55 Gallon Crested Gecko Set up

seadog-68 · #1 11-16-2009, 07:24 AM

I think I am in the right place if not sorry.

We recently adopted 2 Crested Geckos that we plan to breed. We were given a 10 gallon tank with the two in it, however we felt it was too small. So now we have over compensated and gone completely overboard. A friend sold us a 55 gallon tank that we've now turned into their new home.

I have been on the hunt for rocks that I wanted to put in the vervarium, taking walks in unusual places and filling my pockets with the right ones. Each made it home and into a bucket, and each one was boiled on the stove to remove anything that could harm the geckos.

We do a lot of off roading during the weekends an I used this opportunity to find really nice wood pieces to add realism and height to the enclosure. This required a cleaning of each piece, and then baking it in the stove.

The substrait is a organic peat moss and coconut mulch mixture laid overtop of an eggcrate piece and screen, to provide for proper drainage to prevent mold buildup and create a bioactive setup etc. Here are the pics of the "build".

I would still like to add some more features for height but will have to see how they like this on first.

Please, even negative or sugestive coments are welcome.

beckdg · #2 11-16-2009, 01:03 PM

lol... you're definitely in the wrong place. i don't mind though.

anyway... opinion... not a bad setup yet not complete yet.

suggestions... more cover (plants) and things to climb... a hygrometer/temp meter... the grey/silver accurite from walmart would be great. you'd get 2 temp zones for hot and cold side as well as a humidity meter... background! it doesn't have to be anything hard. you could just paint the back of the tank (on the outside) with a black or dark earth tone colored paint and a roller. i'm sure they wouldn't mind having an actual background to climb though... water and food bowls, yuck, lol. see if you can find some concave rocks or something you can grind or chip a reservoir into for that. it'll look and blend in a lot better imo... lid. correct me if i'm wrong but i think these guys like humidity. if so (and i'm not sure i'm seeing this correct) a screen top should be replaced with glass or plexi to cover most of the top...

you are doing great and are on the right track. i think these few tweaks will make all the world of difference for yours and the geckos enjoyment.

seadog-68 · #3 11-16-2009, 02:55 PM

Thanks man.

I agree and plan to do finish it as time permits. My wife was chomping at the bit to get the cage going and the little 15 gallon tank they were in was making us feel bad.

In my research daily misting of the animal and environment is sufficient. I certainly welcome comments on that however.

As far as a background I had big plans for that but didn't want to rush it and figured I could get to. However we really like the way it looks without one. That being said They do need more room to roam up high.

Oh well a work in progress. I just wanted to share and to make sure I am at least on the right track.

It is a very addicting hobby though.

beckdg · #4 11-16-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seadog-68

Thanks man.

I agree and plan to do finish it as time permits. My wife was chomping at the bit to get the cage going and the little 15 gallon tank they were in was making us feel bad.

completely understandable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seadog-68

In my research daily misting of the animal and environment is sufficient. I certainly welcome comments on that however.

sounds fine to me. i think they'll want the droplets on leaves and such to drink from anyway. if someone says otherwise i'd look further into it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seadog-68

As far as a background I had big plans for that but didn't want to rush it and figured I could get to. However we really like the way it looks without one. That being said They do need more room to roam up high.

i've got a couple ideas as far as a quick, easy background. if you do it the way you just pour the concrete on it'll be done in 3 or 4 days with about an hour or so of very easy work all together. i'll send you a link with pretty easy directions. it navigates through 3 different threads and several links but by the time you're done you should be an expert at very simple rock structures. you can even add your own ideas like doing 3 or 4 layers with the pink board to make it stick out far enough for the little guys to climb on. anyway... Blue/Pink foam board

i think this following link is an inspiration and although it's probably not what you're looking for the ledges can be made larger or shaped differently for your purposes. http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...hlight=leopard

all of these ideas can pretty much be covered with silicone and coco fiber.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seadog-68

Oh well a work in progress. I just wanted to share and to make sure I am at least on the right track.

It is a very addicting hobby though.

don't get down on yourself because you didn't think of EVERYTHING! you are doing a great thing here giving those little guys a better home. it seems to be on it's way to being a fantastic enclosure too. that's what we're here for.

and yes, it is addicting.

Deacon240 · #5 11-19-2009, 06:29 PM

Give them some more climbing room, they are arboreal so the higher the tank the better. I've got a bunch of bamboo poles in my cresty's current tank (40gal breeder turned vertical) that she hops from and to during the night when she hunts her cricks. She'll be moved into a 10gal vert that I'm working on now so I can redo her tank for a more naturalistic look.