Reptile & Amphibian Forums

from a yet to be photographed pair, from kevin dunn at dragonsdenherp.

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geckorex
3.21 leopard geckos
2.1.1 crested geckos
2.1 bearded dragons
?.?.2 western hognose
0.2 brooksi
0.0?2 grey tree frogs
1.?.1 green anole
2 golden tree frogs
1.2 non-broken cats
0.0? northern 5 lined skink

some of you people get so lucky and your crested geckos lay eggs on the top. mine seem to like to go deep!

are you putting that vermiculite straight into the gecko's cage and allowing it to dig it in?

is there a reason this is bad or are you just asking?
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geckorex
3.21 leopard geckos
2.1.1 crested geckos
2.1 bearded dragons
?.?.2 western hognose
0.2 brooksi
0.0?2 grey tree frogs
1.?.1 green anole
2 golden tree frogs
1.2 non-broken cats
0.0? northern 5 lined skink

Lizards have in general been know to actively ingest substrate materials from thier enclosures. In nature this is typically not harmfull because the materials are natural to the animals environment. there are many reasons lizards ingest substrates, which i will not discuss here, but for the sake of captive husbandry it is benificial to not include materials that can be ingested or find those that are not harmful to the animal.

I would recomend useing "bed a beast" or pure potting soil (no fertilizer addatives, this can be found in a walmart garden department) for the egg laying box, or for the substrate of your enclosure whenever a natural look is intended.

Perlite and vermiculite can cause impactions (blocking the digestive tract of the lizard), internal abrasions, and/or also contain chemicals and minerals that could damage your gecko.

Oh and i also hear that if you use bed a beast or coconut husk for your egg chamber to check it frequently because the salt content can spoil eggs. once you find eggs it is then appropriate to move them to a perlite or vermiculite container for incubation and humidity monitoring.

hope this awnseres your question, and i hope i got everything right. anyone feel free to correct me if needed.

Andrew Ellis

I use slightley moistened loose peat moss and love it.

that was exactly my point. about 6 months ago before i knew any better i had a female die from ingesting vermiculite. i keep my eggs in vermiculite, but allow the females to lay their eggs in " eco-earth" which i love and use in all of my enclosures. there was no information on any of the websites i got info on for incubating or lay boxes warning of not using vermiculite or perlite directly in the cage. i just wanted to let you know that you may have gotten very lucky this time and should definately choose a different egg laying substrate from now on.

ok so I guess im going to go get some eco earth. THANKS for the heads up, ive never heard of that before. does that go with leos also?
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geckorex
3.21 leopard geckos
2.1.1 crested geckos
2.1 bearded dragons
?.?.2 western hognose
0.2 brooksi
0.0?2 grey tree frogs
1.?.1 green anole
2 golden tree frogs
1.2 non-broken cats
0.0? northern 5 lined skink

that goes with all herps including leos. either the substrate should be something that will pass harmlessly through the digestive tract or too big to actually swollow. but just because it is small doesnt mean it will pass through though, ie. sand.
paper towels, bed a beast, and potting soil, as mentioned before are all good choices

on a side note...is it ok to hatch eggs in 100% perilite? i cant seem to find vermiculite around town. i know most recipes are 50/50 what do you all think?
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1.1 Gargoyle geckos
1.1 leucistic leopard gecko
0.0.1 asian golden tree frog
1.0 oriental firebelly toad
0.1 european firebelly toad
1.0 albino betta
1.0 orange tabby
0.0.1 asian painted frog
1.0 broad headed skink
0.0.1 fowlers toad
1.1 red eyed tree frog
1.1 red eared sliders
476.769.47 feeder crickets

so eating coconut fiber is ok for cresteds and leos? as for potting soil i cant find any the walmart only has crap with verm per and soil nutrients.not to mention potting soil in general is horrible it doesnt hold water it either soaks thru or turns to mud how do u keep potting soil humid? I keep racking my brain trying to think of something to use and trying to understand why every herp book i have says to use verm???
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geckorex
3.21 leopard geckos
2.1.1 crested geckos
2.1 bearded dragons
?.?.2 western hognose
0.2 brooksi
0.0?2 grey tree frogs
1.?.1 green anole
2 golden tree frogs
1.2 non-broken cats
0.0? northern 5 lined skink

vermiculite and perlite are perfectly fine to incubate in as i mentioned earlier. you just don't want to allow already living geckos to dig in it and potentially ingest it.

most pet stores have one or the other of these, i use bed a beast. if the potting soil is turning to mud than it is likely there is too much water in it, remember it only has to retain humidity or moisture, not be soaking. when i make the bed a beast i follow the directions on the package then as i move the bed a beast i squeeze out extra water with my hands (its a fibrous substance so its not like squeezing mud.) so that there isnt too much water in it. i then check it a couple times during the week to see if it is still moist, if not i simply mist it untill it reaches a level i am comfortable with. hope this thread has helped.

Andrew Ellis

Yes you can incubate in 100% perlite. I use a 1:1 ratio perlite:water by weight and so far have 100% hatch rate.
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2.3.2 crested geckos (Speckles, Sandy, Squirt, Sunshine, Soldier and two un-named babies)
0.0.1 Striped Cal. Kingsnake (Snuggles)
1.1.0 Green Iguanas (Sisco,Speedy)
0.1.0 Rose Hair Tanrantula (Sweets)
RIP Star and Sal

...
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1.1 Gargoyle geckos
1.1 leucistic leopard gecko
0.0.1 asian golden tree frog
1.0 oriental firebelly toad
0.1 european firebelly toad
1.0 albino betta
1.0 orange tabby
0.0.1 asian painted frog
1.0 broad headed skink
0.0.1 fowlers toad
1.1 red eyed tree frog
1.1 red eared sliders
476.769.47 feeder crickets

I'm still learning and 100% hatch rate sounds wonderful - however I am interested in how many you've hatched so far.
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Toni

1.0.0 Uromastyx - Draco
1.0.0 Ball Python - Vilthrul
1.2.0 Giant African Millipedes - Cocoa, Vanilla, Millie
1.0.0 Crested Gecko - Hoolie
0.0.1 Eastern Milk Snake - Slither
2.1.8 Hissing Cockroaches - Diamond, Emerald, Ruby and kids