Crested Gecko Naturalistic Vivarium Setup Questions

[DJ4LIFE]

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading the forums recently as I have a crested gecko.
I'm not sure how old she is as I bought her from BIG ALS here in Newmarket, Ontario.
I've had 3 crested geckos before, 1 adult and free, the other I bought because she was a juvenile female and I wanted to pair with this gecko i currently have (they got along great) but she was too fast for me and unhandle-able (a turn off for me)...I returned her. So, I have Peetwee...my little crested gecko that is about 4 inches head to tail.

She eats well, drinks well, and completely handleable. She climbs and hops around a lot when i handle her, but at least she's handle-able!

QUESTION 1:I have an Exo Terra 36x24x36 (i got a great deal and had originally wanted to house multiples) - this is the largest tank they make. How many crested geckos would be good for this, assuming i find one's I can handle? NOTE: I know never to house males together, and also that there is no guarantee females will get along.

QUESTION 2:I bought some air plants and live terrarium plants from BIG ALS at 25% off. How do I go about planting these? I use Melleleuca or howver you spell it for a substrate as it is nat urally bug resistant. I'm a germaphobe as is my wife, so mold and bugs is a no no. What would I do, use hydroballs underneath my layer of melleleuca? What about this mesh screen - is it required and where do I get it?

QUESTION 3:How can i naturally break down the waste material (poo and pee) of the gecko, without buying millipedes and springtails, AND, reducing my cleanup? I really want this vivarium to, for the most part, clean itself with minimal cleaning required by me. My wife will kill me if i bring home bugs to put in or worms to put into the tank to clean - alrady discussed it with her.

QUESTION 4:Darn exo terra and their poorly planned mesh tops with the quadrants. What is a good substitute so i can have 1 screen top with 2 halves or a full area, such that my heat lamps will not melt the plastic framing of the screen top. In the summer I provide light and no heat, but in the winter, as we keep our house cold, I put heat lamps on.

QUESTION 5:If I have water underneath the hydroballs.....will I get mold and bugs? The idea of some squarium fixtures that spit out water from underneath is kind of cool, but again, don't want mold or bacteria or bugs.

Thank you in advance.

 

[DJ4LIFE]

Attached is a picture of my terrarium thusfar. Still waiting on bamboo chutes to come in as well as more magnetic ledges.

 

[Aimless]

1. I would say you can do a 1.3 group if they get along. be prepared to house a LOT of babies and have to deal with selling them, though, if you want your boy in there and don't just want a group of girls.

2. I'm not sure how well mellaleuca works as a substrate for plants? you could try an experiment where you pot a plant into it, and see how it grows. I use organic potting soil with a little peat or coir for moisture retention and just stick the plants right into it. if you use hydroballs, you'll want the mesh to increase your drainage. you can find it at hardware stores, plant shops, sometimes gardening centers.

3. you can turn feces and urates into the substrate (like turning compost) and they'll break down over time, and be used by the plants as nutrients. however, a lot of varieties of gnats like to live in natural gecko tanks you can't be guaranteed you won't see bugs.

4. I got nothin' here.

5. I would avoid a water feature with cresteds. normal misting shouldn't soak them so much your hydroballs get wet.

3.

 

[DJ4LIFE]

3. you can turn feces and urates into the substrate (like turning compost) and they'll break down over time, and be used by the plants as nutrients. however, a lot of varieties of gnats like to live in natural gecko tanks you can't be guaranteed you won't see bugs.

Hi there.
Thank you for the response! Quite helpful. Question regarding the GNATS....is there an ability for them to crawl out of the tank? or do they just stay in the soil?

Also, is there an EASY way to clean up poop from fake trees and fixtures besides taking them all out and washing them?

 

[Aimless]

oh they end up all over; gnats fly. you can put a few carnivorous plants near your cage and they'll take care of it.

and nope, you will have to clean poop manually. most of my cresteds do most of their pooping down one of the glass faces of their cage, so it's just cleaning it off the glass.

 

[CrestedRick]

Aimee my female does the same exact thing! So annoying lol

 

[Aimless]

Eh it's gross but easy to clean, at least.