(1) Create a Drainage Layer: You need to create a drainage Layer for your plants. If the plant's roots are left in standing water, then the roots may rot causing you problems. You can avoid this by using a layer of pea gravel or lava rock to create a drainage area for your plants. My drainage layer is between 1" to 1.5" deep. (2) Non-Toxic Substrate: The quality of the substrate you grow your plants in is very important! You do NOT want to get ordinary potting soil. Potting soil is filled with fertilizers and other additives that is great for plants, but can be harmful and sometimes fatal to your herp. I know a zoo keeper who uses "Edna's Best Potting Soil" to create vivariums for the zoo's herps. It can be difficult finding a retailer that sells it so please visit their website and type in your zip code to find a store near you that will carry their soil. Their website is http://www.ebstone.org/13_ednas.php. (3) Planting your Plants Do not simply stick your potted plant in the soil of your terrarium. Please remove the plant from your pot, and gently pull away as much soil as you can from the roots. Then rinse away the dirt from the roots in room temperature water. I prefer to treat my water by putting a few drops of de-chlorinator. If you don't have this, you can leave your water out in a sterile, non-metallic open container for about 24 hours. This will allow the chlorine and the fluoride to evaporate. (4) Fertilizer Do NOT use synthetic fertilizers! It can be fatal to your herp. If you're plant is in serious need of a pick me up, I would suggest using an organic fertilizer. (5) Don't ever use pesticides on your plants. (6) Maintenance I think this is the best part. You can shape your landscape by religiously trimming and training your plants. These geckos are nocturnal so I never see them during the day. I was sick of looking at what appeared to be an empty sad little terrarium so I created a vivarium that was aesthetically pleasing to the eye during the day, but still a great home for the geckos. I hope this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: The Apartment Garden

I think she was being a little sarcastic, amy. scarlett, You've have quite a few posts on this forum almost on the same sort of thing. I remember the Christmas light thing where your husband plugged the lights into the wall still in the box so you served him raw food. You acted like it was funny, but it still sounds to me more like it's a little passive aggressive on both your parts. I'm not really sure what the answer is, but someone has to at least try to break the adversarial relationship. I would suggest you start. I would suggest you seriously try to treat him like he's someone else that you respond gentler too.. act like he's your child, your boss, your best friend. When he acts stupid about e-mail, just say "Oh, I guess I could see how you thought that" (Even if you can't see how he could be so dumb, just try to be overly nice) not "What, were you born on Mars, why would you think that?". It sounds like you are in a very challenging competitive reltionship which can be exciting in ways, but if you are always trying to compete and out do one another, or always have to be the right or smarter one and often respond sarcastically, etc... after a while no one is happy. Try "kindness" instead of trying to be right or knocking your husband down to size whenever you can. Kindness can work wonders. If it doesn't help, and it's very constant and abusive, and you really don't think you are contributing to his negativity towards you, I wouldn't totally rule out your husband possibly having a mood or personality disorder.

How old is the gecko? Is it definitely male? What kind of substrate is in the cage? What kind of lighting and heating does he normally have? Is there calcium supplementation of any kind (gut-loaded crickets, "shake and bake" feedings? Is there water always available? What else is in the cage?

Reptiles, specifically a green iguana named LeeZard, inspired me to become a vet. She was sick and the "exotic" animal vets wouldn't see lizards. Once I found one, she wasn't sympathetic, nice, or really that good, and I decided I could do better, and according to my clients I have. Right now I am sadly without a reptile. In the past I have had 2 green iguanas, an eastern box turtle, a garter snake, a ball python, and a gold dust day gecko.