Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi this is my first post. I've just acquired my first Crested Gecko and once it gets a bit bigger I'm going to put it into a naturalistic terrarium setup. I have already prepared the terrarium but as I say Zebedee (the gecko) is to small for it yet. What I was wanting to know was whether I will need to completely redo the terrarium every month or so as lots of the care sheets on the net suggest. This would mean replanting everything etc.
Any advice at all on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Congrats on your new crested.

Many people, including myself, keep their baby/young cresteds in smaller setups, such as Kritter Keepers.

The problem with a baby gecko in a large setup is that it can be a bit overwhelming and they might not be able to find their food.

As mine get older and a little bigger, I plan to move them into a 10 gallon and then eventually into their permanent home, a 30 gal. high enclosure.
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~Kimmy
0.0.2 crested geckos

...Did you not read the initial post. S/He knows its too small for a full size terrarium. The question was whether or not to change the tank out everything month...

Answer, no. It is not necessary to repot everything. That would defeat the purpose of going through all the trouble of setting one up in the first place. Once its planted, let the tank fill in and settle itself. And then adjust accordingly. Naturalistic vivariums are designed to be living enclosures and therefore should not be moved around everything month.

Thats also a good way to stress out your gecko. The more consistent the enclosure stays the healthier your gecko will be. Just plan the enclosure out accordingly.

boy

Thanks very much for the replies

I did think it seemed a bit extreme repotting everything. It was just that I've read that many care sheets that all say about keeping the tank/terrarium very clean by thoroughly washing it out every couple of weeks. I wasn't sure whether they were referring to naturalistic setups or setups using silk/plastic plants etc.
Another quick question with regards to hides etc. A lot of care sheets that I've read have stated the importance of having hides at the top of the terrarium and I was wondering if anybody had used calabash pods for this or if anybody had any other suggestions?

I merely misinterpreted it.

It sounded as if he/she planned to redo the terrarium every month as his gecko got bigger. (ie, start with minimal plants and add more later)
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~Kimmy
0.0.2 crested geckos