Thanks again for the information! I was able to go back to my pet store and upgrade to an 18x18x24 terrarium! It is much more spacious and gives me more options in decorating it too.

I've seen sever people mention hydra balls. What are those?

I was able to get a hold of two wonderful birch branches which I stripped all the bark off of. Should I bake it to make certain it is ok for the terrarium of am I ok, given that I did not see any bugs/mites or mold under the bark? That, and everything has been frozen here for several months.

I bought one of the bricks of substrate that you soak in water to make it expand. I am obviously not going to use it all at once, so if I soak the entire brick, what do I do with the unused portion so it doesn't mold or anything before I go to use it?

Is it necessary to buy my artificial plants/ ivy from a pet store or is the stuff from a craft store acceptable too?

Last, I'd really like to keep some bamboo in the terrarium. Is that safe? Is it ok for me to put it in the terrarium in a small container of water because I'm not so sure it would do well being rooted in substrate.

Thanks for the help!

Laura