What is a terrarium?
Bright green-yellow colors, elegant ornament on the skin with scales - cold-blooded animals are extraordinarily beautiful. Maybe that's why they are often bred as an element of decor. One herpetologist, a lover of snakes, said: "I look at my green snakes, and they please me ..." A esthete and a contemplator who does not require tactile contact with the pet. A person who loves to observe the life of a living being behind the glass, reptiles - turtles, lizards and snakes, are quite suitable. And also amphibians - frogs and toads, newts and salamanders.
If you want your cold-blooded pet to live in your home a happy and long life, he needs to create the appropriate conditions. To begin with, you should buy or make a terrarium yourself. The terrarium (from the Latin terra - "earth") is a piece of natural land in a human dwelling. The terrarium can be made from a closed plastic, glass, or wooden box with heating, lighting and ventilation. Design and workmanship depend on your imagination and technical capabilities. The terrarium can be horizontal or vertical, dry or aquatic - depending on the species of your pet. A water terrarium is also called an aquaterrarium.
Who lives in the house?
Terrariums of horizontal type are intended for terrestrial or semi-aquatic species of reptiles and amphibians living in open spaces of hot steppes, hot deserts. Leading a semi-aquatic and coastal lifestyle. These animals include almost all kinds of tailless amphibians, snakes, turtles, terrestrial species of lizards and tailed amphibians.
A vertical terrarium is necessary for animals living on vertical planes - in the crown and on tree trunks, on rocky cliffs and walls of buildings. In such terrariums live chameleons, geckos, climbing snake species, tree frogs and many other reptiles and amphibians.
Dry terrariums are intended for inhabitants of deserts or semi-deserts. But species living both in water and on land in your apartment can survive only in the water aquarium.
We equip the terrarium
It is very important to properly equip the terrarium. When buying or manufacturing a terrarium, refer to the recommended dimensions. The average size of the terrarium: length 60-70 cm, width 40 cm and height 50 cm. But it is necessary to proceed, of course, from the size of your pet. The side walls of the terrarium must be made from the mosquito net to penetrate the air. True, the grid should start at an altitude of 10-12 cm from the floor of the terrarium. Otherwise, soil or fine river sand poured into the bottom will be poured through it. The front wall is made of glass. And keep in mind that the terrarium must be tightly closed so that your pet does not run off to neighbors! The lid should consist of two parts: one of the glass, the other of the mesh, again for air supply.
The decoration of the terrarium depends on your preferences and the type of animals. Place large flat stones inside, where pets like to kneel, knotty boughs and snags of trees, on which they adore climbing, are all vital. Even real or artificial greens are not needed for beauty, but for animals to hide in the shade from the sun. In summer, the terrarium needs to be warmed up on the veranda or balcony. But you can not leave it under the hot sun for a long time! In winter, heat-loving cold-blooded people account for the light of luminescent, neon or soffit lamps. Replace the sun's rays, even an ordinary table lamp. Devices for floor heating are sold at pet stores. Maintain in the terrarium air humidity 70-90% and temperature 25-40 ° C. Proper heating and a large amount of water will create for the pet pets the atmosphere of their native elements. Having bought or made a terrarium with your own hands, you will considerably prolong the life of your favorite toad, tortoise, snake, lizard. If they are happy, then you will have a wonderful mood!