some cage setup pics

[warnersister_2000]

wow    those are some killer cages, i might also add, the geckos in those pictures are all extremely beautiful, is the top one your breeder cage? i think i see one of them is a male. do you find it hard to find buried eggs? i agree, cage setup is the most fun, does anyone know if it stresses the gecko much to change his setup, or to change the paper towels?  i have to remove two "trees" everytime i do it, but usualy he's chilling in the vine stuck to the side

thanks!  yes, i was breeding in the top cage, and the 29g will also be used as a breeder cage with the divider removed.  i only use about 1.5-2 inches of eco earth so i don't have to dig so much, but it's bioactive, so i just stir it all up and look for eggs at the same time.  i also don't need to take the eggs out right after they're laid, as they incubate quite nicely in the moist soil.  i don't have live plants so i am able to take all the furnishings out.  i just leave the branch/vines and hanging plants up for most cleanings.  i just prefer the look of it to paper towels with a lay box.  it's a little more work, but i don't mind.

it will not stress your gecko to move it out of its cage into a critter keeper while you are cleaning.  then you don't have to worry about him escaping while you have the door open if you don't have your undivided attention on him.  i wouldn't rearrange his tank too often, but if you want to occasionally redecorate or introduce a new gecko, it won't hurt.

[marc.b.allard]

ya when i clean his cage i leave him in his tree, doesnt wander to far. i realy like the paper towel, its not was attractive, but its easy to clean and i can give it a complete wash in under 5  minutes, also its good for monitoring poo, and easier for him to catch his cricks, oh and of course, female cricks dont lay any eggs. any of u guys have that problem? i can imagine that it would be messy having little pinheads running loose

[warnersister_2000]

i don't feed crickets anymore, but when i did, i would refrigerate them after i gutloaded them and before i dusted them and put them in a dish so that by the time they started moving around again, they'd get eaten pretty quickly and didn't have the chance to wander about the cage.  this way i knew how many were getting eaten and no loose crickets.  i also work at petco so i get to handpick my crickets - i learned to go for the medium ones without wings

[marigold]

warnersister, i am curious about your use of eco earth for bedding... and having the geckos lay eggs in it.  it comes in block form, right?  there is also forest bed... is this the same thing?  i have been using either one of these for my lay boxes.  i have been told that leaving the eggs in this mixture for more than 24 hours would ruin the eggs.  which one ruins eggs, and which one can you leave the eggs in?  obviously, you would need to have the good stuff for a natural set-up.  thanks,
marigold

[monster]

i have heard the same rumor.
Forest Bedding and Eco Earth are the same. (EDIT: Forest Bed by T-Rex)
a couple of my lay boxes is Forest Beding mixed with Peat Moss, one is just straight. if the eggs are not removed day of laying, then they tend to "stain" the eggs which is where i beileve the spoiled eggs thing started.

[warnersister_2000]

if you're talking about the zoo med products, forest bedding is not the same as eco earth.  forest floor bedding is cypress mulch and eco earth is compressed coconut fiber.  having the mixture too moist or too dry will ruin the eggs.  however, a bioactive eco earth substrate forms a protective bacterial coating between the egg and the fiber.  even though the eggs discolor a bit, i have had a 100% hatch rate, even after eggs have been left in the cage for a few weeks.

there have been some individuals who have had low hatch rates using coco fiber (anthony was one of them but he was using bed-a-beast a couple of years ago) and believed it to be related to the pH level, but i don't know if they were just using fresh stuff in lay boxes, or in a bioactive natural setup.

[monster]

if you're talking about the zoo med products, forest bedding is not the same as eco earth.  forest floor bedding is cypress mulch and eco earth is compressed coconut fiber.

good catch. clarified above.

[marigold]

if you're talking about the zoo med products, forest bedding is not the same as eco earth.  forest floor bedding is cypress mulch and eco earth is compressed coconut fiber.  having the mixture too moist or too dry will ruin the eggs.  however, a bioactive eco earth substrate forms a protective bacterial coating between the egg and the fiber.  even though the eggs discolor a bit, i have had a 100% hatch rate, even after eggs have been left in the cage for a few weeks.

there have been some individuals who have had low hatch rates using coco fiber (anthony was one of them but he was using bed-a-beast a couple of years ago) and believed it to be related to the pH level, but i don't know if they were just using fresh stuff in lay boxes, or in a bioactive natural setup.

so are you saying i can use ecoearth but not forest bedding, or can i use either?  if i have a bioactive tank then it wouldn't matter?  i would really like to be able to just let my female lay her eggs and not be going through the egg box twice a day.  i do this because i am worried about leaving the eggs in there for any more time than i need to.  but my red girl  goes into and out of the box, making tunnels, for DAYS, and i ruin her tunnels every time i go  through the bedding.  even with checking twice a day, her last two eggs looked good, but were stained.  i worry so much about the lay boxes.  thanks,

[warnersister_2000]

i honestly don't know.  you would have to experiment i guess.  losing reptiles/eggs is part of the learning process of herpetology.  if you can't find the answers from someone else who has tried, then you have to try yourself.  when i find something that works, i usually stick with it.  although it doesn't hurt to find more efficient ways of doing things.

don't worry about the staining, that in itself isn't bad.

[TIKI]

wow you have beautiful terrarriums... you should sell them

[warnersister_2000]

thank you
i will trade my cage designing services for geckos for anyone local