redecorating my Viv.

[Parker]

this is what its going to be:
reptile carpet as substrate
a good size hide (one of thoes 1/2 hollow logs)
a hammock.
water dish
food dish
some other vines or plant or something.

right now it is coconut husks and some moss stuff on top, and a wood log. but im getting mites, so i want it to be mostly artificial (so mites cant make a home and stuff). any other suggestions? if you have a mostly artificial viv, i would like to see a pic. thanks!

here is him and his viv (its alot bigger than it looks.)

 

[gecko888]

I think getting rid of the coco husk substrate would be a good idea if you are having mite issues. I use paper towels, though they aren't very attractive looking they are easy to clean. I also use the carpet in some of my enclosures and it works fine too. You just have to wash/disinfect it often which can be a pain. Other people have mentioned that their cresteds get their mouth stuck on the carpet while hunting...I have noticed this once or twice with really aggressive juveniles, so you may take that into consideration.

I don't think you need a water dish as cresteds rarely drink standing water -- just mist him once or twice a day and he will lick the water he needs off the inside of the cage and decorations.

Some other things you could use in his set-up are grapevine, the artificial jungle vines, and fake ivy/leaves. You can buy artificial plants at Hobby stores (Hobby Lobby, Michaels) - much cheaper than the "reptile plants" they sell at Petsmart and Petco. I wrap the jungle vine and fake ivy vines around the grapevine pieces in my enclosures and it provides a lot of hiding and climbing areas.

I have attached some pictures of my set-ups for you to get some ideas. The long 55 gallon tank houses my 4 females, the 29 gallon is for my male.

Post some pics of your new set-up when you finish!!

 

[MsShlee]

I think that a water dish is a very important part of a cresties tank.

Possibly turning the tank on it's end might be good as well because cresties are aboreal

You don't currently have very much in there for him to hide in so adding more plants is probably a good idea


personally I don't like reptile carpet , i tried it for a month and my crestie who i tried it with would constantly get his mouth stuck on the carpet when going after a cricket

i use paper towel and although it is not the nicest looking I find it to be the best thing to use

 

[gecko888]

I'm interested to know what purpose the water dish serves? I will leave one in with mine if I plan on being out of town for a day or two, but am not sure why one would be needed on a day to day basis? Maybe to increase humidity (as the water evaporated) but would that really make that much difference in humidity in a large enclosure, versus maintaining humidity by spraying, misting, foggers, waterfalls etc?

If there is some benefit to having a water bowl I'd like to know! I'm always looking to learn how to better my cresteds

 

[MsShlee]

I work for a breeder and he always says that water is very important

I do believe it will help with humidity

In a case where you are not around to mist or something it may assist with keeping humidity

Maybe this weekend I will discuss this more with ppl and get back to you

 

[Parker]

i dont keep a water dish any more, but i keep a hermit-crab sponge on his hammock.