Realistic Grassland Terrarium with Underground Tunnels!

I build a grassland terrarium for my Japanese Rat Snake in this video. This is a step-by-step video, including installing the terrarium background, hardscaping (including substrate placement, tunnel construction, and rock/branch placement), lighting, ventilation, and planting grass and wildflowers.
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ABOUT DILLON:
Welcome to my channel, Animals at Home! Here you will find the reptile videos I have made as well as video versions of The Animals at Home Podcast! The podcast mainly focuses on the pet reptile industry. My mission with Animals at Home is simple: To inspire others to push the limits of their reptile husbandry by promoting the importance of high-level, creative husbandry individualized for each reptile.
• DIY BIOACTIVE TERRARIU...

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

*Thank you for watching! If you have any specific questions about the video and/or build process, please drop them in the comment section below! I will do a follow up video to answer what I can if needed*

[@krysiabrowne3605]

This is exactly the type of builds I always aim for when setting up enclosures, awesome work! Did you add any clean up crew? :)

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

@@krysiabrowne3605 thank you! I haven’t added a cleanup crew yet, but springtails will inevitably make their way there naturally. I might consider adding some isopods as well.

[@mattercolini7451]

I love ur podcast but the artistic choice to not narrate and let the tools and birds do the talking is perfect we’ll done

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much! I figured I would try something different, definitely felt strange to edit something without my voice in it!

[@emeraldgarrett]

This is one of the most beautiful set ups I have ever seen. I am absolutely in love! One like isn't enough :) The way you fastened the screen is something I never thought about. Oh, and totally loved the ASMR sound.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much! 🙏🏻

[@DerrickaKimmel]

Amazing setup! I think something like this would make a great home for a red-spotted garter snake. It looks just like the habitat I've found them in in the wild!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yes, absolutely agree!

[@ElbarethHunter]

Love the grass, it’s super underrated for terrariums even if it dies or goes dormant after a while it’s awesome for fresh bioactive setups. I’m super curious to see how the wild flowers will turn out, I’ve always wanted to try in my own but have never done it.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Exactly, I figured even if the grass dies or goes dormant, it will still look awesome. We’ll see how things look in a year from now. As for the flowers, so far I’ve had some sprout up, but still look along way from flowering. I’ll update when they do!

[@southpaw1215]

Wow, this is beautiful! The wind fan is the cherry on top🔥

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much!

[@MikeTytula]

At first I was sad we didn’t get to hear your sultry voice… buuut the ASMR aspect was top notch, no idea how you managed to get all these quite clips with a child 😂sweet looking build man!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Hahaha thanks dude 😂 definitely had to do a lot of recording during nap time. 😆

[@Juicecarton97]

Really enjoyed this, very calming with the audio and a very underused habitat choice too!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@ren2704]

Amazing video! So relaxing. Thank for the idea of the PVC tubes for a hide and the grass. I'm considering this now for the upgrade for my dwarf boa!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed the video, thank you so much for watching!

[@Akhatchntails]

That’s cool I never seen someone do the screen themselves! That’s awesome man!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@georgeperez1093]

Coolest set up video I’ve seen in a very long time!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it

[@rachelamenta2668]

This is great! Gives me so many ideas for my own Japanese rat’s viv build.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you for watching, glad you found it helpful!

[@dacisky]

This was so good.Seeing how nice this looked and knowing how much better it will look when the plants are up. Seeing your little snake pop out just added to the beauty..And the bird calls,just perfect..

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you so much! 😀

[@avaogara]

I found this so peaceful n calming to watch the birds,are singing n it so fitting !love background scenery n you are amazing !

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

[@avaogara]

he's gona love his habitat you so expertly did with care n love for this snake just beautiful

[@jeffreymagni1272]

Nice job. Its really good to see this level of husbandry demonstrated.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much!

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Brilliant build. Well done. Maximum airflow, Olympic size pool lol. Idk what type of snake that is. Gotta peruse this comment section.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much! It’s a Japanese rat snake🙂

[@user-jb7jt6gs7h]

oho your audio is always really good but I'm impressed by how well the sounds of the tools and materials are recorded, sweet!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much!

