Natural vivarium for 2 crested geckos

[Brizzy16]

Hello All,
I plan on getting 2 crested geckos within the next couple of months and want to have a vivarium set up before I get them. I hope to find 2 female adults so I was wondering what size would be best? Also does anyone know of a link or good website for step by step instructions on how to make a natural vivarium for them? I am not creative at all and want to have the perfect set up for them. Also I was planning on getting a misting system for them. Is it best to buy one or can I make one? Thanks so much for everyone's help! This site is amazing!! My leopard gecko Dev thanks you all also because I'm on the process of making her a new 20 gallon long tank with a dessert theme

 

[darkridder]

Well being you are going to go with a planted viv you need to go larger than usual. The reason for this is because you will be giving up a few gallons just for the soil layer. I would either go with a 29 gallon or the 24 x 24 x 24 exoterra.

Setting up a living viv is rather easy, if you hit up the dendroboard if you want a pictures set by step, although I kind of have one in my photobucket so I will try here.

I personlly didnt get hydronton balls, the reason being they are heavy and cost alot. You can make a false bottom easily without them for drainage, and with the way it, it also allows for a growth area for benifical soil bacteria to grow. My false bottom was made of egg crate, not like your thinking, it is for track lighting and made of plastic. I measured it to fit the bottom of the tank.

And because i lost my PVC cutter I had to improv. For my other living viv I took PVC tubing and cut 1.5" in height, this is what the egg crate will rest on. This gives you the needed area for drainage, you really dont need it to be inches upon inches deep. So what i did was i took the egg crate and cut small sections of it and glued them one on top of each other.

you place these (or the tubes) in the corners of the tank, and several in the middle to help hold the egg crate up

And poof youre pretty much done, you just need to add your soil. I personally use organic soil with a layer of sphag peat moss on top for my tanks.

Now you will want to invest in a clean up crew to help your tank decompose itself and break down otherwise you will need to actually clean the tank out. And by cleanup crew i mean things like isopods, springtails and red wigglers.

Also being that cresteds are terrible hunters, you will want to offer live insects from either a large bowl deep enough the bugs can get out, or feed them in another container to insure they dont get a mouth full of dirt. And in the case of my tanks...lol phelsuma love to poop on the glass lol, but the bowl is used for their feeding also since i use dubias, they quickly burrow.

 

[Brizzy16]

Thank so much for the detailed response! I will definitely be copying you lol. Just two more questions..what plants did you use for your cage? And do you have a misting system or do you do it by hand with a spray bottle?

 

[T-ReXx]

There are a wide range of plants you can use. Pothos is hardy and popular, Sanservia(snake plants) are great and the geckos love them(mine usually sleep in them). So are Bromeliads, philadendrons, Dracanea, and various other household tropical plants. One tip; plants grow, so get slightly smaller than what will fill up the viv since they will fill out(and eventually need pruning).

Personally, I hand mist. It gives me an excuse to check on my animals at least twice a day(with a larger collection sometimes you need a little motivation after a long day at work ) and I can tailor the amount of mist to whether or not things need to be a bit drier or wetter. Misting systems are useful, but personally I think it gives people an excuse for things to be more automated and therefore spend a little less time with the animals.

 

[Brizzy16]

I hand mist my leo right now but I know they dont need as much humidity as cresteds. Hmm Ill try hand misting for now and if I decide on a misting system Christmas is around the corner lol. My little brother reals like the gargoyle geckos also maybe ill set up two vivariums and get him one for Christmas. Everyone was right when they said geckos are addicting lol

 

[darkridder]

I have a pump mister, it is like a super soaker with a fine mist. I do eventually want to invest in a automated mister if I start investing and buying more pairs of phelsuma...which will happen eventually lol

Here is a great plant list put together by my friend Sarah from Lunar Geckos, she and my friend Harold (ccherps) really helped me get started with living vivs. I hit Harold up because he keeps many phelsuma species and thats what I keep in those tanks, and Sarah as she knew a good idea on species of decomposers to use and how to add them and breed them. So I have been thankful to have two such good friends to help me along with my experience. So here is a really nice plant list, copy it and print it out and take it to the store with you, this way you will have a giant list available.

This list is a Rhac safe list. Make sure to double check each plant for stability and if you feed live feeders in the tank. Use with discretion.

Bromeliads:

*Aechmea fasciata (Urn plants/Silver Vase Bromeliad) – Large

*Billbergia nutans – (queens Tears) partial shade to bright indirect light

*Cryptanthus zonatus (Earth stars) – warm, humid, bright light

*Guzmania lingulata – warm, humid, bright light

*Nidularium – 12-15 inches, low to Med. Light

*Tillandsia – Air plant, warm & humid

*Vrisea splendens (sword bromeliads) Light shade


~Other Plants:

*Acalphya (copperleafs, chenille plants)

*Adiantum (maidenhair ferns) – cool and dry in winter

*Aglaonema (Chinese evergreens) – do well in low lights, highly recommended

*Alocasia (elephant ears) – must be kept moist, humid and warm, will either not do well or overgrow everything

*Asplenium (Bird’s nest fern) – moist soil, up to 3 feet high

*Bamboo - (live or dry) please the the Wikipedia article, way to much intresting info to list! Clippings will produice.

*Beaucarnea recurvata - (Ponytail Palms)

*Calathea zebrine - (Zebra plant) – moist moderate temps, moderate light

*Ceropegia woodii - (Rosary Vine,Hearts entangled, or String of hearts) Water thoroughly, and then allow the soil to completely dry out before watering again.

