Rainwater for Geckos

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Death Pony

Death Pony

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 6, 2007
4,271
1
0
36
Fredericksburg and Newport News, VA
cnu.facebook.com
Is it safe to spray my gecko's terrarium with rainwater collected in a rain barrel? I use the stuff to water my orchids and carnivorous plants, but will it harm my lizard in any way when he drinks it? The reason I'm asking is that I need to redo the terrarium and water to add a few small Nepenthes pitcher plants and orchids, which need nutrient-free water. My other option is to give him away, which I really don't want to do since I've had him for 12 years.

Any advise?

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm eventually going to have to convert the terrarium to a highland setup for my alpine Nepenthes. One of them is going to grow rather large, pitchers over a foot tall, and it's rare. So, are there any geckos or frogs that can tolerate temperature drops into the 50s at night?
 
It would depend on where you are and what sorts of things might be in the rain water... If you are VERY remote.. i mean ridiculously far from any cities or towns you should be pretty safe but be aware that clouds (thus rain) travel very far sometimes and it's very possible that clouds passing through cities could pick up toxins in that city causing it to be acidic (hence acid rain)
 
Looks like I'll be stocking up on distilled then. Would RO filtering the rain water work?
 
I say as long as the water is clear and colorless, then it is alright. It will not be the main source of water and (crested?) geckos are fairly hardy and robust. Amphibians you need to be a bit more careful with but even then most tree frogs would hold up just fine to normal rain water.
 
This is a giant day gecko (12" long, massive old guy). I can see my next door neighbor, so I'm definitely not clear of acid rain. The water does collect clear consistently, only discoloring on occasion.
 
Sorry to de-rail... but once i read carnivorous plants + vivarium, i was hooked... since i always wanted to add CP to my paludarium... so my question is... any chance of a photo of your tank... would love to grab ideas for when i decide to upgrade my paludarium...
 
I haven't rescaped the 55 yet. My CPs are currently in 2 separate 10 gallon tanks, and the outdoor bog garden. Nepenthes naga is inevitably going to need a terrarium to accommodate the 2.5 foot wide leaf span and 2 liter sized pitchers. I'll post pics when the process starts.
 
^ cool... can't wait to see the progress pics... should be very interesting and hopefully i can steal some of your ideas :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom