An animal terrarium, also called a vivarium, is a wonderful way to blend the satisfaction of having a small pet with the aesthetic beauty of a terrarium. This article will help you choose which type of animal is right for your terrarium.
There are some quick rules of thumb you should consider before you build your terrarium. The first rule is that the animal comes first. Everything should be designed for the comfort and happiness of the animal. Some of these considerations will concern humidity, types of plants, amount of water, and whether the cage should be fully enclosed.
The second biggest consideration is toxicity. Because you are going to have plants and soil you may be using some kind of fertilizer. Never use chemical fertilizers; stick with all natural fertilizers. And when cleaning your tank never use toxic cleaners. I recommend you use simple green or another type of non-toxic cleaner.
Two more things to consider are the size of the animal and its behavior toward other animals. Only choose a pet that is small and will stay small. And never mix pets that will eat each other.
If you are an absolute beginner to pets and to terrariums I recommend you start with field crickets as your pet. They are very hardy, easy to maintain, easy to feed, and are quite fun to watch. They make an excellent first pet. Of course, if you upgrade to another type of pet you may have to remove the crickets because many of the pets suitable for a vivarium will deem crickets to be food.
There are two basic types of animal terrariums: Dry and wet. This is self-explanatory but it is important to note that dry terrariums are much easier to maintain so if you are a beginner to this hobby you should probably stick with them. And remember that dry doesn't mean no water at all. You should always keep a small dish of water in the terrarium as a minimum regardless of what type of pet you are keeping.
Some of the pets that are suitable for a dry terrarium include:
Crickets
Tarantulas
American Chameleon (Green Anoles) - These are easy to care for and inexpensive
Toads, but with a caveat - They are great when they are small but when they grow bigger they can be a bit of a hassle
Hermit crabs - Can be ok in dry cages but absolutely must have a water dish and things to climb on. You need to spray mist them regularly too. Best for them is a wet bottom terrarium with plenty of options for climbing to stay dry
Land Snails - Need a high humidity environment and will dig if your substrate is soil
Salamanders
Leopard Geckos
A Wet Vivarium can be an environment that has a portion of the bottom filled with water or be an aquarium tank where the complete bottom is filled to a depth of several inches. This does add the challenge of making sure you have clean water and even a filtration system. Some pets, such as tadpoles, absolutely require large amounts of filtered water for their well being. This type of terrarium is much more of a challenge than the dry type and you should tackle this kind only after having successfully kept a dry one for a period of time.
Some common and easy to care for wet pets are:
Green Tree Frogs
Red Bellied Toads
Dwarf African Frogs
Fire Bellied Frogs
Tadpoles
Fire Bellied Newts
Crayfish
So Which Pet should you choose? I recommend that if you are a beginner to vivariums you choose a pet from the dry list (because they are easier to maintain). Research the requirements of the pet you have chosen and build your terrarium accordingly. If you are looking for a bigger challenge, have a bit of skill, or want a more dramatic terrarium then choose something from the wet pet list. If you follow these simple steps you will build yourself a nice little animal enclosure that will keep your animal happy and bring you lots of fun in observing it and caring for it.
For more interesting terrarium projects and ideas visit the authors website at: Terrarium Man
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