Husbandry Articles

DIY HUMID HIDE/LAY BOX

There are numerous humid hides you can choose from.  You could buy them online, at a local pet store, or you could make one yourself.  In this article, we will go through the process of how we make our humid hides/lay boxes.

The first step is to acquire a plastic container (a deli cup, or other type of plastic container with a lid).  The container shouldn't be to big or too small (your gecko shouldn't be squished inside or able to move around a lot). 

The second step is to cut a hole out of the top of the lid.  This can be achieved by using a soldering iron or a hole saw drill bit.  You may need to sand the edges of the lid so that it doesn't cut your gecko (another option is to tape the edges).

The third step is to fill the humid hide with substrate.  You can use coco fiber, sphagnum moss, peat moss, etc.  The humid hide should be filled about 2/3 of the way up with substrate.

The fourth step is to wet the substrate.  The substrate should be wet, but not to the point where it is dripping or there is any standing water.  If you accidentally add too much water, you can simply add more substrate, or if you are using moss, pour the excess water out of the container.  For larger humid hides, we use a fork to mix the substrate (this ensures that the hide is evenly moist).

The final step is to put the humid hide/lay box into your gecko's enclosure.  The humid hide/lay box should be on the cool side of your enclosure.  Your gecko will now have a nice place to shed and lay eggs.  You will need to mist the humid hide/lay box once or twice a week, depending on where you live and the humidity requirements of your gecko.