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White Fungus in Cage...

octoberashes Feb 05, 2010 04:11 PM

I have a live habitat and generally keep humidity between 25 & 50% but theres white long haired looking fungus growing out of the wood.. Does anyone make anything that kills fungus or mold without hurting the crested? I heard vinigar and water is a non-lethal way of trying to get rid of it but i wanted to put it by u all first?!? BTW I clean his cage regularly and am tempted to buy a mini fan for circulation.. I have an exo-terra front opening cage..
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Replies (4)

PHLdyPayne Feb 06, 2010 01:09 PM

mold or fungus growing in your cage is a sign its most likely too damp and/or not enough air flow.

I suggest reducing the amount of water added to the cage (if you mist regularly) and give the substrate time to become dry out, at least in the first inch or so. I don't know if you set up your cage with a proper drainage system (ie a gravel layer so water can drain out of the soil and in high humid setups (which shouldn't be used with crested geckos, as they are not tropical rainforest type lizards, they are temperate so humidity really shouldn't be much more than 60% on average) they also use a drain hole/pipe to siphon off excess water, either dripped into a bucket and recycled through a filter and then pumped back into the vivarium via misting systems, or just drained away completely).

How often do you mist the cage or water the plants? (I beleive those are live plants in there). It would be better to only water the plants once a week, and give a light misting once a day to allow the leaves/branches etc to dry out completely between mistings. If possible remove the plants and water them outside of the cage, (if kept in their own pots and just 'submerged' into the cage substrate).

I would be leery about putting a fan inside the cage, if that was your intention, as, unless its completely screened over, you don't want your geckos getting into contact with the blades, even on a computer fan. The blades are just plastic but they spin so fast it can still easily chop off toes and limbs or tails should the gecko get any part of its body in contact with the blades...if not cut off extremities, certainly break bones and tear skin.

In the picture, it looks like you have your gecko in a glass type terrarium...is there a screen top on it? Or just little vents?
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PHLdyPayne

PHLdyPayne Feb 06, 2010 01:14 PM

Oh in regards to getting rid of the mold already growing, vinegar will do the trick. Just take the wood out of the cage, treat with vinegar and let air dry for a day or two then put it back into the cage.

Also in re-reading your post I see you are using the Exo Terre front opening terrariums...if I recall correctly these cages don't have alot of ventilation, just small vents along the edge of the frame. I can't remember if they are made of glass or plexi-glass. If plexi-glass you could drill more holes for ventilation, or make sure the vents are open and unblocked by soil. Reducing the amount of water added to the cage, (ie if you mist several times a day) should help prevent more mold from growing..or use mold resistant wood, or purchase the resin branches/stumps designed for aquariums instead, if the wood is the only place mold is growing. (or fungus as the case may be). Avoid misting the wood itself as well, instead just mist leaves and the sides of the cage, to allow your gecko to lap up the moisture.
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PHLdyPayne

octoberashes Feb 06, 2010 03:12 PM

Yes they are live plants and yes i have hydroballs with a screen mesh over them for proper drainage.. The terranium has a screen top also and it is made from glass. If it was plexy glass that would be a great idea! I wouldn't put the fan inside i would set it up outside the cage blowing air into it.. I lightly mist 4 times a day according to the hydrometer. Generally, i let it dry out to about 25% before i mist again. I only water the plants every 3 or 4 days but very lightly. And the top layer of the substrate remains dry.. There is some water at the bottom of the hydro balls that im gonna try to drain.. About the Vinigar.. The branches in there are all hot glued!! so i cant take them out.. I think i will use a q-tip to rub the area and leave the gecko in a feeder cage for a day... THANKS!!

PHLdyPayne Feb 07, 2010 01:34 PM

Its possible the wood is just soaking up the water from the bottom of the cage...I suggest just misting once a day towards the evening as crested geckos sleep during the day anyway and with your setup he can burrow to the damper substrate if it feels dry.

For my cage, which is a much simpler setup I only mist on the days I feed, which is every other evening. (She's an adult gargoyle but the husbandry requirements are the same as crested geckos and I used the same setup when I had crested geckos before). I use a plastic sterlite container (clear) with paper towel substrate and fake plants and wood climbing areas. There are holes drilled on the lid and sides for ventilation. I mist the sides and plants in the evening when I feed and never had a shed problem using this method. The droplets on the cage stay throughout the night and often are still there during the following day (especially in the summer when my apartment is much more humid than it is in the winter). The paper towel I don't saturate when I mist either.

When you apply the vinegar to kill the mold, open up all the doors etc in the cage to air dry well since you will be keeping your gecko in a temporary cage. I don't think the vinegar will be harmful at all but it may be an irritant if the smell is still strong.
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PHLdyPayne

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