Keeping her tank humid

[KYUI]

Hello! I'm a new gecko owner =)

I've done a lot of research and had some questions regarding her tank.

I got Hermione Gecky (my leopard gecko) from someone and they gave me a long aquarium without a top. She has sand and paper towels, a heating pad, water bowl and calcium bowl, a rock looking house with opening on the warm side, a half log on the cold side. Is that okay? The tank itself is very open as of now but I plan to get decorations so she hasmore place to hide when she comes out of the house.

I bought moss but I dont know where to put it. Do I put in another container (those tupperware) and put a hole in it for her to go in? Or do I put it inside the rock house/

Also, misting wise, how often do I spray water and do I spray the entire tank? Or do I focus on certain areas?

Thank you so much.

- KYUi.

 

[LizMarie]

You can put the moss in a tupperware and you just have to spray that area NOT the entire tank. Misting wise you can do it everyday depending on the moss your using and how long it holds on to moisture.

 

[KYUI]

OHHH so I dont mist the entire area? I dont mist the top of the rock house either?

Haha well I've been misting the top of her rock house. Sometimes she peeks out and licks the water. Do they ilke water in general? She does close her eyes when it falls on her. I can't tell if she enjoys it or if she doesnt.

Thank you!

 

[LizMarie]

OHHH so I dont mist the entire area? I dont mist the top of the rock house either?

Haha well I've been misting the top of her rock house. Sometimes she peeks out and licks the water. Do they ilke water in general? She does close her eyes when it falls on her. I can't tell if she enjoys it or if she doesnt.

Thank you!

No you don't mist the entire area because it'll just raise the humidity of the entire enclosure and leo's don't need very high humidity. Owners have what they call "humid hides" (which is what I mentioned before with the tupperware and moss) which is suppose to be used to help them loosen their skin when its shedding time.

I don't know if they exactly like water but I had a gecko where I had a dish that was big enough for her to soak in and she would drink a little then fall asleep in the water dish. I would have to wake her up sometimes scared that she might drown since she used to slide down into the water.

 

[KYUI]

Hahahah that's really cute that the gecko would go in there

Okay, I think I'll go add that for her today.

Thank you so much LizMarie! =)

 

[KYUI]

Question:

how often do I change the moss?
Also, how much is the moss supposed to cover inside of the tupperware?
Andddd. Do I place it at cold, lukewarm, or hot side?

 

[LeapinLizards]

The moss can be changed when you do a thorough tank cleaning (which I do about once a month). I'm not talking about a poo cleanup, I'm talking about taking EVERYTHING out and disinfecting with reptile safe cleaner. Just be sure to check it once in awhile to make sure she hasn't gone to the bathroom in it (yes, they do like to do that in the most inconvenient places) and that there is no skin or anything left in there to cause extra bacterial growth. Being that it IS a humid hide, cleanliness is key. I just use my judgment...if the moss has been in there awhile, I change it! You'll get the hang of it.

I fill the moss up about 1/3-1/2 of the container...they will dig around in it, and some of mine even sleep UNDER it, so I leave enough room for them to comfortably maneuver it around

 

[daveim]

You never said what the humidity of your enclosure was. You don't want to make it too humid, that would be just as bad as not humid enough, and it is more difficult to lower the humidity than to raise it.

 

[KYUI]

how do i know what the humidity is in there?

well the top of the tank is open so it cant be too humid.
how do i know the humidity of the moss container?

 

[thekooliest]

Well if it is a see through container...you should be able to see that the moss is wet and that there is condensation on the inside of it. If there isn't...make the moss wet again. I do that every couple of days.