*Chlorophytum (spider plants) – average humidity, moderate light, should be allowed to get almost dry before watering

*Cissus (kangaroo vines, grape ivys) – no moist soil
--- Cissus discolor- (rex begonia vine) colors on these leaves are gorgeous

*Codiaeum variegatum (often confused for Croton, because of this it is often labeled "croton" as a common name)

*Crassula ovata - (Jade Plant, Friendship tree or Money plant)Clippings will produice.

*Cyrtomium - (Holly ferns)

*Dracaena - (Dragon plants)

*Ficus (rubber trees, ornamental figs) should be washed of when dirty, do wellin spotlight, Use caution with any plant of the ficus family that has a "milky sap" when leafs/stems are broken, it is a skin and eye irratant.
---Ficus pumila var. quercifolia - Oak Leaf Creeping Fig
creeping figs in general are good, there's a couple different varieties.

*Gynura aurantiaca - (purple passion) Medium light, good drainage. Sort of delicate.

*Maranta - (prayer plant) warm temps, high humidity

*Monolina primuliflora (Monolena)

*Pilea cadieri- creeping mass of tiny silver leaves 1/4" across. Easy to grow in terrarium conditions with well drained substrates.

*Peperomia - (radiator plant) some in this family are an epiphyte or air plant. Clippings will generally produice.

*Radermachera sinica - (China Doll)very difficult to root, Growth slowers used by nurserys will grow fast and less bushy.

*Sanseveria - (Snake Plants)aethiopica,caniculata,kirkii pulchra, parva, pinguicula, sinularis, thyrsiflora & trifasciata

*Scindapsus (Pothos) - looks like philodendron, very hardy. Clippings will produice.

*Schefflera arboricola - (Umbrella Plant)

*Seemania sylvatica- beautiful red fuzzy 1" flowers. Plants grow up to 12" tall and spread readily

*Spathiphyllum - (peace lilies) all lilys are toxic to cats *uses caution in tanks.

*Tradescantia zebrina - (wandering Jew/ spiderwart) Can cause skin iritation in humans when handeld frequently. Clippings will produice. Called inch plant because it can grow up to an inch a day!

*Pillow Moss- Moss is notoriously hard to keep alive and spread and requires a lot of light and water (probably too much than a Rhac would receive in the wild).


*****WARNING*****
These plants have been claimed by some to be harmful in tanks with live animals. Some have been use with little to no problems, others are dangerous. Please use with caution or not at all.

*Hedera helix - (Ivy, English Ivy) This plant is nontoxic to birds but is toxic to humans. It is unknown what would happen when and if a feeder insect were to eat it then a reptile were to eat it in exchange.

*Philodendron- All parts of the plant are poisonous, due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals. Make sure to double check this vs. Pothos, they look alike and are generally mix together at most plant stores. Some say that this plant is safe but from my reading I do not agree they are for all herps.

*Dieffenbachia - (Dumbcane) All parts of the plant are poisonous, due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals. . It has been known to cause the death of cats, dogs, and small children. This plant is considered a neurotoxin.
http://www.livingrainforest.org/abou...the-dumb-cane/


*Codiaeum variegatum and Croton look the same accept Croton (genus) Croton Oil is used as an active ingredient in facial chemical peels. Also in the past Croton oil was used in herbal medicine as a violent purgative. Some have claimed is has killed their pets.

*Dracunculus vulgaris (aka Arum dracunculus) aslo Voodoo Lily. Roots and other parts of the plant are listed as toxic.

*Begonia's-they are known to be poisonous to cats and dogs, but the roots are the main danger. This plant is used in tons of Dart frog tanks and have not been noticed as any danger. Since the root is the dangerous part is maybe best not to use them in with females that may look to lay eggs (good or duds) in the roots.

* Hemigraphis alternata - (purple waffle) Medium light, high water great for some herps BUT Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction in some people. Not knowen how it will affect Rhacs.

Even if a plant is listed as 'toxic if eaten' don't believe for a moment your animal won't lick the plant or eat an insect that's eaten the plant. Be very careful with them.

Note on store bought plants: Make sure to wash any plant you bring into your home. Remove all soil and wash with room temp to cool water and a drop of dawn dish soap. This will remove any pesticides and/or bugs that could cause problems with your herps.

exoticangel.com is one of the suppliers for lowes and some home depots. If you see a plant on the web page that you would like most times if you ask at the store they will order it for you.
______

 

[Brizzy16]

Thanks do much!! I'll have to do some shopping this weeked for plants.

 

[darkridder]

Oh I forgot to add, you will need to hot glue screening to the false bottom otherwise all the first will fall through it and there will not be a false bottom then lol

 

[Brizzy16]

Thanks so much dark ridder you have been so much help. I went to petsmart the other day and they have 40g breeder tanks on sale. If I turned it so its vertical would that be to much space for 2 cresties or should I stick to 30g?

 

[darkridder]

nope a 40 gal is even better! After is all said and done it will give the girls roughly 15-16 gallons of space per individual and rule of thumb is 10-12 gallons of space per individual when housed in groups. You may just want to offer 2 feeding stations for 2 reasons, one to insure they can easily find it, and two to insure no single female declares the food bowl as hers, will give each female equal rights to a feeding area.

 

[Brizzy16]

Thank you again darkridder. I found the perfect 40g tank yesterday. Its a zilla glass cage with a sliding screen door and its on sale for $89. SCORE!! lol I was surprised how sturdy it was when its tall like that, I wiggled it around quite a bit and that thing was not tipping,so im thinking if I put it up against a wall it will be perfect. Now I have to rearrange my room to fit it lol

 

[Brizzy16]

My custom backround finally came so I got to start the cage! I picked up the egg crate and screen on Friday and cut everything to size. The backround was siliconed to the tank and it currently drying for the day. Tomorrow the plexiglass and egg crate will be siliconed to the tank. I'm excited to finally get this project started. Pictures to come when I upload them to my computer later tonight!