[@valterbrunojorge9540]

Spot on Dylan. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you!

[@gioroselli7279]

Gorgeous setup, and I love the idea of using photographs for a background, but how does it not get moldy? Never seen someone use photos inside the tank

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, I’m glad you like it! The photos are actually outdoor sign material, the type that you see for real estate agents. Water/weatherproof.

[@bradsbioactivebuilds]

Looks great! 🤘💯😆

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, Brad! 😊

[@harrynewton9045]

Amazing work Dillon, lovely setup for an incredible species!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much, Harry! Totally agree, incredible species, indeed

[@harrynewton9045]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast you’re welcome and absolutely, I adore my Japanese Rat Snakes!

[@thereptilestudio_]

Amazing video! Amazing build! I can’t wait to watch the progression of this habitat.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@mikeyben6144]

That's an awesome setup 😍 looking forward to see how things develop. 👏

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, Mikey! Yes, so am I… We’ll see what happens with this grass 😆

[@aidandressel6884]

Very cool seeing another grass setup! I got my first snake a few weeks ago and am trying out some wild grass seeds. Took a while to start, but there's baby blades of grass everywhere now. Can't wait for them to go dormant and dry out to get that nice golden color. Cool to see another take on a different grassland habitat, I think grass as a whole is underutilized.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yeah, so far I’ve really been enjoying it! We’ll see how it matures overtime!

[@jgfishing27]

Daniel I think you found your calling in life 💡

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much, Juan! 😎

[@Dracobear13]

👌👍 excellent!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@fearsome6684]

always always thought of doing this, amazing work

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much 🙏🏻

[@Akhatchntails]

Satisfying to watch lol! That’s cool man for real! I comment as I watch lol should just wait till the end and make one comment

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching… And nothing wrong with multiple comments! 😆

[@Akhatchntails]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I figured you wouldn’t mind about that part ;)

[@onesevenfour_moto9794]

Loved this build so much ❤ Quick question , how will you clean that cork hide if that snake where to poop in there ?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you very much, glad you like it! That’s a very good question… 😆 I’ve resolved to learn that the hard way, I’m not exactly sure how I’ll do it. However, I’ve had the animal for two years in a different set up, and I found that he never poops inside his hide, so I’m hoping that trend continues in the new set up.

[@onesevenfour_moto9794]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast makes sense 😂 You are also lucky my snakes almost exclusively poops in their hides 😂😂

[@WG9775]

They will love the grass! What type is it?😊

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

It’s a mix of fescue and white clover

[@Carnosaur290]

First of all this looks absolutely beautiful! I do have a question though. You used some sort of miracle grow tropical potting mix, which looks beautiful but I’ve heard it contains a lot of artificial fertilizers (which is why I’ve been hesitant to use any miracle grow products myself with my ball python). I’ve heard lots of different things online as to whether or not those products are reptile safe… so I’d love to know your perspective on this as you are using them here. If they’re totally safe that’d be great, as often they are pretty and more cost effective than normally marketed reptile substrate (better at growing plants too). It’s super inspiring to see such a beautiful mini environment created, thanks for all the work you do to make the reptile community more informed.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you for watching the video, I’m glad you liked the way it turned out! 🙂 As far as the soil is concerned… I think I would still give the disclaimer “use at your own risk“, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend using miracle grow to people however, obviously I’ve used it in this project so don’t see an issue with it. It does contain synthetic fertilizer, but synthetic does not necessarily mean toxic. I’ve used it before without any issue, which is why I was comfortable using it here. But I can certainly understand why people would prefer to stick with soil containing organic fertilizer instead.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

herpetocultureinc.com/2023/03/09/is-miracle-gro-potting-mix-dangerous/

[@dericplummer9272]

In general I think people really over think the organic vs non organic fertilizers. in the end fertilizers provide different ratios of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Whether the origin of those nutrients are organic or non organic shouldnt really matter. But definitely do your research. Not all fertilizers are the same even among ones that are labeled organic.

