We have had good results with a mixture of fibrous peat-type composts, soft sand, leaf litter and mulched orchid or cypress bark. This will need changing regularly, although the larger the area involved the less frequent complete changes will be required. Species which require very high humidity levels and damp substrates, should be provided with an additional layer of sphagnum moss on top of the substrate described above. Nothing helps to improve the appearance of an area more than carefully selected plants. Banana plants are an obvious choice for larger or medium-sized areas.
Tropical ferns are also excellent choices.
Plants not only provide essential shade, they also help considerably in raising the ambient humidity within the terrarium. Lighting Most tropical or rain-forest species do not require high levels of illumination. This is very similar to the situation with snakes, which also do not require UV-B to synthesise D3 for the same reason. Herbivorous tortoises and lizards, by comparison, must synthesise their entire D3 requirement from sunlight. As direct, high intensity unfiltered sunlight is a scare commodity in dense tropical forests, it therefore is hardly surprising that we do not find many strictly herbivorous tortoises or lizards in such environments.