Opinion on cresteds in containers?

[shailyn2005]

sorry if this has already been asked on here, i dont remember seeing anything on it soo... what are your guys opinion on keeping Crested Geckos and plastic containers/tubs? would there be any negative affects to the animal? Their nocternal so im sure the lack of light wouldnt be an issue. Reason i am asking is because i really dont like tanks since their heavy, harder to clean, not quite as stackable as containers, ect. and im thinking of switching my cresteds to containers.

[FrogO_Oeyes]

Being nocturnal doesn't render lack of light a 'non-issue'. Rhacodactylus are arboreal, so even if they're not ACTIVE during the day, they are certainly exposed to sunlight (including UV). As luck would have it the April issue of Reptiles provides a relevant, useful, and interesting article on lighting. Have a look. While many species seem to develop and breed without special lighting, there's good reason to believe that lighting has behavioral influences which people simply haven't noticed or paid attention to.

[Farva]

We have started using Sterilite bins for some of our smaller geckos. We have found that they work very will. They hold humidity better then Hagen tanks. As well we find it easier to hang vines and such in the tanks. If you are going to use them you just need to remember to drill enough holes for ventilation.
I will get Andrea to post some pictures of our setups in a bit.

[shailyn2005]

ooo pictures would be nice! i noticed that my kenyans containers tend to hold tons more moisture than my tanks which is another reason i want to switch over to containers

[Spankenstyne]

You could also get the same effect by limiting ventilation in your current enclosures. While I do keep some of my breeder cresteds and gargoyles in large clear tall plastic bins my preference is more natural setups in large glass enclosures. If anything I'd change more of mine to the tanks than the plastic tubs.

[shailyn2005]

iv covered parts of the lids, but it hasnt really made much of a difference

[shailyn2005]

Also would those plastic drawer storage towers work as a rack? or can geckos get out of them easily?

[StickyFeet.]

Using tubs is fine, but you have to make sure you are purchasing tubs that will still meet their requirements.

Cresteds are aboreal, so your tub should be a minimum of 18 inches tall for an adult. If you can go 24 inches tall, that is even better. Babies and juvies can be housed in smaller tubs, but they still need climbing space.

So no those plastic drawer storage racks would not be suitable as they are too small.

[joeysgreen]

I've looked at those plastic drawer racks for other things animal related and they just don't cut the mustard, even if you find one large enough. Escape would not be hard, and barring that, there are places that they could get caught into and injured when you open the drawer. Adding to that, the drawers usually don't slide in/out that well and need to be rocked or jerked.

While I'm guilty to some degree, I still find it a negative hobby attribute that 18-24 inches tall qualifies as an arboreal enclosure.
Shall we start a movement towards keeping a few animals extraordinarily well as opposed to keeping tonnes of animals in convenience housing?

[StickyFeet.]

The people who have been working with Crested Geckos since 1994 when they were "rediscovered" and those same people who have been formulating a healthy diet that mimics their environment for them for 10+ years have set the housing requirements for these Geckos. They have also written numerous books on them, are there a bunch of new "Rhac bible" books set to be released. 18x18x24 inches tall is suitable for 1-2 geckos. Are you wanting to take the majority of the gecko community by storm and tell them what they are doing is wrong?

I've seen extraordinary glass set ups, and i've also seen extraordinary tub set ups as well being fully planted and immaculate.

If you're going to own an animal, whether you keep it in a tub or in a glass enclosure, put 110% of your effort into it to make it the best it can possibly be for your animals.


I primarily use exo-terra glass enclosures for all of my Geckos, but I have picked up a handful of tubs within the past month to try out and set them up with live plants throughout along with enough fake foliage placed in there along the sides so the animal can easily hide and not be found, and so there is more than enough climbing materials for them to utilize.