[@dshobe720]

​@dericplummer9272 I would disagree with the organic vs. synthetic both can be dangerous in a confined space with no method for ecological processes to work on them. An example might be using a guano fertilizer within a viv and not having any bacteria or fungi to stabilize it in the soil and not having a drain could result in toxic levels of the soil chemistry going off and killing the plants. Synthetic ferns can do the same thing allowing salts to build in the soil profile spoiling the chemistry again. The synthetic has the added benefit of stopping proper relationships from forming between microfauna in the soil and plant roots in the root exudate exchange. I would go organic with a drain and boost the microfauna with a handful of forest or prairie in soil to get the ecology started.

[@dericplummer9272]

@@dshobe720 I think thats what I am trying to get at. Things are much more complex than organic = always good and synthetic = always bad. Just like your example with the bat guano. The messaging that everything always needs to be organic has kind of prevented us from looking at what is actually going on. Most organic soils sold commercially have way to much organic dead plant matter. This provides al lot of nutrients early on but as the soil continues to decompose especially if its being watered frequently it will choke out the plants from getting the oxygen needed. but i feel like I am rambling at this point and not doing a good job at conveying my points lol.

[@aklisven]

Awesome work. I heard Nick Mark say on your podcast that our grass needed a dormance period to stay alive do you have new informations regarding the subject?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Nope, no new information! This species does need a dormancy period, I’m not going to intentionally give it one though. So I’ll see what happens. Even if it dies off, I think I’ll still be satisfied with the look.

[@aklisven]

Thanks, I bought some terrarium grass seeds from a shop in Saskatoon I m gonna give it a try. Might be more suitable…

[@zackkinerson491]

What type of grass did you use just regular lawn grass ?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

It’s a mix of tall fescue, white, clover, and mixed wildflower

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Grass Species for Snake Terrarium

[@franklinj480]

this that good good. GOAT'ed.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@Akhatchntails]

Awesomeb

[@wpsreptiles]

Beautiful enclosure, I love it! Was the substrate miraclegro? I always worried it wasn't safe to use with reptiles ( I guess I assumed fertilizers/ chemicals were in it) but maybe I've been wrong??

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it’s miracleGro, it does have fertilizer. Just for my own peace of mind I won’t recommend you use it, but I’ve used it for a long time without any issues. If you scroll down in the comments, you’ll find further discussion on it, including a link to a blog post.

[@wpsreptiles]

@AnimalsatHomePodcast awesome thanks man! Will do!

[@Greg_Rock]

What do you print those photos on? Where do you get them? Foam board at any old print shop online? Would it be scratch-safe for lizards?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I ordered corrugated plastic outdoor signs from Vistaprint, I just found the photos online. It’s the type of sign you’d see real estate agents use. Weather and waterproof… as for Lizard proof? I think small lizards would be fine, however, definitely would not be durable enough for, monitors, etc.

[@kirillukin2222]

So the jungle dawn was enough for grass to grow?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Yes, it was!

[@kirillukin2222]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast ty! Will try it w my texas ratsnake

[@ithewho6603]

I tried very similar setup for several time, but everytime the soil starts to smell moldy and all the plants and grasses just die almost instantly. I tried all of these different plant liquids too but no luck. Despite having a good isopod, springtail and earth worm colonies. I just hate the moldy smell and I don't know how to stop it and keep the plants alive. I have a really good plant led light too. It's frustrating to do it all over again and again because the soil goes bad so fast. Now I use rocky sand.

[@krysiabrowne3605]

Sounds like there is an issue with your substrate mix and/or watering issue. What soil mix do you use and are you letting the soil dry out a little before you next water?

