Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do I need any plants in the tank with the gecko, he is in a 10 gallon tank and i don't want to over crowd the tank i have some plants from my chameleon but they are pretty big!

Well you dont NEED any plants, but your Leo will appreciate something he can hide behind. Fake plants work well, but I would not recommend buying any from a store like Wal-Mart or something because they might use a chemical on the leaves of the plant to keep bugs away that is harmful to reptiles. I have a fake tree in my Leos tank which he climbs regularly, got from Petco.
-Beth

Plants arent that nesesary. If your leo is in a 10 gallon tank, he shouldnt need anymore things than what is needed (humidity hide, dry hide, water dish, open area).

But if you do use those plants from your cameleon make sure they are disinfected.
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Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
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Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!

From what I've read the other posters have it right: plants are not needed at all. If crickets frolick unmonitored in your gecko habitat, they might eat some of a poisonous plant, be ingested, and cause health problems (possibly death) for a gecko. Plants with stiff thorns can potentially injure a gecko as well.

That said, I do have a few plants in my gecko habitat. A few books/knowledgable posts have confirmed that snake plants and haworthias are good safe plants. I also have some air plants attached to some sterile driftwood and hope to attach more to my fake stone wall backing (with some spaghnum moss at the plant roots to help hold moisture).

One concern I have is that I only have 1 full spectrum bulb (zoo-med coiled flourescent -- claims 130w light output I think). I think the plants chosen are hardy but I'm not sure if the light level is sufficient for the plants to thrive in the long term.

I had a list of plants known to be non-toxic and suitable for terrariums, but I can't seem to find it now. My criteria on plant selection:

* make sure the plant is non-toxic, not dangerously spiny, and can handle the lower daylight levels more common in nocturnal herp habitats.

* Plants with low watering requirements (like air plants and cactii) are nice too.

* If you have a plant of unknown toxicity you are dying to house with a leo make it unreachable by both the gecko and any wandering insects. This might mean a tall steep pot (if the habitat is tall enough) or putting some kind of fence around the plant (a section of smooth clear plastic tubing seems reasonable).

* I've also read that one shouldn't use fertalized soil to pot plants in a gecko habitat. I think there may be some unhealthy chemicals in them, but I can't say I know specifically what to look out for.

Imo, I think air plants are best, and many can produce colorful flowers if conditions are right. They can easily be glued to surfaces bugs/geckos can't get to (glue them right onto glass if you want). They are also forgiving if you forget to water them regularily. If they die they retain a scrublike structure instead of melting into a pile of brown and green goo. I keep a spray bottle handy to mist my humid hide periodically, and it works well for watering air plants.

Well if I did put plants in there I would be putting fake ones in, I bought a really pretty one from Petco for my chameleon but I don't know it might be too big for the gecko, plus I had problems with the crickets hiding in it and the cham couldn't get them. Maybe I will just stick with what I have, I have the humid hide and the dry hide and his water bowl. still have to pick up some calcium powder to put in a dish for her, she seems pretty happy the way it is so I guess I won't do much to change it, especially with it being such a small tank!!