banana gecko

manville · 03-07-04, 02:27 AM

hey guys would peat moss be ok for substrate for a banana gecko? Is it necceasary to having a heating source?

sketchy4 · 03-07-04, 10:20 AM

i have heard of people using peat moss but couldnt tell ya if that is the best substrate as i have not been in contact with alot of people with banana geckos.

DragnDrop · 03-07-04, 10:35 AM

If you are thinking of Gehyra vorax, then moist peat will work. I've got a juvie pair right now set up that way, and a the 3 pairs I had years ago had peat substrate as well. They don't need a lot of heat, but a bit more than normal room temperature will do. I find mine do very well with the bit of heat put out by the fluorescent lights, which raises the temps to around 78-80 F near the top of the enclosure and down to room temps at night.

lostwithin · 03-07-04, 10:41 AM

Hi, I've used peat moss for everything I own, I find with geckos it works fine, my tokays do fine on it, only thing is they tend too get mouthfuls while feeding some times, but this wont hurt them, (just too warn you) I was worried the first time I saw it, and if that does bother you, I would suggest taking double the peat you were going too put in and soak it in a tub or something, then once its > WET< pack it tightly into the cage (this is what I use for my larger boids, works wonders, once its packed in it will dry into a solid piece, it will hold any moisture you spray into it, and absorbs ANY smell, hence why I use it for pythons and boas, once a section is soiled it becomes loose an you can scoop it out and simply pack in a new handful of wet peat, .

I went a bit off topic there, yes peat lose or packed will work, oh one more thing, if the peat remains lose in the cage (as in not wet then packed) you have too watch that it doesn’t dry out, once dried allot of dust gets into the air, I don’t know if it bothers the reptiles breathing, but it surly will bug any people around, I would strongly suggest packing it as I said above, much easier too work with and maintain, in the case of a gecko, you wont have too scoop out chunks of it like you would with a large boa went it urinates, so another advantage of it being packed too a had surface for geckos is you’ll be ale too just scoop there droppings right off the top of the substrate.

Devon
P.s, Thats fairly long sorry about that

Kyle Barker · 03-07-04, 04:26 PM

works fine, but plants dont grow in it too good for too long, unless you fertilize.

JeffT · 03-07-04, 04:41 PM

Thats not true, I have about 4 types of plants in my Vorax cage with unfertilized soil and they are all doing great. Also the UV lighting you should have for the gecko is great for the plants.

manville · 03-07-04, 05:31 PM

would room temperature work for both day and night? if not what kind of light source should i get i have a heating pad underneath the tank already how much does the light usuallu cost?

Kyle Barker · 03-08-04, 02:21 AM

ya i dont fertilize either but its not peat, soil/dirt. Peat is used for hydroponics usually, therefor a medium with almost no nutrients. The few times i tried straigh peat in cages the plants lasted about 4-5 months and started to show signs of magnesium/nitrogen shortage. All im saying is it is great but your plants are going to need some added nutrients at some point.

JeffT · 03-14-04, 08:36 PM

manville-

I dont think a undertank heating pad is any good seeing as they are aboreal. I have almost never seen mine on the ground. You need heat lamps, daytime temp of 85F ish and a night time low of 70F, for the night time bulb you can just use a black light bulb from any store, (NOTE:dont buy from a pet store, they will sell you the same bulb for about $20 rather then $5). And last but not least the UV lighting, this stuff is more expensive, but worth it for the animals health. You can find the light fixtures for about $20 at a home REVI or even in your bargain finder, and the 5.0 bulb is around $40. Hope this clears things up.

Jeff

manville · 03-19-04, 06:40 PM

you know whats weird. I see my banana gecko on the ground more often than on the glass. I rarely see it being arboreal. sometimes it is though. I have a heating pad right now. It seems pretty fine so i think im gonna stick with it. Would a blacklight work for day and night?

JeffT · 03-19-04, 07:48 PM

That is probably because he is cold and wants heat, so hes on the ground. Try and get a heat lamp for him so he can keep up in the higher places, they feel much more secure there. A black light is good for night time, but for the daytime just use a regular 75-100 watt bulb, preferable the ones kinda triangular shaped, for outdoor garage lights. Again, you can get those at a hard ware store and only cost about $10 for 2-4 bulbs.

manville · 03-20-04, 03:51 AM

any kind of light would work wouldnt it?

Slannesh · 03-20-04, 04:55 AM

any kind of bulb would work yes, because they're being used for heat not light. That's what the UV is for.

JeffT · 03-20-04, 12:02 PM

Yeah I just suggest those ones because they get the temp to around 78F-85F in my cage, which is perfect.

manville · 03-20-04, 02:30 PM

oh i see thanks