Lizards, hermies anyone??

[krazymom]

I posted a on the reptile site but it is not as popular as the AA I guess....anyone know a good reptile site. We have a 76 gallon aquarium that we are going to make into a terarium and I wanted to learn a bit about it BEFORE I go buy everything this time!!! My kids want geckos, we already have 3 hermit crabs and my son wants a tortoise. Can all this stuff live in there together?? Are there any other kinds of lizards that can live with geckos?

Oh yeah, about the hermit crabs...They are the kind you buy at the kiosk at the mall (kids got them for Christmas from their uncle and they are still doing well) Anyways are they the same kind that people put into their fishtanks? I do put them in water for 3-4 minutes once a week or so (as I read to do on a hermie website). Just wondering if they are the same or a different kind. The website said to give them the bath to get them nice and wet and get their gills wet, but if they have gills how do they survive out of the water??

Sorry to ramble...

 

[Toirtis]

I posted a on the reptile site but it is not as popular as the AA I guess....anyone know a good reptile site. We have a 76 gallon aquarium that we are going to make into a terarium and I wanted to learn a bit about it BEFORE I go buy everything this time!!! My kids want geckos, we already have 3 hermit crabs and my son wants a tortoise. Can all this stuff live in there together?? Are there any other kinds of lizards that can live with geckos?

Wow...lots to answer. Well firstly, a tortoise, even the smallest sort require quite a bit more than a 76 gallon aquarium....they need a large indoor enclosure (starting in the 40" x 6' range and up) and an outdoor enclosure (ranging from 40 sq ft and up), as well as a lot of acre, time, etc...I really do not suggest them for anyone under 18 and without a lot of room.

Gecko....any idea what sort of geckjo your son is interested in....there are dozens of common species, many very different in husbandry.

As far as 'all this stuff living together'..no, not a chance. As far as other lizards that may live successfully with certain geckos...well, it will really depend on what gecko we are taking about.

Oh yeah, about the hermit crabs...They are the kind you buy at the kiosk at the mall (kids got them for Christmas from their uncle and they are still doing well) Anyways are they the same kind that people put into their fishtanks?

No....they are terrestrial, and will drown in short order.

I do put them in water for 3-4 minutes once a week or so (as I read to do on a hermie website).

Poor website if it did not tell you to give them only a few centimeters of water...again, these are a terrestrial species.

The website said to give them the bath to get them nice and wet and get their gills wet, but if they have gills how do they survive out of the water??

Becuase they process atmospheric air, and although they require a reasonably high humidity, they do not need to be wet.

 

[krazymom]

Thanks for the info. I will have to research the geckos and lizards little more.
ok, NO tortoises.

The hermies are fun to watch. I do keep a wet towel over the top of the inclosure to help keep the humidity up (I live in Arizona, "but it's a dry heat" is the local joke.) So when I give them a bath am I really stressing them out? Should I keep the water at about 1/2 their body/shell depth? Or skip it altogether? They seem to like it and are very active durring and after the bath. Maybe they are worried about drowning . When we got them as a gift I googled some sites to learn how to keep them as I had no clue about them. I don't know what the sites were anymore.

 

[Toirtis]

I will have to research the geckos and lizards little more.

Well, feel free to ask any questions you may have....I have more knowledge in that are than in aquariums, even.

So when I give them a bath am I really stressing them out? Should I keep the water at about 1/2 their body/shell depth?

Precisely....and mist them a couple of times daily as well.

 

[krazymom]

ps. know any good reptile sites??

 

[Toirtis]

Specific ones, but most board types are lacking at best, or are filled with misinformation. As I said, feel free to ask me (either here or via e-mail...see my sig).

A gecko one that is excellent is:

http://www.gekkota.com/

 

[krazymom]

Thanks, I'm sure I will have tons of s for you!! We are just beginning this adventure and have zero knowledge about it.

My kids are 7, 7 and 4. They want geckos, do you have any specific suggestions that are good for younger kids?

 

[Toirtis]

My kids are 7, 7 and 4. They want geckos, do you have any specific suggestions that are good for younger kids?

Nothing for the 4 year-old...really just too young. As for the 7 yearolds, about the only choice are leopard geckos or African fat-tailed geckos....both are very similar Eublepharine geckos that have modest space requirements, simple and easy husbandry, are quite hardy and long-lived (20+ years), and are very tractible and tolerate a reasonable amount of light handling....and are quite interesting to watch.

 

[lyquidphyre]

Are their hearts set on geckos?

I personally think Water Dragons are the coolest looking lizards =o)
And with a water dragon, you can have a really interesting set up/habitat for them that would be very visually stimulating.

I used to have one names Trent-

They are just awesome looking IMO

 

[Toirtis]

Water dragons are nice, but unless they are stunted, should get to a good 40"+ including tail, and that requires some serious room.

For a space of about 5' x 3', your best bet would be a bearded dragon, as far as I am concerned, but they can be a bit much in the food and cost department for a first-timer.

 

[krazymom]

It does seem a bit of a waist of a huge aquarium to only have geckos in it but
I think the leopard gecko sounds pretty good. I read that website and the care sounds pretty doable for us. I like the fact that they can't crawl on the glass! (hopefully not escape!) It is a lifetime commitment though, 20-30 years I want to make sure my kids are aware of that, these creepers will be going to college with them, LOL!

