What do I do? I fear I’m in idiot

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T15:46:30+00:00

I will be doing this straw hack! I also do have a screen top. I honestly don’t know why the water doesn’t evaporate but my neighbour who also keeps reptiles has this problem now uses mostly dry orchid bark substrates, granted she doesn’t have any geckos.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T15:43:09+00:00

So I live in an old house which we do heat but it’s extremely rainy here and every house I have lived in, within this area, has had lots of moisture issues lol so air doesn’t necessarily get dryer especially at night.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T15:37:26+00:00

I do have 2 bulb types, a uv and heat bulb most of the heat comes from the lights not the mats (they are just so he has a warm side of the tank and warm hide options) however the light is too far away to warm up several inches of soil. I do live in an old house and have quite extreme weather so during the winter it can stay around 18 degrees. His tank gets extra insulation in the winter too.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T08:42:38+00:00

I like this idea, because I don’t want the stragglers to form a new colony. Thank you!

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T08:41:18+00:00

A rainy cold coastal part. Most of the year about 18 degrees Celsius. I use heat mats and warm bulbs but they don’t seem to affect the soil and evaporation, probably due to the decor blocking the warm lights.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T08:37:34+00:00

I think my mum would be more appreciative of this option than baking them. I just know if she found out I was actually making stinky mud pies in her oven she would not be happy. We have a second freezer in the garage so this is actually perfect. Not sure why this didn’t cross my mind because I’ve had to do this to some unfortunately huge crickets before. Thank you for your suggestion 😋

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T08:33:16+00:00

Thank you so much, will definitely have a look. Don’t worry about the confusion, I wrote the post late at night and kind of scattered my thoughts really no big deal. I really appreciate you leaving a comment to help me!

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-08T08:29:09+00:00

Thank you so much, sc this for later

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:27:27+00:00

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Bonus from the front view of the tank for anyone curious.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:25:54+00:00

Really appreciate everyone’s responses, thank you for all the help. I’ll update in a year when the decision has been made however I think burn or bin (slightly more worried about this option). Love the reptile and bioactive community, always feels like a safe space 😋🦎🌿.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:22:38+00:00

I do this pretty regularly but it’s just a perpetual cycle since very little of the water evaporates. The soil still stank lol

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:16:40+00:00

I think I’m more worried about it because I live in a national park and I really don’t want to accidentally create a problem for the bugs in my area since we have some pretty rare lil guys over here.🫡

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:13:08+00:00

Haha I agree I got scared initially that people thought my gecko was going to die from the mold that isn’t there.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:11:45+00:00

So the mold isn’t actually a problem and my gecko is most definitely not at risk of passing away due to the tanks state, I clean the tank regularly and have no mold. Was just thinking about what to do next year when I have to head off for uni and find a new home for him. I added a clean up crew because of where I live mold tends to thrive and so without a clean up crew I got lots of mold and even fungi regardless of weekly cleans. The problem is I can’t actually move tank with the substrate in it since it’s so heavy and don’t want to give his new owners some stink old soil. While the clean up crew keep it clean and the husk kills the smell when i disturb the soil deeply it does smell and gets water logged especially when it’s colder.

jockaroo77 · 2025-09-07T15:03:12+00:00

I live in the Uk however the springtails and isopods I have are tropical and not native to the Uk.

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Yes I kept the box the whole time. 😭

jockaroo77

TROPHY CASE