Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am looking into creating a vivarium for my crested gecko, though i have never made one before.
could anyone be kind enough to tell me what plants would be great for a crestie? what plants would be great for a beginner?

and if you know of any sites that clearly teach how to create a vivarium i would truly appreciate that too.

thank you,
aaron

The key to a good viv is proper drainage & good ventilation. I know Black Jungle Terrarium Supply (http://www.blackjungle.com - they have a "how to" section) has a good description of how to make a frog viv... Just modify the humidity levels & the plants to suit your needs. The basics are pretty much the same.
You can also google "terrarium building" and get some other description of how to build a terrarium or viv.
Good Luck & Enjoy.
PS- for plants, pretty much anything that is sturdy-enough to hold your crestie & can thrive in the more tropical environment would be good. they like flat, layered leaves that they can hide in, like bromelaids(sp??) or ones with sturdy verticle leaves (again for hiding). Also be sure to have plenty of horizontal vines & hides.

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0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Anton or Angelina)
1.1 Crazy dogs (Alex & Sadie)
0.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee)
0.1 Amazing Wife =o)
Charlie - RIP 9-8-05 (Veiled Cham)

I wish this thing had an "edit" feature... I meant to write that mine needs more vines & horizontal space. I've also added a large grape vine branch since this photo.
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0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Anton or Angelina)
1.1 Crazy dogs (Alex & Sadie)
0.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee)
0.1 Amazing Wife =o)
Charlie - RIP 9-8-05 (Veiled Cham)

the rhacodactylus book does talk a bit about vivariums. several past reptile magazine issues had articles about constructing vivariums as well. the key ingredient to a natural vivarium is having a biologically active soil base, which breaks down fecal matter naturally, leaving no smell in the cage. spot cleaning may be needed to wash off droppings on planets etc. as for what sort of plants to use, any plant that handles humidity well, doesn't require alot of heat, or does well in low light conditions, would be best. as it isnt' necessary to have bright basking spots in a crested gecko cage, having full spectrum lighting for your plants to florish in would be all that's necessary.

doing a google search on vivariums should bring up alot of how to articles on how to build them. keep in mind that crested geckos are not from steaming hot rainforests, but more temperate forests, with temperatures that rarely exceed 85F. the rhac book is great for giving alot of info about the natural habitat of crested geckos and other rhac species.

there is also the chat with anthony caponetto this coming saturday. as he deals alot with crested geckos, he may know some tips on how to design a natural vivarium or at least what plants work best with crested geckos. for more info about the guest chat with anthony, check here;

www.kingsnake.com/articles/HerpChat8.html
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PHLdyPayne