[@ithewho6603]

@@krysiabrowne3605 I have tried various different soils and mixes. Best so far was arcadias arid soil with volcanic fertilizer and sand mix. I've also tried various cycles with watering. Also with drainage layer and without. Which is why I now use rocky sand and succulents in pots lol.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Well, we’ll see what happens with this set up. I’ll keep you updated! Hopefully, I have enough ventilation to keep the mold at bay

[@DemonOfSnake]

Cool but making cocofibrer pcv to cover ut with dirt is overkill for me

[@DemonOfSnake]

More so you put there plastic bowl and done nothing to camuflage it

[@DemonOfSnake]

Btw love your podcast❤

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Thanks for watching the video, yes it certainly was overkill 😆 glad you’re enjoying the podcast

[@dericplummer9272]

Looks awesome! I am trying to to do an african grassland biome for my Ball python right now. I assume you have to water pretty frequently for the grass. Does it get to wet without a drainage layer?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

That sounds like an awesome project! I watered very heavily until the grass started to grow, now I missed once a day. So far, I haven’t had any issues not having a drainage earlier… We’ll see how it goes though. I think as long as you can provide a thick substrate layer, you should be OK.

[@The_Crayon]

Where did you get the background?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I ordered a plastic corrugated sign from Vistaprint

[@paulwhite9242]

what type of grow light did you use? And how durable and long lived is the grass? I've thought about something like that for my bullsnake; there's no way to grow real mixed or short grass prairie grasses indoors but this could be close enough

[@dshobe720]

Well there us a way it would just involve taking up more living space in your home than you are probably willing to part with. Metal halide lighting, 8 foot tall viv, irrigation, fans, and a self draining substrate. Some liatris, little blue stem, buffalo grass, mountain mint and a gallardia would make a pretty awesome looking viv. Although, a bullsnake would be happy with some dandelions and crab grass too.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I’m using an Arcadia jungle Dawn LED bar. I will see how this grass lasts, I’m not sure how long it will live for, if it dies or goes dormant I don’t think I’ll mind that either.

[@paulwhite9242]

@@dshobe720 I've tried getting gallardia and monarda to grow and bloom indoors with pretty minimal success even using the same grow lights I use on my tomatoes. But yeah, no it's not technically impossible--just not feasible.

[@dshobe720]

@paulwhite9242 I have had fleabane bloom for me under a Walmart undercab light at 5000k. It's not a spectacular bloom, but it is a nice rosette of leaves that's hardy. I go dig up a handful of random prairie sod plant it in a tub and see what does well in a viv to find my local natives. I have gotten a dwarf hydrocoytle (sp) tiny leaves and a nice selgenella moss out of it.

[@dshobe720]

@@paulwhite9242 hydrocotyle

[@AndresRodriguez-nt7gm]

Where did you order the background?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I ordered it from Vistaprint. I found the images online

[@AndresRodriguez-nt7gm]

@AnimalsatHomePodcast looks great. Thanks for the info. I normally do custom backgrounds with foam and drylock but this is definitely something I'd like to try out.

[@fletcherhall1306]

How much watering did the grass need?

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

I watered it fairly aggressively for the first two weeks, a good mist 2 to 3 times per day. Once the blades were roughly 2 to 3 inches tall I reduced to one good mist per day.

[@fletcherhall1306]

Thanks! I’ve always wanted to try grass in a viv but haven’t tried it yet.

[@alexkleijn7458]

👌

[@monsterkajiu1912]

It's weird not hearing your voice since you usually do podcasts but not in a bad way though.

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

Haha it was weird for me to edit 😆 but I thought I would try something different this time!

[@monsterkajiu1912]

@@AnimalsatHomePodcast by the way what is that snake in that you placed in the terrarium?

[@monsterkajiu1912]

Never mind it's a Japanese rat snake, i might copy you for my corn snake when I upgrade his enclosure!

[@AnimalsatHomePodcast]

A set up like this would be perfect for corn snake!

[@johnwhisler6980]

Dude, I have no idea what kind of snake that is.

[@pinheadlarry5616]

looks like a baby japenese rat snake

[@pinheadlarry5616]

actually i just googled where Kunashir island is and yeah it's definitely a japenese rat snake

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Ha! I knew I'd find it here somewhere lol. I had no idea either