crestie questions . . long-winded & question-heavy

[fallenangelfyre]

so, after our success with elvis, our leo- i'm looking into getting a pair of female cresties. i really want to do an advanced naturalistic viv for them, so i'm going to try to get some older ladies. if not, i have a couple spare 10 gals that i can raise them in until then. so the questions;

i've noticed that quite a lot more people keep cresties on eco earth, soil, clay balls, mixtures, etc. so is the risk of impaction far less with them? i'm guessing because they get most of their diet/nutrition from the CGD with only supplementation of crickets? and possibly because they are arboreal they hunt off the ground?

the naturalistic viv that i'm envisioning/planning will be 24" x 18" x 24" complete with live plants, and a waterfall into a standing pool of water (kind of like so: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/29330-started-my-2nd-viv-29gal.html). now i'm planning on doing this viv a hybrid of the stryofoam and grout faux rock wall along with the greatstuff, silicone, and cocofiber faux hill-like formations with live plants, and climbing branches embedded. the waterfall is going to cascade down the faux rock wall into the standing pool which will be only a small part of a resevoir of water under a false bottom of eggcrate and multiple layers of pvc netting to keep out the substrate. i was planning on just having a run-of-the-mill water pump (also behind pvc netting to cut down on debri intake) to pump the water from the resevior under the false bottom back up to the top of the waterfall. my concern is that this could lead to bacteria build-up. would it be necessary to run the water from the resevoir out of the viv into one of those external filtration systems, then back to the top of the waterfall? (something like this w/o the spray-bar: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11302)

another question is substrate. it seems that most people use a combination substrate of maybe eco earth, coco fiber, potting soil, bark chips, clay balls, etc. possibly with pill bugs to help with waste recycle. can anyone running a naturalistic viv give me advice on this? with health & safety of the geckos first, health of the plants, second, health of the waste removers third, aesthetics fourth?

also, i've never grown plants indoor under artificial light. i realize that cresties are nocturnal, hence not necassarily needing UVB rays, but what bulb would be sufficient to grow live plants? would a compact UVB 2.0 work?

i am planning on experimenting with a combination of a screen top and different sizes of glass panes over the screen to achieve the correct humidity lvls. if i do so successfully, do i still need to mist daily? what with the waterfall, the small standing pool, the resevior underneath everything they would have drinking water available, and these things plus the live plants all adding to the humidity lvls. i've even thought about maybe getting an ultrasonic fogger or an in-tank humidifier. thoughts?

lastly, people tend to jump all over you on this forum if you throw out any wrong information. keep in mind that i'm new to keeping cresties as well as keeping a naturalistic viv. IF everything works out i'm planning on doing at least a few weeks dry run with the viv before even buying the cresties.

here is what i know they need:
(please add to the list if i'm missing anything or correct any wrong info)
*70°-80° (digital thermometer, maybe red heat bulbs for winter months)
*50% humidity (digital hygrometer)
*a good amount of hiding/climbing foilage (branches/vines/plants/backround)
*at least one hide on the ground lvl for each gecko
*probably a moist hide
*CGD supplemented with dusted crickets/roaches, possibly baby food (do they need the standing dish of calcium as leos do?)
*a normal day/night light cycle (compact uvb on a timer)
*possibly a misting bottle if i still need to do so

thank you for looking, possibly helping me out. and so sorry that i'm so flippin' long-winded sometimes.

 

[gaparicio]

Your vivarium ideas sound good. You won't really need any hides if you're setup is as you say it is. If you put enough plants and logs/vines, your cresties will be fine. The waterfall/pool thing might be a small issue. If crickets or pillbugs drown in them, it will make your waterfall stink.

I have a 40g breeder tank set on its side and house 1.4 crested geckos. The dimensions are 18x17x36. It's exactly how you described how yours will be just without the waterfall. I have no problems with impaction. Every now and again I will see my cresties get a mouthful of dirt while eating the occasional cricket but they just spit it out. I've had this vivarium setup for 2.5 years now with no issues.

As for plants, I use Pothos. They are very hardy. All I use for lighting are those spiral flourescent bulbs you use for your house. No problems with the plants either.

 

[fallenangelfyre]

thank you gaparicio for your input.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

as the other guy said u wont need a hide because crested geckos are in plants all the time

 

[T-ReXx]

so, after our success with elvis, our leo- i'm looking into getting a pair of female cresties. i really want to do an advanced naturalistic viv for them, so i'm going to try to get some older ladies. if not, i have a couple spare 10 gals that i can raise them in until then. so the questions;

i've noticed that quite a lot more people keep cresties on eco earth, soil, clay balls, mixtures, etc. so is the risk of impaction far less with them? i'm guessing because they get most of their diet/nutrition from the CGD with only supplementation of crickets? and possibly because they are arboreal they hunt off the ground?

