This winter was mild and wet. I have a reptifogger and was only using it at night and hand misting a tad in the morning. I noticed my cresties coco fiber has been staying wet. It's only 1/4 inch thick. I found some mold spots on it this morning. Im thinking the spring summer will be moist too since the winter was not dry this time. Am I better off just scooping it all out and using paper towels? I have an 18x18x24 exo terra. What do most people use? My crestie is never on the floor of the tank anyway. I just like the look of the coco fiber. Im thinking I would have to change the papertowels often if they get too wet from the reptifogger and i dont want to disrupt my crestie shifting stuff around all the time. Anyone use nothing on the bottom? Thanks for any input.
Mold
- Thread starter Kristy
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Aimless
Super Moderator
I've tried cocofiber and, like you, found that it doesn't lend well to balanced moisture.
I use it in a blend with organic potting soil sometimes, like ~25% CF and 75% dirt in about 3-4"; then I layer moss or mulch over the top of that base. my cresties usually poo down the glass at the front of the cage, so spot-cleaning is a piece of cake. a few times a year the moss/mulch layer looks all matted and icky and I swap it out; the dirt layer gets swapped out every year, year and a half. I use real plants in my enclosures, too.
so, I'm not digging around in there and pestering the geckos all the time; I have a nice pretty setup; humidity is well-maintained and it's easy. I am against paper towel on principle as I think it's really ugly, and only use it for babies, ill animals, or animals in QT. practical? yes...but ugly, and probably not very interesting for the gecko.
do you need to mist in the morning? if you're getting the viv nice and damp at night, it's a good idea to give it time to get pretty dry during the day?
I use it in a blend with organic potting soil sometimes, like ~25% CF and 75% dirt in about 3-4"; then I layer moss or mulch over the top of that base. my cresties usually poo down the glass at the front of the cage, so spot-cleaning is a piece of cake. a few times a year the moss/mulch layer looks all matted and icky and I swap it out; the dirt layer gets swapped out every year, year and a half. I use real plants in my enclosures, too.
so, I'm not digging around in there and pestering the geckos all the time; I have a nice pretty setup; humidity is well-maintained and it's easy. I am against paper towel on principle as I think it's really ugly, and only use it for babies, ill animals, or animals in QT. practical? yes...but ugly, and probably not very interesting for the gecko.
do you need to mist in the morning? if you're getting the viv nice and damp at night, it's a good idea to give it time to get pretty dry during the day?
Embrace Calamity
New member
Aimless, I know with some other reptiles it's suggested to create a drainage layer with rocks or clay balls with terrarium liner on top and then add the substrate to help keep it from just sitting in water. Would that possibly help here?
~Maggot
~Maggot
I guess I was thinking 1/4 inch coco fiber was all I needed cuz my crestie is never on the bottom and I was thinking if its too deep it may hold too much moisture deep down. I wasnt sure about drainage rocks either. I just imagine water sitting at the bottom like in in a glass. I must not be good at understanding the concept of water and evaporation!! Im thinking maybe I shouldnt be misting in the morning (sometimes I havn't anyway, because the humidity hasnt always been cycling down this winter. My crestie drinks from the milk lid,so I know he gets enough water. Think I will do a good cleaning this weekend and take out the old coco fiber for now.
So shall I go ahead make the coco fiber 2 inches deep with the balls at the bottom?
My crestie appears healthy. Almost 2 years old and is 27g. His skin looks good. He loves to be under the reptifogger when it turns on. He eats Repashy and doesnt seem to care about crickets anymore, which I only did as a treat every couple months.
So shall I go ahead make the coco fiber 2 inches deep with the balls at the bottom?
My crestie appears healthy. Almost 2 years old and is 27g. His skin looks good. He loves to be under the reptifogger when it turns on. He eats Repashy and doesnt seem to care about crickets anymore, which I only did as a treat every couple months.
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Kristy, I suggest this video from LLLReptile.
How to Build a Crested Gecko Vivarium - YouTube
Yeah it's for an actual crested gecko vivarium, but you can watch the first couple of minutes to get an idea of how to set up your tank with a drainage layer. This would work in a tank without real plants as well. Hope this helps!
How to Build a Crested Gecko Vivarium - YouTube
Yeah it's for an actual crested gecko vivarium, but you can watch the first couple of minutes to get an idea of how to set up your tank with a drainage layer. This would work in a tank without real plants as well. Hope this helps!