Findng eggs: need some creative ideas...

[Turtlestork]

Okay. Well, I have cresties, and they are going to be living in a large (18" Wx6'Lx2'H) natural viv. The thing is I want them to breed in this tank also. The problem I have is that the whole bottom of the terrarium is covered in a coco fiber/fir bark mix about 3 inches deep. I need to have a way of either finding eggs/babies. I have pondered a few different ideas. I first though of getting a bunch of leaves to cover the floor and I could tell where to search by where the leaves are disturbed. The thing is that the geckos are small enough to slip under even the smallest leaves. Then I thought I could get maybe tree fern fiber and layer this above the substrate and use this to see if the substrate has been disturbed. I also thought about maybe putting a small layer of gravel about a half inch into the substrate and then when I see this exposed I would know if the substrate has been disturbed. I would search the tank every few days, but I would be afraid of harming the eggs and stressing the geckos. I also thought about maybe letting them hatch in the tank, but then the adults would eat them and I can't have this. Thanks.


TS

 

[lessthantito]

I never really had a problem finding my crested eggs in a planted viv you just have to go through every thing very carefully and really just watch the weight of your females that to me was the easiest way to tell when they laid and as far as stressing them I never had any problems with that

 

[niccoliherp]

I agree with lessthantito, keep a good eye on your females to know when to look. You can also make the coco fiber very flat on top, which would make it easier to see the disturbances with out having to add anything. I would not suggest letting the eggs incubate in the tank because, as you said, the adults will eat the babies, and you will lose alot of babies that way.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I agree. Keeping weight records on your females will help you to know exactly when they lay. That's what I do with my felinus females.

 

[zBrinks]

Weekly inspections, as well as weighings, will make life alot easier when it comes to knowing when to look for eggs. You can also try a layer of leaf litter, as its pretty obvious when it's been significantly disturbed.