The bearded dragon requires a lot of special heat and light and stuff right?

Have you ever heard of the Mediterranean Gecko? There is an article in May 2005 Arizona Highways magazine about them. My husband wants to get some and let them go around the outside of the house and in the garage. They live well here and stay in urban areas (do not incroach on wildlife) and eat crickets, black widow spiders ect. It wasn't listed on that website unless it has another name I'm not aware of. I read most of the listings and it didn't sound like any of them. It says adults are about 3 inches long, covered with very small soft bumps and usually dusky brown in color, and can become pale almost pinkish (because of temp.)

 

[lyquidphyre]

Haha that reminds me of a funny thing my dad said, krazymom!

The rent house my parents moved to apparently had tons of roaches in the walls... so my dad wanted to release a bunch of "geckles" to eat the roaches..

My mom put her foot down because she didn't want to have to deal with a bunch of lizards once the roaches were gone. Its kinda like bringing in one pest to deal with another...

but it was so funny to hear my dad call them "geckles"

 

[Toirtis]

It does seem a bit of a waist of a huge aquarium to only have geckos in it but...

So grab a 20 long or a 30-40 wide and put a gecko or two in it and save the big tank for something else.

The bearded dragon requires a lot of special heat and light and stuff right?

Well, more heat than the leopard geckos, and full-spectrum UV light (which the leopard geckos do not), and they eat a lot more...so I guess the answer is yes.

Have you ever heard of the Mediterranean Gecko?

Hemidactylus turcicus, yes.

(do not incroach on wildlife)

Rubbish....and besides, even eating bugs in your yard potentially affects native wildlife. If you get some for around your house, catch them in the wild, because you already have a feral population that you do not want to add to (and releasing more may get you in hot water with your local F&W).

It wasn't listed on that website unless it has another name I'm not aware of. I read most of the listings and it didn't sound like any of them.

It was likely there, but under the taxonomic name rather than the common one. Search under Hemidactylus turcicus if you want to learn more.

 

[cJw]

Interesting read!

I was considering getting a couple hermies myself, as they don't require as much room as another aquarium could (if I get another, bigger tank, it's going to be BIG. ) and I enjoyed them when I was younger. . .

I was curious what you would recommend for a 'bare bones' set up for hermies, Toirtis? I've done a little research online, but different websites say different things - the basics are a tank, substrate, water dish - but what else?

 

[krazymom]

We have a little "hermie hut" for them to hide in and a piece of coral to eat and climb on. Also cholla skeleton and a fake palm tree. One day I couldn't find my daughters crab anywhere in the tank and I thought maybe she left it out somewhere then I saw it up in the tree hiding!!!! Still don't know how it got up there? Kids said they didn't do it......hmmmm.

Toirtis, tell me what I'm missing... hahaha

 

[DanW0007]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I had a couple reptile questions myself, and this seems to be the place to get them answered.

I bought a 20 high reptile tank the other day (has built in vents and other gadgets) on clearance for 5 dollars from 79 (!). Now that I have it, I'm having a hard time figuring exactly what I want to get for it.

I wanted Mantella frogs, but I read they can't climb on glass. Since my tank is taller than long, does that mean they won't do so well in it? Also, are they as hard to feed as it makes it out to be? My other option was an African Wahlberg Gecko, but I'm worried about the temperment. I know its not worse than a Tokay, but I also know its not like a Leopard Gecko either. Basically, should I worry about it "freaking out" when I clean out it's cage?

 

[Toirtis]

In the wild, the hermit crabs are often found climbing trees, so don't be surprised when they climb.

Care/requirements in a nutshell:

They need substrate (lots of argument on whether sand or soil or peat or coconur fibre is best) deep enough that they can bury themselves when shedding. They need a shallow water dish that they can easily get in and out of. they need warmth (most homes are a bit too cool...remember that these guys are tropical). They need humidity....a good misting 2-3 times daily works well. They need food...a mixture of fruits and meatstuffs mostly...some veggies too. They need extra shells to swap to. They need some extra calcium (finely-ground coral works well). They need space and stuff to climb on and hide under.

 

[lyquidphyre]

We have a little "hermie hut" for them to hide in and a piece of coral to eat and climb on. Also cholla skeleton and a fake palm tree. One day I couldn't find my daughters crab anywhere in the tank and I thought maybe she left it out somewhere then I saw it up in the tree hiding!!!! Still don't know how it got up there? Kids said they didn't do it......hmmmm.

Mine climbed up his little plastic tree, monkey bar-ed over to the lid, and since it wasn't shut all the way he escaped. One day later we found him crawling in our kitchen... which is REALLY far from where he escaped

 

[TankGirl]

A good thing for hermit crabs is to keep a large pore sponge, like a sea sponge, in the tank and keep that thing wet - it will increase the humidity in the tank greatly. Our hermit crabs like to climb, definitely, so we provide a piece of screen with 1/2" openings.

Also provide shells for them - they enjoy swapping them out.

 

[krazymom]

Can hermies eat the calcium from the coral if it is whole coral? Should I supplement their food with crushed tums? (fruit flavor)

The screen sounds like a good idea.

Maybe I will divide the 76 gallon tank in 1/2 (it does have two separate screen tops and a large piece of glass across the top of the middle. I could put the geckos in one side and the hermies in the other. Right now they just have a much smaller plastic habitat. I would like to get them a bigger home. I think that would work out great!