Ok I was told by a petsmart employee that I couldnt use an aquarium decoration in my snakes tank because it would be toxic- that I could ONLY buy snake decorations. I wanted to purchase this big tree that looked like an ancient tree- the very top had some fake green foilage - it was very heavy and gorgeous- BUT the girl said that items made for fish tanks were toxic to ball pythons- ... My question is was she giving me a load of crap or what can I buy or make for my pythons tank???? Where can I purchae something for him to climb on beside driftwood??
I actually have the same/ similar item to what you are describing. I have a brown tree with the plastic leaves on top and it was made for aquariums but i use it in my tank and my snake is fine. If the object is able to be put in a fish tank and wont harm the fish i am pretty sure it will be fine for your snake. The lady is probably just saying that because reptile decorations are alot more expensive than fish decorations and wants you to buy the more expensive thing. I'm not positive but my snake is fine.
As a rule that I personally follow, employees at Petco OR Petsmart are usually full of Bull and think they know everything just because they work at a petstore. Some guy at petco who was the "reptile expert" said I didn't need a UVB bulb for my bearded dragon, when in fact I did need one or the dragon could develop MBD. It's best to do your research on specialized reptile forums or contact good breeders and ask what you need.
Cheers. And to the OP: You can place pretty much whatever you like in the tank. Remember that the bigger your snake gets, the easier he will just move that danged decoration all over the place unless you have it safely secured to the bottom of the tank. If you would like foilage and plants in your tank, you can actually plant live foilage in your tank. Basic potting plant filled with dirt, and you water it regurally. Please do some research on the type of plant as I don't currently have one in my tank. I read up on this a while back. Since your bp requires humidity and loves soil and greenery, a live plant growing within his tank is actually quite healty for him. Don't worry about the water from feeding the plant soaking into the bedding as it just simply adds to the ability to add moisture. I would also suggest using Reptile bark in your tank. I wish I had a left over bag from the type I use so that I could give you the exact name but it is a red bark that can be dampened in order to raise the humidity in a tank. When the UVB lamp hits it, obvioulsy the water rises. The bedding can be wet and dried over and over again and very easily cleaned. I feel that this would be the best bed to add to live plants as well. I am planning on designing live foilage inside of mine soon. Hopefully it will calm my crazy bp down. (poor baby)
not all petco employees are dumb, just make sure to research before u buy any pet! And i think the petsmart person wasnt tryin to up sell, most employees dont care that much. think she was just plain stupid and didn't know so she told u what she thought, a dumb answer, but always research. ask their experience in reptiles, i work at petco and have heard people/workers tell people cornsnakes eat crickets, so always research.... and yes, i told that guy he was dumb and if he didn't know not to tell people what he thought unless he knew for sure. he is no longer w the company. I know my stuff when it comes to reptiles and reccomend everyone to this forum! and if i dont know, i tell the customer i dont know, its always better to give the truth than to lie when it comes to peoples pets, i dont mind lookin stupid cuz i work at a petstore and dont know every lil thing bout every animal, i'd rather look dumb than give you the wrong advice... sorry, had to vent. Reptilerooms, u rock! Now, my new thing... do bp's really need uvb? if so is it a small light cycle to simulate dusk?
some people give them uv lights, i dont and have never seen any proof that they need them to thrive. most breeders i knwo of dont use any special lights either
