Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have my tank lined with repti-bark. my crested keeps burying himself in the bark.

is this a safety thing?

do i need to provide a safer, more humid hidebox?

any other advice appreciated.

Personally, I would not use Repti-bark. Any particulate substrate has the potential to become an impaction problem. Considering the way these little guys launch themselves after insects, it is a safety thing.

As for places to hide, what else is in your enclosure? If you’re going for the “decorative” look, fake plants and such can add visual appeal and function. If you’re coming at it from a breeder’s standpoint, egg cartons are hard to go wrong with.

Don’t forget height, Cresteds are arboreal creatures, so take advantage of vertical space by whichever cage furniture you choose.

Digging into substrate isn’t that uncommon. Every Crested involved in our breeding groups (males included) have dirt/moss everywhere. They seem to really enjoy “playing” in it at night. However, during day time they are always nestled back into their high sleeping spots.

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www.neoscales.com

i prefer eco-earth or bed-a-beast
i like the texture and it seems to be very clean and not dusty ( like peat moss)

When I said our breeders dig in their moss, I meant as in their "nest box" moss. We use papertowel substrate in all of our containers.
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www.neoscales.com

okay, my current set-up is:

Tank - 66Q Sterilite container with snap-on lid (generic Rubbermaid container). I have cut two eight-by-five holes in the top and covered with screen door mesh. Each of the longer sides has 19 small holes cut in them for air flow.

Substrate - Repti-bark. I was interested in using papertowels, but wondered how that would turn out when i mist the container 2x's/day. What about calci-sand or vita-sand substrates?

Hidebox - one generic half-log (avail online and in any petstore). this will be replaced with a rubbermaid box after i get to the walmart tomorrow. i'm planning on keeping some sort of dirt/moss mix in the hide box, i just haven't figured out what exactly.

Climbing areas - currently limited to one 'bendable' vine with some plastic leafy plant wrapped around it. this is an area in which i plan to make great improvements.

other - one semi-large sized rock used to support the bendable vine.

food containers - three seperate 4inch trays from home depot, the kind to use under a potted plant. one each for water, baby food, and crested gecko diet.

I actually prefer to keep the paper towels on the damp side in our Crested's enclosures, Sterlite tubs in a rack system. They don't actually get down onto the damp ground until the night-time, so no problems with sitting on wetness.

Might I suggest something in addition to the "hidebox" on the ground? Cresteds aren't terrestrial and something for them to hide in above the ground would be great. Out of over 70 Cresteds I've only had one who preferred to sleep on the ground on a regular basis, and she recently grew out of that.

Maybe more vines or something coming up the sides? Anything you can find that would have little "hollows" or snug areas they can curl up in is fine. Since we don't decorate, I can't really recommend anything beyond egg crates. Take a trip to Home Depot, Target, or Walmart (etc..) and use your imagination.
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www.neoscales.com

I also use paper towels, but primarily for the babies/juvies. My breeders are on repti-carpet which also holds moisture and slowly releases it during the day or night, and is easy to clean and reuse. For hides I use cork tubes and highly recommend them. They also help hold moisture and are easy to clean and reuse. I have them up near the tops of the enclosures and they are generally occupied during the day with sleeping geckos. Email me for my supplier, or do a google search for cork logs or tubes. I do have a few juvies who like to sleep in the fake vines/plants that I have suction-cup-hooked near tops of enclosures. I posted pix of some of my enclosures last week on this forum.
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Terri
4:8:5 crested geckos: Popcorn, Goldfish, Harley, Bear, Big Red, Olive, Smudge, Blackie, Belle, Brilliant, Tina, Brick, Tony, Kermit, WildFire, WildSpatter-Spots-to-Spare & Randi(y)

I use wooden dowels for climbing posts. I just cut them so they are long enough to lean against the side of the container. You could also drill holes in the ends and bolt them directly on the sides of a sterlite container, using wingnut attachments for easy removal for cleaning. Course this means having wingnuts sticking out the sides of the container.

Papertowel is fine as long as you do give it time to dry out completely once a day or between mistings.