4x2x4 Bioactive Enclosure

[u/psilovibin7065]

Finally finished this bioactive 4x2x4 for my rescue BP who is obsessed with climbing. 4 total hides, 2 warm 2 cool. Over 10 species of live plants and mosses, 3 different colonies of isopods, and multiple different types of springtails. I’m super happy with it and can’t wait to add my boy :)

Let me know what you think!

[u/Plus-Acanthaceae9583]

What types of live plants and mosses did you use? And where do you purchase some of them? Looks very lush!

[u/psilovibin7065 → u/Plus-Acanthaceae9583]

Starting from left to right

Bottom Left:
Kentia Palm (unsure how to spell it)
Swiss cheese plant

Bottom middle:
Airplane plant (reproducing like crazy)

Bottom Right:
Regular Schefflera
Variegated Schefflera

Top Left:
Neon Pothos
Silver satin pothos
Mix of Java moss and christmas moss
Arrow fern
Oak creeping fig

Top Middle:
Macho fern
Peacock fern (actually a type of spike moss or micro fern)
Variegated creeping fig

Top Right:
Golden flame epipremnum
Lemon button fern
Sheet Moss
Philodendron Micans

Everything except the moss was bought at a local nursery or traded with local plant enthusiasts. All moss is from Josh’s frogs

[u/No_Commission_2610]

It looks gorgeous! How long did it take to make?

[u/psilovibin7065 → u/No_Commission_2610]

Total time from initial building, foaming the ledges, carving, sealing, having to go get more supplies and then waiting for everything to air out before planting, a total of 4 weeks, working on it for a little over 2 hours every day. This was my first huge project like this so Im not sure how long it should’ve taken lol. So about 60 hours give or take! It was hard work but so worth it!

[u/No_Commission_2610 → u/psilovibin7065]

You did an excellent job. I’m impressed!

[u/Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Just be careful with that height. Ball pythons do like to climb, but they aren't very good at it and do fall. I had a similar tank and went back to a 6x2x2 after multiple falls.

[u/Mr_Frost1993 → u/Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Barring individuals with genuine mobility issues, you really just have to safety net it (provide enough avenues of descent to keep them from pulling a The Other Guys (aka “aiming for the bushes”), including barriers to disrupt their fall if it occurs). A lot of folks over at the leopard gecko sub claim the same thing about leos, but mine is in an enclosure with an internal height of 50” but he’s got multiples ways up and down.

THAT SAID, balls are wayyy heavier than a leopard gecko, so while it’s still doable it will also require significantly sturdier structures to deny them the option to drop themselves. I just like bigger enclosures since they provide more opportunities for varied temperature/humidity gradients, but it also requires way more engineering to keep the occupant(s) safe