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Just wondering if its possible to create a living vivarium for my gecko. Maybe something similar to a dart frog set up. Let me know if this is not a good idea.

Also i jus put some frog moss in my gecko's cage. Its been doing well and helps with humidity but a little orange mushroom jus sprouted in the middle of one of the moss patches. I have heard differing opinions on whether these are harmless or harmful for my gecko. I kind of like it(adds to the naturalism) but will he eat it?

Just wondering if its possible to create a living vivarium for my gecko. Maybe something similar to a dart frog set up. Let me know if this is not a good idea.

Keep in mind that when asking this question, you're getting the opinion of those you ask. That stated, I have been keeping my crestie in a 10g half dirt, half glass cage since I got him, at 1.5" STV. He is now nearly 3" STV, and is soon to move to a 37g, heavily planted cage. I have had great success with him, and I would say s/he enjoys his cage, from a human standpoint.

Now, there are concerns. The ingestion of bedding materials is usually one of the big ones. My question is this: In the wild, what are they living on? Dirt. Therefore, in captivity, mine enjoys dirt (well, coconut fiber, but close enough!) I have SEEN my little guy go for dirt, swallow it, and poop it out. I nearly switched him to a different cage the first week I got him, but when I saw he had pooped it out, I felt differently. One way i've gotten around the whole ingestion thing is by putting leaves down, much like froggers do. I have Maple leaves covering the substrate on the dirt side of his cage. He hides in them, walks on them fine, they keep the humidity up (by letting the soil stay moist longer), and are pleasing to the eye.

I was going to start with Dart Frogs, but my room is too hot, so I got a crested gecko instead. I'm now converting my last would-be dart cage, a 29g, into an Anole cage. The more room you have to play with these cages, the nicer you can make them look.

Have fun. Try the planted cage. I plan on getting some millipedes to cruise around on the floor of the crestie cage, as well. I'd like to get some spring tails, but I don't know if their life would interfere with the other inhabitants of the enclosure. Same with rolley polleys, those wouldn't be too fun to pass.

Also i jus put some frog moss in my gecko's cage. Its been doing well and helps with humidity but a little orange mushroom jus sprouted in the middle of one of the moss patches. I have heard differing opinions on whether these are harmless or harmful for my gecko. I kind of like it(adds to the naturalism) but will he eat it?

I'd leave it, personally. But that choice is yours.

Here are some pictures of my cages. The first is my Squirt's 10G, the later are pictures of my new Anole enclosure.

That picture is pre-leaves. The leaves make it a lot nice.

I think it will be awesome when it grows in some more.

Oh, yeah. I know. It needs more vegitation. On it.

Well, I guess this website wants Image tags, not the HTML ones. Here ya go!

Thanks for the reply. Your set up looks great. I'm looking forward to starting my cresty vivarium
Thanks for the help
-J

i think it can be done, i keep darts and geckos and don't see a problem. but there would have to be slight modifications-
darts have way higher humidity and it should be a lot moister in their tank, thats why a lof of people use glass tops, but i would use screent tops with cresties. also, they are a lot bigger so will need more supportive plants and probably more branches, so don't pick out really delicate plants, as they will likely be crushed. also- if you plan to breed the cresteds, they will probably breed in a tank like that, but the eggs will be hard to find with so many laying sights. just something to keep in mind. as far as the mushrooms, i get them all the time in my tanks. they go away in a few days ago and release their spores, i think they are harmless, but there's no way to be sure unless you check on what kind they are. i wouldn't worry about it though, i have had em' in my grandis's tank for like 5 years and he's fine. good luck!

Otis, I was thinking..if cage temperatures are comprable, do you think they could hatch out in their own cage? I mean, assuming it's not too moist? I may have to try it out.

do you meaning just leaving the eggs in the tank, not removing them..? One big GIANT problem with doing that is mom and dad will eat them, not the egg but the baby. I am some what confused you were going to keep frogs but it was too hot so you got a crested? seems odd as they dont like heat either.

It's not that hot, it's just too hot for frogs.

that is always an option, and if you kept the tank not too moist and at good temps. i'de say go for it. and if it doesn't work then oh well. but please tell me either way, as i was thinking about doing that some time. good luck! ps- in the herptoculture of leopard geckos by RT, and Philip de Vosji (sp?) there was an expiroment like that done with leopards. it involved a natural viv and a few generations of leo's living together. i know it's not w/ cresteds but it still might help.

thanks for the info, very helpful. Any suggestions on the plants i should use?

glad i could help. hmmm, plants, i would use a lot of snake plants, they are perfect for the geckos to hide in and they are very difficult to kill. creeping fig is nice cover and an extremely aggressive plant. it does well with tons and tons of light and water and will do great if provided with both. staghorn ferns are big and sturdy and grow well mounted on backgrounds. they need good ventilation though, so be sure they don't get to wet otherwise they can rot. broms should work too, just make sure you get a big enough one so the geckos don't crush it. there are some really nice sized tiger ones availiable, they usually have them at home depot. pothos always works and is near impossible to kill, just let the soil drain out after you water it. those are just a few, there are lots of good choices. keep me posted!