Fat Tail Set Ups

[LizMarie]

I'd like to see some nice fat tail set ups, more for display purposes.

What's better solid substrates as opposed to coconut fiber, etc? If you use cocobut fiber etc how does the UTH work?

I want to create the perfect enclosures while being appealing to the eye if all goes well.

 

[acpart]

Here's an early version of my fat tail enclosure (I've since moved a few things around). As you can see, I use coco fiber as a substrate. The left third of the tank is divided from the rest of the tank by a piece of plexiglass set vertically into the tank. To the right, where the plants are, I have expanded clay balls as a drainage layer, a mesh divider and then the coco fiber. To the left, I have the UTH with no drainage layer. Two of the hides are ceramic ones that I made with ceramic bottoms. Those are half buried in the substrate and the ceramic bottoms keep the geckos from digging right down to the UTH. THen there's another hide I made that sits on top of the substrate. The geckos can easily get from one section to the other, but I can feed them in the left section and most of the crickets stay there. I have 1.2 in there and set it up about a year and a half ago. Everyone seems happy. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Aliza

 

[LizMarie]

Very nice!

Few questions Aliza,

- How often do you clean out the cage?
- How often do you mist the cage (if at all)?
- Should I still provide a humid hide if I mist the entire cage?
- How to your handle feeders and the substrate?

 

[acpart]

Very nice!

Few questions Aliza,

- How often do you clean out the cage?
- How often do you mist the cage (if at all)?
- Should I still provide a humid hide if I mist the entire cage?
- How to your handle feeders and the substrate?

I never clean the cage or any of my day gecko and crestie planted tanks. They poop behind the hides and sometimes I take that stuff out, but it composts.

I have been misting the cage every morning because they seem to like to lick the water drops. If that wasn't the case, I'd be misting it a few times a week probably. I mist my 4 AFT babies in my rack a few times a week (boy are they cute)

I don't provide a humid hide. There seems to be enough humidity in the cage

On feeding day I dump about 10 dusted crickets into the hide side after removing the longer hide and taking the covers off the other 2 hides. The crickets pretty much stay in that section which is lower. Two of the AFT's hunt the crickets and one, who has had an enlarged liver since Feb. (this hasn't stopped her from laying 6 clutches which produced 4 babies) is getting hand fed. Some of the crickets stay in there so as a result I have baby crickets who are fed to my banded geckos when they get big enough. I have had no problems with geckos getting mouthfulls of substrate while hunting.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

ALiza

 

[LizMarie]

acpart,

Sorry I keep bugging you but do you know of any plants that can be used in a tank that don't need direct sunlight or much of it. I'd love to have a planted take for AFTs but my plan is to put them into a bookcase similar to AP Economic Rack (open sides) and worry that plants might just die which would defeat the purpose.

 

[LizMarie]

ugh I went back to edit my other post but I was too late. Also what species are safe!? Do you know of a website or have a list?

 

[acpart]

Here's what I have in my AFT tanks (and I don't mind the questions, by the way): haworthia, which is kind of like a bumpy aloe, jade. I put an African violet in there which could be good because they need indirect light, but the crickets kept eating it. I also have a dracaena in there but it's not doing very well right now. I do have a light on the side of the tank that has the plants. I put some haworthia and jade in my SW banded gecko tank which is in a book shelf, but pretty low down, so pretty dark. They did not do well. Unless your enclosure is going to go right up to the top of the bookshelf, consider one of those really thin reptile lamps made by Zilla, for instance (http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=1829).

Another idea which didn't work for me, but may be possible, is to plant part of the tank with millet, if you can get it to grow. As I understand it, AFT habitat includes Savannah grassland. WHen I was setting up the tank I did a google search for "savannah vivariums" and found some stuff online.

Aliza

 

[LizMarie]

Umm.. I'll see how things work out once I have the cages and the bookcase built. If not I'll make it "APPEAR" as if it was a planted terrirum with plastic plants/silk plants buried in eco earth. lol.

 

[HepCatMoe]

use pothos. its has attractive leaves that will grow no matter what and its not poisoness. pothos is the best plant for any terrarium (except desert terrariums which are too dry )