the naturalistic viv that i'm envisioning/planning will be 24" x 18" x 24" complete with live plants, and a waterfall into a standing pool of water (kind of like so: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/29330-started-my-2nd-viv-29gal.html). now i'm planning on doing this viv a hybrid of the stryofoam and grout faux rock wall along with the greatstuff, silicone, and cocofiber faux hill-like formations with live plants, and climbing branches embedded. the waterfall is going to cascade down the faux rock wall into the standing pool which will be only a small part of a resevoir of water under a false bottom of eggcrate and multiple layers of pvc netting to keep out the substrate. i was planning on just having a run-of-the-mill water pump (also behind pvc netting to cut down on debri intake) to pump the water from the resevior under the false bottom back up to the top of the waterfall. my concern is that this could lead to bacteria build-up. would it be necessary to run the water from the resevoir out of the viv into one of those external filtration systems, then back to the top of the waterfall? (something like this w/o the spray-bar: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11302)

another question is substrate. it seems that most people use a combination substrate of maybe eco earth, coco fiber, potting soil, bark chips, clay balls, etc. possibly with pill bugs to help with waste recycle. can anyone running a naturalistic viv give me advice on this? with health & safety of the geckos first, health of the plants, second, health of the waste removers third, aesthetics fourth?

also, i've never grown plants indoor under artificial light. i realize that cresties are nocturnal, hence not necassarily needing UVB rays, but what bulb would be sufficient to grow live plants? would a compact UVB 2.0 work?

i am planning on experimenting with a combination of a screen top and different sizes of glass panes over the screen to achieve the correct humidity lvls. if i do so successfully, do i still need to mist daily? what with the waterfall, the small standing pool, the resevior underneath everything they would have drinking water available, and these things plus the live plants all adding to the humidity lvls. i've even thought about maybe getting an ultrasonic fogger or an in-tank humidifier. thoughts?

lastly, people tend to jump all over you on this forum if you throw out any wrong information. keep in mind that i'm new to keeping cresties as well as keeping a naturalistic viv. IF everything works out i'm planning on doing at least a few weeks dry run with the viv before even buying the cresties.

here is what i know they need:
(please add to the list if i'm missing anything or correct any wrong info)
*70°-80° (digital thermometer, maybe red heat bulbs for winter months)
*50% humidity (digital hygrometer)
*a good amount of hiding/climbing foilage (branches/vines/plants/backround)
*at least one hide on the ground lvl for each gecko
*probably a moist hide
*CGD supplemented with dusted crickets/roaches, possibly baby food (do they need the standing dish of calcium as leos do?)
*a normal day/night light cycle (compact uvb on a timer)
*possibly a misting bottle if i still need to do so

thank you for looking, possibly helping me out. and so sorry that i'm so flippin' long-winded sometimes.

Basically I'd say two female cresties would do great in that sort of setup. Although my cresteds are kept in "barebones" setups for the most part I have kept them in natural vivs before, and I also keep Tokay geckos in naturalistic enclosures. Heres a few suggestions/tips:

Substrate: Really, there are a lot of options here with natural vivs. As far as my opinion, I think either cocofiber or a drainage layer(hydroballs, gravel or plastic egg crate) covered by perlite and fertilizer free potting soil that is topped by a layer of Sphagnum moss is excellent. The Moss makes it difficult for the animals to injest the soil, and helps avoid impaction. With cresteds however, impaction is less of an issue as they dont necessarily need insects, they can live entirely on CGD, its completely balanced. If you do feed insects(crickets or roaches) use of a feeding dish will help keep the bugs in easy reach and prevent substrate ingestion. I would avoid baby food, it's not very nutritious and can cause obesity. I would also be careful with pill bugs, some species are toxic and cresteds tend to "grab first, taste later." Personally, in that type of setup I'd just feed CGD exclusively and avoid the insect headache. Cresties dont need a calcium dish, CGD contains all vitamins and minerals they require.

Water/humidity: Although the water fall would no doubt loom fantastic, keep in mind that cresties are arboreal lizards and often poop wherever they feel like it. You may find yourself cleaning it often if they poop in the water. A filter is an excellent idea and will save you time and help keep things clean. I also dont think it would be necessary to mist with all that water. Arboreal lizards will often drink moving water, and cresties are no exception. I use bubblers in water dishes for my tokays and they will drink from the bowls in those cases.

Plants/decor: I would have to disagree that a hide is unnecessary. Cresteds often sleep at ground level and even in heavily plants vivs they appreciate a hiding space on or near the ground. Either a flowerpot, hollow cork bark tube, or plastic cave or something similar should be provided for each animal in the enclosure. You have a lot of options for plants. Pothos, as mentioned, Sanservia(snake plants), Bromeliads, Philadendron and Crotons all do very well under low light levels and most will not outgrow your setup quickly. I also just use regular compact flouresent bulbs and the plants do fine under them. I would also leave all the plants in pots buried in the substrate, its easier to water without soaking the cage and allows them to be removed or moved around if necessary.

Overall i'd say it sounds like an awesome setup and once its up and running you should definately post some pics.