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I had a question on substrates for geckos. Many ppl use soil and paet moss mixed together. wouldnt the soil or any very moist substrate mold quickly? Just wanna know how to prevent this.

>>I had a question on substrates for geckos. Many ppl use soil and paet moss mixed together. wouldnt the soil or any very moist substrate mold quickly? Just wanna know how to prevent this.

the trick is to not keep it soaked just keep it moist.

if you see mold starting to grow, water less. i sometimes let my tanks dry out for a few days if they start getting a little funky (just mist the glass so they can drink, or keep a dish in there w/ water)
i also dont bother mixing the peat w/ anything, just get it moist, pack it in, plant a few plants, and water it again. thats also the same "mix" i use in my egg cups. peat/water.
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1.7.2 Crested Geckos
1.1 Golden Gecko
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Tiger Salamander

I use peat moss, I don't mix it with anything, I do but green moss on top of it for the looks, but thats it. But what I do
is, below the peat moss, I put an inch or 2 of vermiculite/perlite. I haven't had a problem with mold on the peat moss unless the gecko got some baby food on it and that usually tends to mold and also where I have the wood tends to mold a bit. But I have asked about mold and people say that the mold will go away sooner or later and they say it's harmless to the gecko/frogs etc. The terrarium has to cycle kind of like you would cycle a tropical fish tank. But before I was using the vermiculite/perlite, I did get alot of mold on the peat moss, so I would definately recommend using the vermiculite/perlite under the peat moss.

We actually live near a creek so mold is a huge problem in our home and our tanks. We've done away with all the substrate and only use paper towels. We line the bottom and throw many crumpled up sheets on top to offer burrowing room and "hides". At least once a week everything gets thrown out. In the summer we also try to let the humidity drop to about 30% once during the day, this allows some drying of the towels and prevents mold as well. But throwing away the towels is the only way we can keep it mold free and we just couldn't see throwing away that much substrate. Hope this helps!
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Where do you get your vermiculite/perlite, I live in a small town in northern wisconsin and cant seem to find it. Would Home depot or a similar store have it. Or should I go to a garden store and see if they can order some?