JBL TerraBasis 5L (base for terraium)

Substrates suitable for terrarium animals
To give the terrarium animals a home modelled on nature the terrarium needs to be modelled closely on the animals’ biotope. It is crucial that the size of the terrarium suits the animals’ requirements, amongst other factors. During the set up it is important to have the right substrate, plants, air circulation, lighting and the temperature in the terrarium.

Terrabasis – suitable for:
Indian python/royal python, corn snake and western rat snake, king snake, water agama, mountain horned dragon, anolis, green iguana, garter snake, tortoise, tree frog, toad, dart frog, fire-bellied toad, hairy mygalomorph, emperor scorpion, day gecko, chameleon, small tortoises

Easy to use
As required, cover the terrarium bottom with an adequate layer of JBL Terra Basis. Live plants need to be inserted with pots to supply them with commercially available fertilisers.

JBL TerraBasis Base Layer for SG Vivariums

TerraBasis is a humus-rich base layer designed to sit beneath your main substrate or planting medium in a terrarium. We reach for it when building naturalistic, planted enclosures where living plants need something to root into and where you want the substrate to hold a stable moisture level. The organic base helps retain dampness, which suits the tropical species and humidity-dependent setups common among Singapore keepers.

Used as a foundation, it supports the kind of bioactive build that has become popular here, where live plants and a clean-up crew handle waste between deep cleans. Layer it under bark or a planting soil rather than as the visible top surface, and keep it evenly moist rather than waterlogged. In our warm climate the layer stays biologically active year-round, so balance moisture with good airflow.

Browse the full turtle and reptile range, and read our tropical vivarium plant selection guide together with the clean-up crew guide to build a self-sustaining enclosure.