u/toiletcandies

Hello everyone~

As the title suggests, I'm having some problems with controlling my vivarium's humidity levels. The tank is 18"x18"x24", and if you couldn't tell by the photo, there's a lot of shit in there. Most of that shit is plants and sphagnum moss, and I think the biomass is what's keeping the moisture levels so high. I have a thermostat/hygrometer-controlled computer fan on top of the screen (behind the domed lights), and the fan is ALWAYS ON because the humidity is above 80% most of the day (goal is humidity level between 60% and 80%). The top of the tank's plant inhabitants are now starting to dry out pretty consistently due to the fan working overtime. The mister system is set to go off for five seconds every 12 hours, and there's about an inch of water in the drainage layer (2.5 inches deep total; 4 inches of substrate on top).

Short of airing out the vivarium manually (by opening the door), I'm not sure what I can do to address this. Due to the clutter, installing ventilation ducts will be nigh impossible. As such, I've kind of made my peace with the idea of the upper stratum just being a bit drier than the rest of the tank (I'm going to outfit the layer with some Tillandsia ionatha since they can stand lower humidity levels). Should I try placing two fans on top of the screen? One for intake, and one for exhaust? How should I position these fans for optimal air flow?

I'm really open to any and all suggestions and can provide extra details, if needed. Thank you in advance.

Hello everyone. I recently won a juvenile Chahoua gecko in a vivarium contest. Upon receiving him (yesterday morning via FedEx Priority Overnight), he was active and alert, but upon closer inspection it seems he has a tiny kink in his tail. I've read that these geckos are susceptible to fatal calcium crashes and such, so I figured this was possibly a sign of Metabolic Bone Disease (lemme know if y'all think otherwise).

He ate about 10 small crickets yesterday with a few licks of Crested Gecko Diet that I supplemented with some calcium+D3. I also have a Zoo Med Tropical UVB & Heat Lighting Kit (60w DayLight Blue bulb, Reptisun Mini Compact 5.0/13w UVB Fluorescent bulb) to help with metabolizing ingested calcium. I have the domes placed directly onto my screen at the top of the enclosure with an extra, folded window screen to dull the UVB light's strength (I've read horror stories about crepuscular geckos getting Welder's Eye and other burns, so I'd rather be on the conservative side than risk burning my gecko; I don't have the disposable income to purchase a $250+ item that can measure UV radiation).

Is there anything I should do or provide to help my gecko battle MBD? I've read of people supplementing liquid calcium to female geckos that are laying eggs, so I'm under the impression that this would be overkill for our current situation; however, I'm new to keeping this species so I'm unsure of when drastic measures are needed.

I just don't want to make the situation worse with possibly overdosing the dude with calcium or letting the MBD progress. Any fail safes, tips, or tricks for making sure either of these situations doesn't happen? Gonna be honest, I rarely find doses/amounts of calcium to administer to reptiles affected by MBD save for the occasional, "If you have a UVB, don't use calcium supplemented with D3." Even this statement seems to be up for debate because there are some keepers who stand ten toes down on the whole, "Your gecko can't thrive unless given UVB," as compared to other breeders who won't risk burning their crepuscular friends. The breeder who sent me this gecko did not use UVB, and I'm wondering if that's why my gecko has the kink in his tail.

If you need any more information regarding our situation, please let me know. I'll provide what I can to help figure out the best plan of action. Thank you!

*Reposted with (blurry) photo. Kink is about 3/4"-1" down from the base of his tail.*

Hello all! I won an eight month old Chahoua gecko who will be arriving this Tuesday (4 August 2026). First two photos are the most recent of the gecko, fifth photo is of his parents, and the rest are of the enclosure I intend to keep him.

My first question for keepers: About how big was your Chahoua at eight months old (hatch date in January 2026)? The breeder told me he weighs 10g. The husbandry on these guys can be a bit confusing, or even contradictory, but most sources say he's a bit on the small side and should be closer to about 20g? Is this true? If so, what do you recommend I do with feedings to get him "back on track?" Also, at this age/size should I worry about the gecko accidentally eating substrate and getting an impaction? Should I just tong feed until he's older to avoid this potential problem?

Regarding enclosure, I've been working on an 18"x18"x24" bioactive enclosure. The breeder thought the tank was 12"x12"x18" (I sent her a photo of my planted vivarium for a contest) and really only commented on how the plants were great choices (e.g. non-toxic, colorful, good cover for sight lines, etc.). Is the size of the enclosure going to be a huge problem for my little Chahoua? I've heard of geckos getting lost and starving in a tank that's too large. Should I get a temporary holding tank until he's a bit bigger (maybe around 20-25g)? I'd really like to see my vivarium put to good use but not if it will be detrimental to the reptile. Is there a way to perform a "trial run" to see if he'll survive and thrive in the established vivarium? Any fail safe tips I should incorporate while running the experiment (e.g. unload a bunch of small feeder crickets so he can hunt for food, place multiple bowls of Crested Gecko Diet throughout the enclosure, etc.)? I should mention that the enclosure has well-established colonies of orange springtails and Cubaris murina Papayas that the gecko can snack on (I don't know if Chahouas actually eat clean-up crew critters).

Regarding the plants, yes, I'm aware that a lot of the little plants will probably get trampled as the Chahoua grows. Fortunately, most of these plants will grow from leaf/stem cuttings, so I think I have a relatively forgiving group of plants. I haven't included many of the "All-Star" vivarium plants (e.g. pothos, alocasia, phildendron, begonia, etc.) due to the present of calcium oxalate crystals. I know these plants typically don't bother geckos, but I didn't want to risk him getting any sort of irritation from sap from broken stems/leaves/roots.

Any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I have never kept a Chahoua let alone one so young (I'm fuckin' scared I'm gonna screw this royally, guys). Please help. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask.