When setting up a terrarium, you should not rely so much on your own taste, but rather focus on the needs of the animals that will settle in the new home. Woody animals need driftwood and branches, and diggers need to fill in a deep layer of soil. By combining the biological requirements of pets with the aesthetic considerations of their owners, you can create a beautiful and functional terrarium.
Instructions
Step 1
Choose a suitable soil. This is a very important aspect when setting up a terrarium: animals are hiding in the ground, looking for or burying food, the substrate retains moisture and provides nourishment to the plants. First of all, focus on the natural conditions in which your pets live in the wild. For desert dwellers, sand is good, and for forest dwellers, coconut chips, sawdust or peat are good. Please note that some animals quickly pollute their habitats, releasing poisonous mucus with their droppings. In such cases, the soil used should be convenient for changing, cleaning and washing (artificial turf carpet, paper, expanded clay, gravel).
Step 2
Arrange shelters so that animals feel confident and can reliably protect themselves in holes, crevices, houses. In open spaces, not being able to hide, pets experience stress, which leads to a deterioration in well-being. For terrarium shelters, chopped coconuts or ceramic pots and bowls are great. It is convenient for rock animals to hide in heaps of stones or clay shards, but when building such structures, carefully check them for strength so that your pet does not fall under a rockfall. For tree snakes, monitor lizards, geckos, use elongated, rounded pieces of bark. Some animals feel comfortable in nest boxes and boxes installed on the walls or suspended from the roof of the terrarium. Purchase a ready-made house with built-in heating in a specialized store, then your pet will not only be reliably protected from prying eyes, but also receive the heat it needs.
Step 3
Decorate the side and back walls of the terrarium. This stage is the most interesting and enjoyable for both novice lovers and experienced pet owners, since it is here that room for imagination and design solutions opens up. For the easiest way, use pre-purchased film or wallpaper that matches the theme by attaching it to the outer walls of the terrarium. Such a background can be easily replaced when changing style or settling a new animal, moreover, these materials are not damaged by pets and are not afraid of moisture. Create rocky slopes, sandy or woody landforms with artificial panels that simulate natural materials. These structures are light both in weight and in the method of fastening. Seal the joints with colorless silicone, then food insects will not penetrate the places where a heater or electrical wiring can be located. Use the most effective, but also the most time-consuming and materially costly method - decorating the terrarium with natural materials. It can be cork, rare tree bark, stones, coconut fiber panels.
Step 4
Create conditions for animals to move around the terrarium: plant live plants, put plastic or artificial driftwood and branches, attach hanging structures. Pay attention to the fact that the design elements of the terrarium are safe, the plants do not have thorns and poisonous milky sap.
