Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My wife and I have a terrarium with 2 skunk geckos in it, and have had an outbreak of mold on the wood in the tank. First, we found it on the hollowed log shelter yesterday, and pulled it out. Now, we see it on some driftwood we have as a basking spot.

The terrarium is a tropical set up, about 35 inches high hexagonal, with a 20 inch width. We maintain about 75 degrees in it, and mist it twice a day to keep the humidity up. The bedding is the shredded coconut husk material that you soak a brick to use.

Any ideas on solving the mold before it gets worse? Thanks!

The cause is lack of ventilation, I have had simular problems add air holes for more ventilation on your cage or mist less. Also take the wood out and soak it in a mild bleach solution for a bit, scrub then rinse and air it out for a bit. The mold should stay away. Good luck-
Keith

Thanks, Keith. Since I'm using an aquarium, I'll try adding a little fan to one of the corners and see if I can get some convection going. I've heard that using chlorhexidine is preferable to bleach, and I think I've still got some around from when we had a turtle that was having some shell problems? Have you heard anything that would support or contradict that?

I have used both with no problems yet bleach is dangerous if not used correctly. I started using Nolvasan (chlorhex.)at home about a year ago and have had great results (We use this at the zoo, and so does my herp vet). The last bamboo I treated I wiped w. Nolvasan and still looks good, but I'm thinking cork bark may need a heavier soak. If you have chlorhex use it, it's way safe, even on your animals. Can you add extra ventilation holes in your lid? Fans are a nice addition if you can instal it safely. Let me know how it goes.
Keith

I tried a small pancake fan, like the ones used in computers and available at Radio Shack but found that it was way too effective! The cage got desert dry! I ended up drilling eight, 1/2" holes in the reflector lamp on top of the cage. This created an invection current of rising warm air which rises slowly through the aquarium, up and out of the holes in the lamp. I covered the screen top with a trash bag liner with a hole cut out for the lamp and another 3" opening on the opposite side of the lid for air to enter the tank. With a 25 watt bulb in the lamp I get a nice gentle air flow, a little warmth and a total lack of mold.