Compressed coconut fibers??

[Gecko Newbie]

Okay, so I found a store called Arizona Reptile Center and drove 20 minutes to see the reptile guys because Petsmart and PetCo just weren't doing it for me. They really only sell sand for geckos (in many colors!) and I just can't have sand after all I've read.

I WAS going to go with the slate and tile thing, but again....it just wasn't the asthetic touch I was looking for. So I tried this store thinking I could always do slate if I didn't find something I liked there.

The store was pretty cool - TONS of reptiles, including the biggest captive python I've seen in my life... They agreed that sand was not a good idea and understood my aversion to paper towels and newspaper because of the way they look. The guy gave me Eco-Earth - compressed coconut fiber. It looks great and he said it's safe. WHAT DO ALL OF YOU THINK OUT THERE IN GECKO LAND?? I've got them in it right now - each in their own tanks and they're super curious, walking all around and stuff.

When I got home, he was literally chasing her around the tank, so I had to scoop her out (she went very willingly) and put her in a box while I set up their new homes. I'm glad they're apart - I just hope I wasn't hasty in choosing a substrate no one seems to mention anywhere......

Comments??

 

[Alex The Great]

Well, I use it for my hermit crabs and it works fine....
Fun FACT: mix it with worm castings and BOOM, Natural Fertalizer.

The substate absorbs water so you won't get mud...

I think it would work...for Geckos from rainforests and such. I think it's a good vivarium soil...

 

[Allee Toler]

I don't think anything is wrong with it.


Have you ever thought of Repti-carpet? They sell it in green and brown. It's flat, and you can wash it and put it in the dryer. If you put a few fake plants on the brown floor, it doesn't look half bad. Makes it easier to feed them worms as well. They don't dig down into the substrate, they only crawl on them.


I never thought of using coco fiber... I might give it a try. Although it'd be hard to feed her the worms she likes, she doesn't eat out of a bowl. She likes them to wonder around her tank and go look for them.

-------

As for the babies!! You can use the eggs as a project for the children, and if one of them wants one, call their parents and see! When I was in kindergarten we had a class cat who was pregnant, and I got to take home one of the kittens. =]

 

[Gecko Newbie]

So far, I'm really liking this coconut fiber stuff. I'm a little worried about how humid it's going to get, because it holds moisture pretty well.... Will it be harder for me to keep it warm in there?? Like I said, I had to rush getting them into the tanks because Mr. Gecko was harassing Lola so much - she actually climbed into the tree in the tank to get away from him! I was afraid she was going to fall and get hurt....

So I didn't have time to let the tanks reheat up to 90...it's only 80 in both tanks and the humidity is at 45-50.... I've got heating lights on to try and heat from above, too...at least for now... :?

------

So many people are suggesting that I hatch the babies as a class project. Yikes. The 2 geckos ARE our class project... I may see if any of the families want the babies, but I don't have any counter space for more tanks, nor do I have the finances to feed all those mouths. I may also ask the reptile store I found if they'll take them. Then Lola and Mr. Gecko will remain separated unless someday I feel like I can handle baby geckos...

 

[Allee Toler]

Just watch out. Female geckos can lay more than one clutch with just one mating. So if she lays only 2 eggs, or 3, don't think that's it. She'll lay more, in another clutch. Lol. That's the downfall of accidental pregnancies. They can hold sperm.

The temp should be fine if it gets to 90 sooner or later. If it takes two days, she should be fine.

As for a name for Mr. Gecko. Ever think of Tico? I think Tico and Lola. Lol. I had an uncle Tico and a cousin Lola, so that's the first boys name I think of with Lola. Haha.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I think that the coconut fiber is going to hold more humidity than you want. Keep in mind where these animals are from (Pakastan, etc). I know that you've done a lot of reading, but have you managed to read the thread that is stickied to the top of this forum titled, "what substrate are you using"? It's 11 pages long, but worth the read. I personally use sand and in almost 20 years have never had an issue with impaction. But that's not to say that it couldn't happen. In the end, there is no perfect substrate. The best thing that you can do is educate yourself and make the decision that suits you and your animals the best. If you do end up with sand, DON'T use calci-sand or any of the crazy colored stuff. As for hatching out the babies, you can always get a pet store to give you a few bucks each for them if you don't want to keep them. But, if you don't want to hassle with them, perhaps put an ad on craigslist.com (or on here even). It's likely that you'll find someone local that would be happy to take the eggs and hatch them out.
PS: WARNING - Geckos ARE addictive!!!

 

[acpart]

I think the humidity issue is an important one. I do use coco fiber for my african fat tail geckos, but they need a more humid environment. For them, I have some ceramic hides I made with bottoms, so I actually just about bury the hides in the coco fiber and that way the bottoms are not too far above the UTH. THere are people who have made incredible natural looking leopard gecko hides by fabricating with styrofoam and paint. If you search this forum and the related vivarium forums you will see them.

Here's a simple idea to make a somewhat naturalistic looking enclosure without too much time and money:
--use beige or brown ceramic tile for the substrate
--get some pieces of slate and lay them around the cage. If you want to make hiding areas for them you can, but be sure the rocks won't fall down accidentally and hurt the geckos.
--get some plastic gladware containers and cover the outside either by using glue and coco fiber, contac paper or something else (just so it doesn't look like plastic). Cut a reactangular hole in the lid so the geckos can climb in and out and fill it 3/4 of the way with coco fiber. This could be the lay box/humid hide, and could also make a nice class project (everyone can make one).

Aliza

 

[Gecko Newbie]

Grr coco fiber....

Yeah..... Now I'm not too happy. The temperature is becoming really hard to regulate with this stuff. I think maybe I made it too wet.... Perhaps when it dries out some it won't effect the temp so much??

::sigh:: This is a little frustrating.... I've spent a TON of money.... :?

I'll just keep at it...

Thanks for all the advice! I appreciate the support I've found here!

 

[Alex The Great]

Yeah, so if you use Eco-Earth, use it for Tropicle Jungle Geckos, like the Golden Gecko for example.