Mold
- Thread starter Shelley
- Start date
I have a baby Crested Gecko. I have a silk plant that is attached to a piece of bark. It had mold on it this morning. I moved the bark and noticed that the substrate is very wey underneath. I mist the tank in the morning and at night. I usually can only get the humidity up to 30%. I keep the temperature in the day around 80 degrees. At night, I turn off the heat source and the temperature gets to the mid 60's.
Aimless
Super Moderator
did you wash/sterilize the cage decoration before you put it in?
the cage looks pretty good.
again, how are you measuring the humidity? I'd bet there's a problem with your measuring instrument. usually one heavy misting in the evening is sufficient unless you live in a very dry climate.
can I ask what's up with his tail? has he lost part, or is it just the angle of the photo?
the cage looks pretty good.
again, how are you measuring the humidity? I'd bet there's a problem with your measuring instrument. usually one heavy misting in the evening is sufficient unless you live in a very dry climate.
can I ask what's up with his tail? has he lost part, or is it just the angle of the photo?
Aimless
Super Moderator
unfortunately, those humidity guages aren't really very reliable.
hmm that type of moss can sometimes hold too much moisture. I'd slow down on the misting and play it by ear.
however, the cage furniture should really be washed well. to keep the mold from spreading, you might pull out the top part of your substrate and all the cage furniture, replace the substrate and wash & replace the decorations.
hmm that type of moss can sometimes hold too much moisture. I'd slow down on the misting and play it by ear.
however, the cage furniture should really be washed well. to keep the mold from spreading, you might pull out the top part of your substrate and all the cage furniture, replace the substrate and wash & replace the decorations.
Aimless
Super Moderator
no, you can't wash the moss sufficient to remove mildew/mold spores.
the furniture - you have a couple of options. some people use dilute bleach (10-15% for 10 minutes) or straight household ammonia. I personally use a more industrial cleaner. the most important thing is to rinse very, very thoroughly and give it a good chance to dry. this will kill the mold, but also you don't want your gecko licking any disinfectants.
the furniture - you have a couple of options. some people use dilute bleach (10-15% for 10 minutes) or straight household ammonia. I personally use a more industrial cleaner. the most important thing is to rinse very, very thoroughly and give it a good chance to dry. this will kill the mold, but also you don't want your gecko licking any disinfectants.
Aimless
Super Moderator
she will probably be OK, but that's no guarantee as I have no idea what kind of mold it is. I'd just try to clean up the environment as soon as you're able to switch to misting once a day.
do you have a drainage layer below your substrate? that might help keep the humidity up but the surface moisture on the ground a little more in control.
do you have a drainage layer below your substrate? that might help keep the humidity up but the surface moisture on the ground a little more in control.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Welcome to Geckos Unlimited, Shelley!
I recommend totally removing the wet substrate and beginning anew. The cage furnishings can be washed with DAWN dish detergent and warm water.
If you use something like a 10% bleach solution or straight ammonia, NEVER mix bleach and ammonia. Toxic fumes will result. :-( When using either alone it is important to let the tank off gas for 24 hours.
How about spraying 1x daily at night?
A drainage layer can be constructed like this:
1st layer: Hydroton clay culture marbles---a couple inches
2nd layer: Weedblocker cloth (which allows water to penetrate)
3rd layer: Eco Earth coconut fiber medium---a couple inches
Then you add water to the Hydroton by watering the cocofiber medium occasionally.
LCD (strip) thermometers and analog gauges aren't all that accurate. Consider investing $35 in a dual thermometer/hygrometer sold by the Bean Farm. This instrument measures both temperature and humidity right at the probe.
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Elizabeth,
Thank you! I printed out what you wrote to me. Can I purchase all of it at Petsmart?
I wanted to tell you that my class won a contest with Petsmart and Scholastic. I wrote an essay on how how I use pets in the classroom. I have an Eastern Box turtle, a Fire Belly toad, and a hermit crab. The prize was a $500 giftcard to Petsmart to buy an additional classroom pet. I chose a gecko, but I have not been able to bring him to live at school yet. The temperatures have been below freezing since I got him. When I do bring him to school, how will I handle the heat and the humidity on the weekends? I teach an hour away from my home. I could bring him home on the weekends, but I did not know how she would handle the drive. Please help.
Thank you! I printed out what you wrote to me. Can I purchase all of it at Petsmart?
I wanted to tell you that my class won a contest with Petsmart and Scholastic. I wrote an essay on how how I use pets in the classroom. I have an Eastern Box turtle, a Fire Belly toad, and a hermit crab. The prize was a $500 giftcard to Petsmart to buy an additional classroom pet. I chose a gecko, but I have not been able to bring him to live at school yet. The temperatures have been below freezing since I got him. When I do bring him to school, how will I handle the heat and the humidity on the weekends? I teach an hour away from my home. I could bring him home on the weekends, but I did not know how she would handle the drive. Please help.
I have a baby Crested gecko.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
You are welcome, Shelley.
How about adding some 1"-1.5" thick bamboo for diagonal and horizontal climbing and a nice piece of driftwood? Corkbark flats and tubes also make for a good climb and a secure hide.
It's a good idea to have a horizontal basking bar not too far from the overhead light. This could be made one of two ways:1. Take a section of bamboo and split it lengthwise. Then drill 2 holes on either end and suspend with wires from the screen top.
2. Take some bamboo the width of the tank. In either end place an equivalent size suction cup. Then scoot the bamboo into place.
Sanseveria makes good resilient plants for crestie enclosures.
Zoo Med has a product similar to Hydroton (clay culture balls) that you may be able to find at Petsmart. Hydroton can be purchased at a store which does hydroponics. Zoo Med's Eco Earth coconut fiber can be purchased in compressed bricks (a 3 pack) or already hydrated. That may also be available at Petsmart.
For the weedblocker cloth (also called Landscape Fabric "economical weed control" -- brand Easy Gardener) try Fred Meyers or a garden store.
An online resource with great prices and excellent customer service: www.petmountain.com
$500 is a super cool gift from Petsmart! They must have really liked your proposal. :yahoo:
About your young crestie: Keeping her full time at school just depends upon the heat situation during the weekends and holidays. Does the temperature ever drop below the mid-60s? There needs to be some consistent ambient room heat during those nights and weekends.
Mature crested geckos should be kept no lower than 68 ish F nights (and that may be a bit low for juveniles) to about 80*F for the warm zone during the day. I only have a single mature crestie. Perhaps someone who has raised a hatchling can chime in? In any case, it will be additionally stressful bringing this little guy home on weekends. Classrooms are noisy places for geckos under most circumstances.
1. There is a product by ESU Reptile called a Power Center which you might find useful. It has 4 timer-controlled outlets (2 day, 2 night) and 4 constant-power outlets. I have a couple of them I purchased from Doctors Foster & Smith.
2. The Pangea forum sells a good quality powdered crestie diet. Crickets are great too.
3. A thermostat may help you keep the crestie's temperatures in the proper comfort zone? Hydrofarm makes a decent thermostat for ~$32. It has a digital readout and a small metal probe.
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Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
You're welcome, Shelley!
Many of us believe in feeding mainly insects to cresties and using powdered crestie diets on the side.
Here's a thorough caresheet written by mod Thorrshamri who hails from France.
Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...ciliatus/66758-crested-geckos-care-sheet.html