# Cleaning A Naturalistic Viv ?



## Darfod (Aug 26, 2014)

Hi All,

I am in the process of building a naturalistic vivarium for crested geckos.

The substrate is going to be eco-earth for humidity retention, topped with bark chippings.
(Plants will all be artificial)


I am concerned about hygeine within such a setup.

I can obvoiusly spot-clean poop which falls onto the bark chippings, but I am not sure how to deal with the bits of faecal matter which will "fall between the cracks" of the chippings, and may not be visible.

I can occasionally, completely remove the substrate, and clean / sterilise it, but this seems like an awfully disruptive process.

Is this why people introduce creepy-crawlies to vivariums? Which invertebrate species should I be looking for, and would I need to purchase them, or just add a handful of woodlice from the garden?


Thanks in advance.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

I think your on the right area of thinking here mate, your thinking of a bioactive setup, and these setups are becoming more and more popular. 

I have a few clean up bugs in a few of my smaller enclosures. 
Spring tails, tropical woodlice, worms, beetles etc, are great additions to help keep your vivarium clean. 

Suprisingly, none of them smell of anything either, and some of the best looking animals I have ever seen have lived in bioactive enclosures. : victory:

Equally though, it can be just as easy to go in and wipe up feces with a paper towel and let the bugs destroy and break down anything that is remianing and recylce into the substrate itself. 

Good luck.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

I think your on the right area of thinking here mate, your thinking of a bioactive setup, and these setups are becoming more and more popular. 

I have a few clean up bugs in a few of my smaller enclosures. 
Spring tails, tropical woodlice, worms, beetles etc, are great additions to help keep your vivarium clean. 

Suprisingly, none of them smell of anything either, and some of the best looking animals I have ever seen have lived in bioactive enclosures. : victory:

Equally though, it can be just as easy to go in and wipe up feces with a paper towel and let the bugs destroy and break down anything that is remianing and recylce into the substrate itself. 

Good luck.


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

I use bioactive substrates for my day geckos and gargoyle gecko. I use a base of drainage balls then a layer of moss / soil / coir / sand mix. I also add a few dried up dead woodland leaves. Then I add springtails, buffalo worms (a type of dermestid) and woodlice from the garden. I haven't changed the substrate in one of the vivs for about 4 years.


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## Darfod (Aug 26, 2014)

Thanks for the replies, but I want to make sure I get this right before I introduce the geckos...


I have found a supplier of "springtail colonies", and I can get woodlice from the garden.

Do I just add these to the substrate and leave them to do the cleaning-up of any bits of poop that I might miss when doing spot cleaning?


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