How to Turn Your Terrarium into a Halloween Terror

Want to get your exotic pet into the spirit for Halloween? Why not—people dress up their dogs and bunnies in costumes, after all. And snakes, lizards, and tarantulas are a natural part of the spooky fall aesthetic.

Of course, it’s a bit more difficult to put costumes on reptiles and amphibians. What you can do, however, is decorate their terrarium.

Here are some ideas I found for turning your pet’s terrarium into a Halloween terror…

Spooky-themed ideas

Pumpkins and jack o’ lanterns are a classic Halloween piece. That being said, you don’t want to put a real pumpkin in the terrarium. It’s going to rot and stink and make a mess.

What you can do, however, is place a ceramic jack o’ lantern in the tank as a hide or basking spot.

Halloween Themed Snake Vivarium! By JFCMexotics

Something with at least one big opening works well, like this:

Halloween Themed Snake Vivarium! By JFCMexotics

Skeletons are another Halloween staple. You can easily use the decorations you find at regular stores for home décor. Items made from hard plastic, stone, ceramic, and glass are generally safe.

Really, anything that matches a creepy theme works. You can include decorations that look like bats, rates, and bones. You can, of course, also add a background that slides against the back wall of the tank. These are easy to change out for different seasons.

In addition to decorating the inside of the tank, you can also have fun with the outside by placing Halloween items on the top of the enclosure if it has a sturdy top or sticking them onto the glass.

In the picture below, an aquarium is decorated with hazard tape from a Halloween store:

DECORATING MY PETS' ENCLOSURES FOR HALLOWEEN by Taylor Crane

Here’s another example of a terrarium decorated from the outside:

And this one uses Halloween-themed window clings to quickly and easily incorporate a pet enclosure into fall decorating:

DECORATING MY PETS' ENCLOSURES FOR HALLOWEEN by Taylor Crane

Terrarium décor to help you create a spooky look

In addition to looking at home goods stores and Halloween shops, you can find some creepy ornaments at exotic pet shops, as well. Here are a few items we offer at The Tye-Dyed Iguana to help you get a spooky look for your terrarium.

Blue Ribbon Exotic Environments Haunted Skull

Blue Ribbon Exotic Environments Alien Skull

Blue Ribbon Exotic Environments Skull Mountain Pile

Komodo Human Skull Reptile Hideout

Small LED Skull Waterfall and Medium LED Skull Waterfall

However you choose to decorate your terrarium, make sure you keep it safe for your exotic pet. Don’t leave décor that an animal can get trapped in, like fake cobwebs, in their habitat. Also avoid items that could be accidentally ingested, like small plastic spiders. Larger spider decorations are fine, though.