Crested Gecko Caging

I do really like Exo-terra. Certainly better than Flukers. Though that floor plant I have in my tank is Flukers and it only cost me $5 at an expo so that was a nice score.

 

idk just try to stay away from zoo-med.... i think there stuff is SHIT!

 

Zoo-med actually does make very good products that not many other big brands make. They also have lower prices than exo-terra products in most cases. I like both Zoomed and ExoTerra, it's Flukers you have to stay away from, they aren't exactly out there for the betterment of the reptile community...

 

maybe its just the stuff they sent to the petco where i live..(i try not to shop at petco but sometimes i have too).. there lights brake all the time... i also got a incebator online one time... and its crap... pure crap... yeah exo-tera is spendy but on the one hand i would pay 3 bucks more for a light.. if i know it was going to last 4 months longer...
one thing il say about zoo-med is that ARE out there to try to better the reptile community they do all this side work studying reps

 

The brand I like the best is bit up and coming... Zilla. So far I haven't found a "bad" product yet! They actually sell the "right" kind of cage supplies - like a felt-like mat as the substrate to a leo cage, the right kind of thermometer, etc.

Anyway, it really all depends on the actual product itself and how you use it. I'm sure every brand has a couple good things! Lol.

 

true true... i still like exo-tera the best they just seem to have what i need for "rain forrest" cages and life that i like

FYI that was my 30th posts haha

 

i am happy to say that after all this crazy christmas is over il be back and starting my pic by pic show of how i do a planted tank for my cresties ta ta for now kiddies

 

What is that background made from? Is it the exo-terra one?

 

yeah in that cage its just the exo-terra one the tank come with... but i make other backgrounds

 

So... if you use a screen cage for a crested, how do you maintain humidity??? I want a crested gecko sometime in the (hopefully near) future, and am searching and reading up what I can.

 

Humidity is a very over-rated issue with crested geckos in my opinion. I've found that they do not require nearly as high an ambient humidity as most imagine and they do not need to be kept like frogs with frequent spray downs.

I kept a breeding trio in a large screen cage for over 3 years and had absolutely 0 issues. All of the geckos shed just fine, laid their eggs to yield successful breeding efforts, and ate and behaved perfectly normal. They actually do very well with screen and love climbing on it - some speculate it can help to prevent te onset of floppy tail syndrome due to the more constant use of muscle to climb.

I would still advocate more frequent mistings if using screen though - while I generally only spray down my animals once nightly in glass vivaria, I would recommend a good heavy misting at night and a couple of lighter mistings during the day if once everything has dried up. But you do not need to go out of your way to purchase a automatic misting system, fogger, or some other expensive device just for screen caging unless the ambient humidity in your home is exceptionally low... I never had a single issue with mine though.

The only reason I stopped using the screen was for cleaning purposes and the desire to make a better naturalistic display with greater visibility. When they defecate on the sides of the screen it can be a nuisance to clean thoroughly in a way that removes all the residue, but a soapy toothbush does a pretty solid job. I now use the Exo-Terra cages for all of my rhacs though.

You can see the screen cage I used in Post #8 on Page 1 of this Thread = )

 

thanks so much! what is your average humidity of you house and what do you try to keep your rhacs at? I don't believe my humidity is "low" in my house- it's about average. maybe higher on rainy and foggy days for obvious reasons.

 

I never measure my rhacs to be honest with you; I just kind of play by observation. If I notice a shedding issue, I will increase misting frequency. You also want to mist in cycles - allow the substrate and cage decor to completely dry out before misting again to prevent giving mold and other junk from having a nice moist environment. They do not need a constant high humidity value at all times, just cycle it = )

I'd say the average humidity in my house is 45% - in the winter I try to increase the frequency of my spray times just a touch since it is naturally drier, but most of the time a single solid spray down at night is adequate in glass caging for me. I'd aim to do a heavy misting at night, and a couple of light sprays during the morning-daytime in a screen cage and that should be just fine. I've never misted more than 2-3x daily in any rhac viv though do use moisture retaining substrate like coir/bioactive mixes or cypress mulch/bark in that screen cage.

 

this is my exo and yes that is grass growing sad really that my little yard looks better then the front yard