Orchid/gecko viv
 

Everyone's having frogs but I'm going to have small green day geckos. They're like jewels in orchid jungle. I have added myself on two different sites of reptiles but not felt wellcome. Nobody comments my guestions etc. Here everyone has made me feel like home and now I'm asking your help to get perfect home for both. It's kind of funny that even at home my best friends are from gardening sites. Maybe plants are such therapy people have energy to be nice to each other!

Has anyone heard that conifer wood would cause geckos health problems? I'm going to have crushed bark on the bottom and now afraid that if that's too fresh and aromatic oils in it problems could occure.

Here is my sketch for vivarium.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...eakaappi-1.jpg

How do you think of it? There's couple of heating stones and on the top fluorescent tube lights.

On the bottom there's going to be water circulating via filter and a waterfall to keep vivarium moist. Above it strong grid and mesh avoiding surface material dropping down. Surface material is crushed bark deep enough to plant the orchids. There also a big branch geckos climb around and orchids on it. Back wall is covered with material I can use suspending more orchids.

yeah, I know pine and cedar is a no no for any mammals, not sure about reptiles, but I would assume similar since it's basically an irritant. plenty of non-degrading woods to choose from besides cedar, how about teak?

I love geckos, friend was into them for quite a while. I still have a rule against having pets which require live food that isn't a worm (fish and worms I'm ok with)...

That doesn't mean I can't appreciate your geckos! be sure to take pics! What kind of food do they like? Will you be taking it out and playing with it?

Hello, both of you any many, many thanks for your information :bowing . This is just what I suspected. I don't have geckos yet but making preparations to get them and trying to do everything right in the first place. This is so me... always trying to think all aspects before acting.

I have big silver willow blocks, there's plenty of bark on them. Maybe I could crush it and use with mosses? There's also plenty of different mosses in the forest near me. Is there any wood type orchids wouldn't like?

I have heard that geckos like flowers ( I could be wrong ) ... you may get the plants to bloom only to see them eaten as a meal for your geckos .. :hmm .. something to consider and further look into ... :nod:

Heeh, it is much posible geckos are very willing to have a taste of orchid flowers. We'll see if honey drops elsewhere keep them interested enough or not. Well, who wouldn't like orchid flowers :lol: . It shows only they are very sophisticated and like gourmet food.

For ventilation there's going to be one fan low blowing in and one on the top sucking out. I thought lower fan could be quite near "water fall" and UV- lamp there quite near also, then it would maybe rise the moist upwards.

I knew there was a reason why I liked geckos ;)

I'm quite familiar with Gold Dust Geckos and they were very friendly and wanted to climb on me etc. Never a sign being afraid. If they are scared and want run for their life they drop their tail (if I remember right), never happened.

That terrarium wasn't well planned and quite ascetic and there were no flowers. So I have no real experience of it. I'll tell here immediately if they do or don't eat flowers. If, then we can make delicatess menu for all geckos :idea: .

I thought geckos were carniverous...in africa they eat insects like mosquitoes! ...

sorry I forgot to add that you are quite right Lioneve, they drop their tails when scared but it grows back (their way of getting away from their predator)

Day geckos eat crickets and other insects but also nectar and mashed fruits. They like so many things I'm a bit afraid how much they'll like orchid flowers. At least they are so light they can't sit them flat like our cat does sometimes.

This is getting worse than I ever thought :blushing: !! I'm already planning another terrarium (only for orchids).

I went yesterday into one internationally known furniture shop and bought a glass showcase. Next thing is I'm going tomorrow to hardware store with trailer and buy water resistand plywood for a floor, top and back wall. I boufht already silicone glue for corners etc. and then I'll still need fans. I decided to give a try for LED lights, we'll see are they any good.

With my kids I went yesterday to the forest nearby and look what I found dropped from a big pine
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ium/Oksa_2.jpg

Most beautifull branch I think! There was also plenty of moss I picked small amounts from numerous places. This is getting crazier than I ever thought!!! Now there's going to be two terrariums already...

Thanks for your advice, Paul! This moss we collected is allthough for the other (smaller) only-for-orchid terrarium like the branch.

For gecko viv I'm going to buy all that kind of materials from shop.

I keep a few species of day geckos and I also have a couple of orchid in my smaller geckos viv it has not flowered yet but they seem to really like the larger orchid because I found 4 eggs in my Phalaenopsis Mericlone (brother pirate king x sand pebbles this is what the tag on it says). Also I dont know what gecko forums/sites you have visited but Geckos Unlimited forums are really great and there is a lot of info about most day geckos there

Thanks for a hint about that site, just registered in and looks good.

As for your substrate issue if you are looking for something to use that will be good for the gecko and for the orchids use coconut bark. The only time I have ever seen really eccentric geckos who were scared were the ones who were the overly bred ones where they bred back to keep certain genetic characteristics. In the end tho stick to a simple design with simple objects; that will be the easiest to care for and in the end will create endless opportunities for the geckos and the orchids. I don't know about gecko's eating orchid flowers. Oh and one more thing heating rocks are a BAD BAD IDEA! Geckos are way to little with way to thin skin to allow to stay on a heating rock, they will not only burn their skin but they can also cause burns to their internal organs. You should find a different alternative for keeping them warm. I found that a small heat light pointing on a dark colored stone works quite well. Just be sure to keep an eye on how hot the rock gets. Just remember that if it feels a little hot to the back of your hand imagine if you were a little gecko with papery thin skin on it. OUCH! I think once you get everything together it will be a harmonious climate for both the geckos and orchids. Good Luck. If you have some more questions just let me know. I have had quite a few reptiles and have a good amount of experience with lizards and geckos. >.<

Geckos do like to eat plants. You should check the toxicity of the various orchids you incorporate with the reptile. Some are more so than others. Dendrobiums work well. I also am in the process of building my repti-orchid-terrarium. Mine has a pretty little jewel chameleon. You should also be careful of the substrate you use, your gecko might ingest it - bark is bad for them to eat, if you use any planted orchids you could cover the soil with stones, and make sure you clean the plants THROUGHLY before adding your reptile to the terrarium. They really should be soaked but at least wash the leaves and you could even use a bit of dish soap as long as you rinse really well, your gecko will get water from the leaves and it is important there is no residue from fertilizers.

Yep. Use coconut bark. And sphagnum moss works well for both orchids and reptiles. You could buy some live for cheap.

I didn't really read through all the posts before I posted my last remark. There is an issue I think about feeding insects to your reptile, they might harm your orchids. Geckos will eat forages and greens but they like crickets and mealworms too. I would moniter feeding. Only give it a few at a time, make sure he eats them, especially if he is a baby you should moniter his food intake anyway.

i would also be careful of the media because when geckos eat, they get pieces of the flooring, i.e. bark or sand, with their food, which can cause impactions. basically, it will cause constipation that kills the poor guy.

DH used to keep poison dart frogs in a vivarium. He had aquarium gravel on top of a plastic screen of some sort. (Like they used in aquariums at that time.) He used cork bark for the back of the vivarium. It was beautiful and held plants like a bromeliad. There was a waterfull flowing over a large rock. A pump filtered the water and then sent it down the falls again. It was beautiful and the frogs were very happy. We fed them wingless fruit flies. Occasionally a frog would escape. Very exciting. :shock:

I forgot to say that there must be books and websites for gecko information and possibly info on building a vivarium.