I'm doing some research on setting up a cage before I get my first CG. In the past, I've had leopard geckos, white's tree frogs, and RETF. Any tips would be great.
Here's my plan:
--The tank I have is kind of a weird shape. The longest part is 24", The widest part is 12", and it's 18" tall. Should I stick with one, or could I fit 2 females (comfortablly) in this, with all appropriate hiding places, visual breaks, etc.? It has a screen top, and I will get gauges to monitor temp. and humidity.
--I keep reading 1,407 different things to use for substrate. I want naturalistic, so no paper towels. I've read everything from using a soil mixture to orchid bark to coconut fiber. What is the best to use? I live in Ohio, so something that will help hold in humidity would be great, however I know from experience with my past pets that you should be cautious about using substrate that can be ingested and possibly cause impaction. Is this not so much of a concern with CG?
--Plants to include pothos, philadendron, and possibly creeping fig. I know lots of people also use fake vines. How do you suggest keeping things up & vertical? I never had much luck with this with my white's because they were so fat that they were constantly destroying the cage setup.
--Lighting - again I've read some mixed things. They don't need full spectrum lighting, they do need it. I have a bulb leftover from my last white's that is full spectrum so I'm planning to use that. Duing the winter I have a CHE and undertank heater I can use to regulate the temp.
Any other suggestions or nice websites to look at?
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Setting up a cage
Replies (5)
formula for finding gallons: LxWxH in inches divided by 234 so you're looking at roughly a 22 G tank. it's ultimately up to you whether you think 1 or 2 could fit comfortably in that size but i would consider standing it up on end so that it becomes 24" high instead.
i don't know much about live plants but i do use eco earth in my tanks which works well. if you feed CGD solely, or don't feed crickets in the tank, or feed crickets out of a jar, impaction shouldn't be an issue with adult geckos. just keep the soil patted down and don't put juvies on soil at all.
i use suction cups on the glass to hang fake plants and vines, also cork bark and bamboo sticks are sturdy, and so are the bendable branches, which i like to wrap vine around.
crested geckos are nocturnal and do not need full spectrum lighting as long as they are given a source of vitamin D3 in their diet. if you have plants, and plan to use a light because of those, then if you are using insects, dust them with pure calcium without D3.
how cold is your house in the winter? usually the CHE's are too hot and undertank heaters ineffective...cresteds are cool weather species so they can be from 70-75 F during winter days and 60-65 F at night. if the tank is colder than that, use a low wattage red heat lamp, such as 40 or 50 W.
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3.1 snakes, 3.3 crested geckos, 0.0.1 gargoyle gecko, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta
Thanks for the input! The caresheet I read listed higher temperatures than that. I might actually not even need a heat source then because that's usually about what we keep the apt.
I think I may said done measurements wrong, because the tank is definitely taller than it is wider or long.
oh, perhaps i should have specified, in summer their temps can be higher...upper 70s, low 80s in the day and around 70 at night. they should not go above 84 F. usually they can be kept at room temp without additional heat unless you're running the air conditioner during the day, then you may still need the low wattage bulb.
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3.1 snakes, 3.3 crested geckos, 0.0.1 gargoyle gecko, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta
also, if you don't have it already, i would suggest buying the book "Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care" by Philippe De Vosjoli, Allen Repashy, and Frank Fast because it will be out of print soon.
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3.1 snakes, 3.3 crested geckos, 0.0.1 gargoyle gecko, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta
In terms of climbing structures/landscaping, I've found using large bamboo stakes from the garden store and plastic fake bamboo foliage to be inexpensive, versatile, easy to set up, and surprisingly attractive for a cheap setup. You can shove the foliage into the ends of the bamboo tubes to anchor it and keep the geckos from getting inside the tubes. Foliage can also be zip-tied to the crossbar on larger tanks or hooked/suction cupped along the top.
