Arboreal Decor: How to incorporate environmental enrichment into your animals' lives
- Emily A
- Feb 5
- 5 min read
Have you been thinking about getting a Crested Gecko or chameleon recently? Or maybe you already have an animal at home that prefers to be at the top of your enclosure? If you do, then this is your guide!
Arboreal Decor isn't just putting sticks and branches into your animal's enclosure and calling it a day; it's another form of enrichment that requires minor planning to fully encourage your animal to fulfill their natural instincts and behavior.
In this post, we are going to go over the differences in Arboreal and terrestrial animals, what makes them different, different arboreal 'decor' items for your animal's enclosure, and why going BioActive for an arboreal-focused build is the way to go!
Arboreal animals spend the majority of their lives in the trees or off the ground. These animals were made for life off the ground and feature many adaptations to assist them in this lifestyle, such as grasping hands, prehensile tails, and specialized hands.
What animals are considered Arboreal and what is environmental enrichment?
There are many arboreal animals that we commonly find in the pet trade, and you may even have some of them in your own home! Some of the more common species you may find in your care are: Panther Chameleons, Crested Geckos, Tree Frogs, and Emerald Tree Skinks. Each of these animals is arboreal but has different preferences as to what decor items work best with their natural adaptations and locomotion.
Environmental enrichment is one of my favorite types of enrichment to implement with the animals we care for here at BioActive Supply. Environmental enrichment, also known as habitat enrichment, is the practice of changing an animal's environment (enclosure) to promote and encourage natural, species-appropriate behavior, such as foraging, climbing, and resting. This can be done by incorporating new climbing options, introducing different textures, and frequently changing decor. By introducing changes to your animal's environment, such as mixing up their decor, providing sensory stimulation, and cognitive challenges. Doing this can improve your animal's physical and mental well-being
What are some easy ways to implement environmental enrichment for arboreal species?
When incorporating environmental enrichment into your animal's enclosure, it is essential to maintain a balance. Balance between items that are going to be a constant in your animals' lives and the items that will be moved around and filtered in and out of your enclosure.
Changing up your animal's enclosure is beneficial in many ways, but it is important to have some features that are a constant safe space.
We recommend incorporating a statement piece into your build. For example, a background that resembles a tree, as shown in the photo to the left. No matter what you choose to add to your animal's enclosure as their permanent feature, I recommend keeping it towards the back of your enclosure purely to make it easier to move in and out of your enrichment pieces.
When choosing your enrichment pieces or the items you will be moving in and out of your enclosure, it is important to keep in mind these three things when selecting or placing them
#1- Is this item a good fit for your enclosure?
When we say "Good fit," we don't mean does it fit; what we mean is, is it suitable for your animal's enclosure. Will it do well in the humidity? Does it fit comfortably without crushing or damaging anything in your enclosure?
#2- Is this item safe?
Is this item going to leach any chemicals into your enclosure?
If it shifted or fell, would it injure your animal?
#3 Is your animal going to interact with or benefit from the item?
Is this item going to encourage your animal to explore?
Is this item going to help mimic your animal's native habitat?
Is this item going to benefit your animal?
It is important to do your research on your animal and figure out what types of objects are a good Choice for arboreal creatures. One of my favorite items to introduce and take away are branches and vines. These items are lightweight and easy to take out and put into the enclosure, but more importantly, change up your animal's routine by encouraging them to crate and take different pathways.
Branches + Vines
Why are branches great?
Branches are great because they provide a sturdy climbing surface, provide hiding opportunities, and can incorporate different textures into your animals' lives.
The most common wood to use for climbing branches is Ghost wood, also known as Sandblasted Manzanita, Cork, Bamboo, Cork Bark Tubes, and Jungle wood. Most Arboreal species are quite proficient in climbing! When choosing your wood, it is important to remember your animal's locomotion, or how they move. Do they have grasping hands like the chameleon, or do they prefer to lie on a horizontal surface like a crested gecko or iguana?
Generally speaking, branches should be placed at a variety of angles to give them elevation options and increase the space they will use in their enclosure.
Ghost Wood
Ghost wood or sandblasted manzanita is a great choice for arboreal creatures. Its sturdy nature ensures it can support your animal's weight, but it is lightweight enough to be placed in your enclosure without crushing anything. This wood is resistant to rot and does well in enclosures of all humidity types.
Jungle Wood
Jungle Wood is a tropical vine that has been dried out, due to this it has some unique characteristics. Jungle wood is naturally wavy and is a fan amongst our resident crested geckos providing an ideal horizontal platform for them to rest.
Twisty Wood
Twisty wood like Jungle wood is a tropical vine that has been dried. Each piece is unique and provides an excellent opportunity for your animal to explore and create new travel routes in their enclosure
Cork Bark Tubes
Cork Bark and Cork Bark Tubes have long been loved by the reptile and amphibian keeping community for many reasons! this wood is sturdy, lightweight, rot-resistant, and provides natural bark textures into your animals home.
Plants + Living components in your Arboreal BioActive Build
When creating a BioActive enclosure, it is essential to incorporate living plants into your animal's home. The plant's role is to cycle nutrients, retain humidity, and provide shelter and support for your animal. For arboreal animals, we recommend focusing on plants that will mimic being up in the tree tops or being a tree itself!
My go to recommendations are Ficus elastica, Dieffenbachia, Ficus benjamina, Calathea, Birds nest fern, Staghorn fern, and Dracaena.
In addition to incorporating plants that mimic trees, we can introduce my personal favorites- Epiphytes or plants that can grow with out substrate present! These are plants that make their home up in the trees, similar to our arboreal animals. If you would like to add epiphytes into your enclosure i'd like to recommend these species:
Air plants
Bromeliads
Bean Fern
These plants are commonly found in areas with high humidity and are commonly incorporated into BioActive enclosures. If you would like to learn more about epiphytes and how to incorporate them into your next BioActive build please feel free to reach out!
Conclusion
Enclosure decor should first take the animal and their needs into account, and secondly the aesthetic of the keeper. Thats not to say that the overall enclosure won't look beautiful and suit your animal, but it should be set-up in a way that benefits your reptile by encouraging natural behaviors and fulfilling natural instincts.
Wood, Vines, and Plants are just a few components that you can include into your enrichment routine but there are many others as well that weren't included above.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out Via Email.
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