base of the ground-star bromeliad is a stone to
squirrel skull. Their alien-like appearence really appealed to discourage further derooting. They too have a resevoir in the
me. The broad, tube-shaped petals catch water as dropplets midle of the stem as small pools of water form when misting.
accumulate at the tips.

Micro Fauna

Bugs. Weather you love or hate them; they are necessary for an enclosure to even be considered
bioactive. Having potted plants in a setup is one thing, but remember its all in the name. Despite how
disgusting the roles played by insects are, nature has a structure thats been in effect since the beginning
of time. Everything compliments another, everything has a use, and nothing goes to waste. The inverte-
brates are what make the enclosures self-cleaning. With time, spot-checking wont be necessary because
all organic waste becomes of use. The more variety of custodians you have in a setup, the more effective
the cleaning becomes.

If youve done some research the most common invertebrates youll hear about are springtails
and isopods. The reason for this is that they are relatively hardy and very good at their job. Springtails
are actually hexapods despite having six legs because of their internal mouthparts. Theyre advantage is
their numbers; Ive seen a piece of mouse left in a bioactive setup turn into skeletal remains within a week
without any odor being detected.

There are many subspecies of isopod available for order online, but going outside and collecting
wild caught specimens worked great for me (saved a few bucks too). I have a few pill bugs and woodlice
doing well, they basically feed on mold and help break down the larger organic waste (such as pieces of
shed and fecal matter).
 For the sake of a dryer biome, incorporating
superworms help break down larger organic matter.
Theyre burrowing behavior also benefits the air flow
within the substrate. However, they tend to be feisty.
Mealworms would work as well, though both species
are actually beetle larvae. Even if they go through a
pupae stage and you notice beetles crawling around
inside your enclosure, they will still play out their role
as custodians.

If you have any concerns about possible escape,

consider this; youve created the ideal living conditions
for these little guys to thrive (plenty of food and water),
what reason would they have to even try to escape?

Substrate

Now that weve identified our type of habitat,

Fig. 5: The bioactive substrate even evokes natural be-
havior in custodians; this superworm created this burrow
as it begins to pupate.
the task of figuring out the right substrate becomes
easier. Taking in consideration our biome requires dry
periods; there is no need for any type of moss in this
soil mix (unless you would like a include a wet hide for
shedding purposes, is up to you).

Planted areas should have some type of organic potting soil in the surroundings. The small white
specs that sometimes appear in these soils are fertilizer pellets. Since this article is for snake housing,
there is no major need for concern. Though fertilizer pellets can be toxic if ingested, the chances of a
snake eating them are very slim. If you are housing any type of lizard, I would strongly suggest avoiding
soils that have these fertilizer pellets. The potting soil provides enough nutriments for the plants to estab-
lish their root systems.

Coconut fiber substrates make good filler and will retain some of the water during misting and will
retain the shape of any tunnels dug by either your animals or custodians. The final layer would be sand.
Ideally, the sand should be part of the basking spot as it will retain heat better. This too will help retain
the shape of tunnels and encourage burrowing behavior.

Lighting

Lighting is important for housing live plants. Unless the plant in question requires low light, you
will need this to keep them alive. You can enquire at a hydroponic store about lighting solutions, as long as
it emits the right electromagnetic spectrum to promote photosynthesis. Any light labeled as 5.0 are good
for plant life.

Lighting set up to a timer will help simulate a day/night cycle, which will further promote natural
behavior in your animal. The duration of when these lights are active through out the year will also bene-
fit your animal psychologically in the sense that they will have an easier time differentiating seasons. The
summer months require 12-hour days and winter calls for 6-hour days.
Behavior

Once the inhabitant are first introduced to their new environment, they will explore all the new
stimuli. Some adjust quicker then others; so dont be alarmed when your animal goes into hiding. Give
them time to soak in all the new smells. The best time to observe their adaptation is at night when they
are most active. The loose substrate will trigger their urge to burrow. Providing a decent layer of soil, you
will notice little groves from where theyve been busy.

On occasion, they might start unearthing freshly planted areas because the soil is already loose.
The easiest way to solve this problem is to simply anchor the base of the plant with a decent sized rock or
a stubby piece of wood (see fig. 4).

Animals in a bioactive setup have a much calmer disposition then their sterile counterparts mainly
because it is a more comfortable and familiar environment. They tend to tolerate handling more and even
become better feeders. Finding egg clutches are rare but not unheard of. When the conditions are right,
some people have successfully hatches eggs without needing to remove them from the habitat!

Heating

Avoid heat rocks. A lot of older products lack the safety features for temperature control and may
results in injury such as severe burns to the undersides of reptiles. You could use a type of basking light,
but be sure none of the plants are directly beneath due to the strong chance of being scorched. For me,
a 15 heat cable provides all the heat I need. Simply run the cable through the substrate and coil in the
basking area.

Conclusion

In my 12 years of keeping reptiles, I have never regretted my decision of switching to this method
of housing. My first attempt was for a green tree python, which involved a much wetter jungle-styled
biome. The setup was assembled in May 2016 the enclosure hasnt been cleaned out for the last ten
months. The plants, custodians and inhabitant are thriving. The only involvement on my part is to provide
regular misting. When the doors are opened you can smell the freshness in the air, it literally smells like
outside.

It does require time, investment, research and patience. It is a continuous learning experience.
With time, things will come up or you will want to experiment a little further. There are all kinds of re-
sources and communities filled with knowledge at our disposition, sometimes things are better learned
by trial and error. But in the end, the reward is a happy herp.

****

If you have any other questions on topics that were not covered in this article (such as; tank invaders, toxic
plants, types of substrates, ethics of foraging, glossary, etc.) please feel free to consult the other articles
found within this groups archives for more informative reading!