The Wild World Of Dav
🇧🇪 BELGIUM
David, also known by the nickname "The Wild World of Dav," is passionate about the fascinating worlds of terrariophily and aquariophily.
On his social networks, David shares his love for reptiles and aquatic creatures with his community every day. Cheerful and dynamic by nature, he draws his viewers into the realization of his various and captivating projects.
How did you discover your passion for terrarium keeping?
At first, I started with aquariums, and later I became interested in terrariums—mainly for exotic plants. For me, the worlds of aquariums and terrariums are closely linked; in an aquarium you have fish, of course, but also plants, just like in a terrarium. Usually, you begin by taking care of houseplants, then move on to other plants, and in my case, exotic ones. Then, step by step, as I learned more about the subject, I started to get interested in the animals I could eventually keep.
To sum up, unlike many terrarium enthusiasts, I’d really say that from the start I was more drawn to flora than fauna. And to be completely honest, my very first terrarium was filled with carnivorous plants!
What motivated you to share your experience?
Personally, I think that anyone who has a passion—whatever it may be—feels the urge to share it with others who are equally passionate, or even to introduce it to new people!
Sharing this passion was made much easier thanks to Instagram, which allows me to reach the aquarium and terrarium community, and to exchange ideas with them every day.
What I like isn’t just talking about my successes and giving advice; it’s also about sharing my failures and receiving advice in return, which is often incredibly valuable to me. It’s simply an exchange of experiences between enthusiasts.
Do you have reptiles or amphibians? If not, which species would you choose?
For now, I don’t own any reptiles or amphibians, but I do have lots of fish!
At one point, I had a chameleon, but a few years back, information wasn’t as accessible and varied as it is now. Today, there’s so much support—on social media you can find discussion groups where everyone shares their experiences and gives useful advice, and brands now offer complete ranges of specialized products in this field… Everything is at your fingertips if you want to learn more about it!
Once I finish my terrarium projects, I’ll probably consider adding some exotic frogs, but since there are so many varieties, I haven’t decided which ones yet.
Are there any species you would particularly recommend for beginners in terrarium keeping?
For someone just starting out and with little to no knowledge, I’d recommend insects, like ants for example, land crustaceans such as isopods, or arthropods, especially spiders. The advantage of these species is that they’re not very demanding in terms of care, and they don’t require large setups either.
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get started?
Of course I do! The best advice I could give, even if everyone says it and it may sound a bit cliché, is to first do as much research as possible on the subject, and to plan your project step by step. As I mentioned earlier, nowadays information is easily accessible to anyone—whether in books, blogs, forums, or on YouTube with the countless tutorials available there. Obviously, you can find all sorts of things on the Internet—some true, some not—so it’s best not to rely on just one single source.
Developing knowledge about the animal you want to keep is crucial in order to understand its needs, and it can also help you avoid choosing a species that you couldn’t actually maintain in terms of budget or space.
So, if you want to do things right, do your research!
A big thank you to David for agreeing to share his experience and allowing us to get to know him a little better! You can follow his daily adventures on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
