Housing

For the housing of my animals (all ages) I have the following principles:

  • The top of every terrarium is covered with a wooden panel or plastic plants
  • The hiding place is high in the terrarium
  • this gives shelter for danger coming from above.
  • I approach my animals always from below or from the front, never from above

A proper housing prevents stress:
You can read a lot of nonsense on the internet about this species belonging into the aggressive to very aggressive category. Or even people who sometimes feel they had a lot of luck with hand-taming their Corallus hortulanus…

Sure they can bite and their teeth are long but this kind of behaviour is mostly caused by stress due to an inefficient housing with no- or not enough shelter to hide in.

Handle them only if necessary. Give them hiding places high in the terrarium (see under ‘Housing’) and their behaviour will change..

Two on display in a zoo without a place to hide

Adults:
Size terraria in centimetres:
60 wide, 75 high, 50 deep.

Lay out:
Hiding place high in the terrarium, even above the hot spot, made from a piece of wire netting with meshes (5 by 5 cm.) and plastic plants.

Semi Adults:
Size terraria in centimetres:
60 wide, 40 high, 30 deep.

Lay out:
Hiding place high in the terrarium, even above the hot spot, made from a piece of wire netting with meshes (5 by 5 cm.) and plastic plants.

Alternative:
35 wide, 50 high, 33 deep.

Lay out:
Hiding place high in the terrarium, even above the hot spot, made from a piece of wire netting with meshes (5 by 5 cm.) and plastic plants.

Juvenile:
Size terraria in centimetres:
20 wide, 20 high, 35 deep.

I have several stands with 12 terraria each for juvenile Corallus.
All are on eye level

With heating pads or heating coils the correct temperature is created.

Lay out:
Again, the hiding place is high in the terrarium, made from a piece of wire netting with meshes (2 by 2 cm.) and plastic plants.
Because I use all glass terrariums for my juveniles extra shelter is created by putting plastic plants on top of the terrarium. I use tissues to cover the floor.

Two on display in a zoo without a place to hide