Bioactive terrariums are more than just a pretty display—they’re living, self-sustaining worlds in miniature. What sets them apart from simple planted terrariums is the addition of tiny inhabitants.

Pets are often worth a labour of love. [leftthegan] — in want of a corn snake — found that Sweden’s laws governing terrarium sizes made all the commercial options to too small for a fully-grown snake.

Watch as a giant praying mantis settles into its brand-new terrarium custom-built for climbing, hiding, and hunting in a lush, bioactive setup. From the mantis’s slow, graceful moves to the close-up ...