Building a terrarium

[Jockeduvet]

Heya, my name is Jocke and I'm new to this forum and also new to geckos or well I'll get my first gecko in a few weeks, I'm in the phase of building a terrarium, haven't decided what dimensions yet though. I thought of building a terrarium that is 70*70*30, how does that sound, good size or far too small? I thought of having 2-3 geckos (1 male and 1-2 females) I would love some feedback and ideas, like which plants can I have in the terrarium that isn't dangerous to the geckos
// Jocke
(I don't know if this really are the right thread but I hope you won't mind if that's the case ^^)

 

[kayla.h]

I just started with my own geckos. I wish I knew enough to tell you about building a terrarium but we've honestly just used a 20 L for the two bigger girls and an extra 10 L for my "teenage" male Yeti. We're currently shopping for a 40 L that they can comfortable live in together.

There is a lot of debate it seems when it comes to housing. Some people tell me not to house the males and females together. But a friend of mine has had great success with her male and 2 females in a nice large tank.

There's also a lot of debate about substrate. But it sounds like you have a lot of this figured out.

Regular terrarium plants are cheap and easy to come by. Plus they are usually plastic and really easy to clean.

I hope that helps.

 

[acpart]

It would be very helpful to know what kind of geckos you're planning to house. If you need basic planted terrarium info, go to blackjungle.com and look at their tutorial on building a terrarium.

Aliza

 

[Jockeduvet]

Kayladewi: yea I've also seen that some says that you shouldn't house them together but I know that it's recomended to keep either a only females or females and 1 male together^^
I know about the plastic plants but would be cool with real ones too^^

acpart: ohh sorry, I thought I posted it in the forum-part for Leopard geckos but like I said I don't know if this was the right part of the forum^^
Anyway it's leopars geckos that I'm going to get =)

Another question came up in my head tonight. I've read on many pages that you can keep them in a regular aquarium. But I also know that some lizards will freak out if something comes from above but how does that work with leopard geckos?
Anyway if I would house them in the aquarium I would ofcourse remove the cover glas and make a frame with net and put on the aquarium instead.
But could I house 3 of them in a aquarium with the dimensions 100*40*40? Feedback would be appreciated!

//Jocke

 

[kayla.h]

In general, I'm a bigger fan of the plastics. You don't have to worry about UV lighting, toxicity, or injury to the geckos. Leos are desert critters and the most natural plants to keep with them would be some form of succulent (though I'm not familiar with specifics). If you use non - desert plants, you have to keep them in different substrate to make sure they get enough water. Those plants will also be very active in transpiration and release too much water vapor, thus increasing humidity, which leos don't need or even like unless they're shedding. Back to the succulents, all forms of desert flora have some way of protecting themselves against predation (i.e. spines, prickles, sharp edges, toxins, etc.). So again, I'd stick with plastic.

Concentrate on taking care of the animal. Don't get caught up in the fanciness of the enclosure. My corn snake is currently using a piece of cardboard box that I cut to fit her cage for a hide. She doesn't care that it was free. Or covered in tape. Or not a "natural" or "natural-looking" hide. She's content.

 

[kayla.h]

Also, if you look at floor dimensions alone, an adult Leo is said to need at the minimum the area of a 10 g aquarium. That's what I've read at least. If you go by that philosophy, the floor area of a 10 g is about 200 square inches. Your tank is roughly 4000 square inches. So, theoretically, you could house 20 geckos. HOWEVER I would say about 4 geckos would have the happiest home around.

 

[LauraMI]

So I don't know the first thing about Leopard Geckos, but I do know plants and a few that would work really well for an arid enclosure. No rainforest-tropicals: no ivy, pothos, draceanas, scheffleras... Those all require more humidity than is healthy for your gecko and most of those plants won't do well as a result. Now, as you'll have a live animal in there, you want sturdy plants that are low maintenance, attractive, and possibly even easily self-propagating....and of course, not poisonous. What I listed below isn't, but check everything. Even if your animal won't eat them, what your animal eats may, so cover your bases.
If I were building such a vivarium, I would start with Portulacaria afra. It will give you height, cover for your pet, and is very responsive to pruning and shaping. I would also find a good hens & chicks varietal of the Sempervivum genus...but stay away from Echevaria (which get long and leggy, are easily overwatered, and can be fragile). The hens & chicks will spread into the substrate so you will need to provide occasional moisture...but let's be honest, it does rain on leopard geckos in nature...and if not on them, humidity does naturally rise and fall where the geckos live...so controlled watering isn't going to hurt your pet. You could also look into a Kolanchoe variety called "Mother Plant". This one self-propagates also, but can be very weedy.
Look into what grows in Leopard gecko's native region also, but the three I listed are easy to find at nurseries and Home Depot/Lowes.

I know it's important to focus on the animal...of course! But it's just plain fun to have a live-planted vivarium also...especially in the case of a predominantly nocturnal animal and especially if that enclosure is in a high-traffic area in your home. You want something pretty sitting out...so go for the natural look! That said, if you're going to do this, the enclosure needs to be well lit or in a bright window. All those plants are high-light plants...though not necessarily full-sun, 12-hour-a-day plants.
I agree with initially keeping the plants potted in their original containers...or better yet, replanting them in your own mix of soil and sand. Use soil without any additives (purlite, fertilizer, etc). Individually potting your plants gives you more control over watering and fertilizing...but go natural on that latter.

Hope this helps. I honestly think plants and animals go perfectly together and my geckos are in fully live-planted vivariums...though they're tropical and not arid geckos, I think an arid-vivarium would be just as easy and you really do have a ton of options. But keep it simple. These plants naturally compete for water and don't grow on top of each other; therefore, you can plant sparsely and have a totally authentic look.