Help - toxic mold?!

[CopperNightShade]

I am in desperate need of help!

I acquired a crested gecko three weeks ago. Tonight I decided it was time for a 50% substrate change and a wipe down of the decorations (I have spot cleaned before this point.) I have been using straight cypress bedding, and haven't seen any signs of mold in it.

Or so I thought. I picked up a piece of driftwood I had on the floor of the tank tonight and the underside of the wood was INFESTED! It has three things on it that are visible to the naked eye...

A. a white, fluffy mold like the kind you typically see on wet firewood

B. a black mold that looks like this:



C. a silver, tiny bug that looks like it may have wings

HELP!!!

I am seriously worried that the black mold is toxic, and that the mites are going to hurt the gecko.

I have...

1. Checked the gecko for mites under good light, including in/around ears and eyes and mouth. No sign of bugs.

2. Pulled 90% of the cypress out, including everything on the side of the terrarium with the wood, and threw it out

3. Threw out the infested wood.

4. Checked other decorations for issues - no sign

What else can I do?

[kellysballs]

Clean the tank with a 5% bleach to water solution. Rinse dry and use white paper towels as substrate instead. Thats what I use and I use a piece of that drift wood for them to climb on I clean it weekly with a chlorahexi solution and bake it once a month for 6hrs in the oven at like 250 degrees. No mold problems.


Other than that just keep an eye on your animals and watch for signs of mites or sickness.

[mlededee]

Driftwood is bad for getting moldy when it stays wet. But chances are your gecko is fine. I get mold from time to time in my cages if they aren't drying out enough (this mainly happens in the summer when it is humid and I mist too much since I live in a very humid area). It's not a huge deal--just clean it up and let things dry out. I wouldn't worry too much about the bug either--if it's just a single bug it probably just found its way into the cage and liked the wood so it stayed there.

[CopperNightShade]

Driftwood is bad for getting moldy when it stays wet. But chances are your gecko is fine. I get mold from time to time in my cages if they aren't drying out enough (this mainly happens in the summer when it is humid and I mist too much since I live in a very humid area). It's not a huge deal--just clean it up and let things dry out. I wouldn't worry too much about the bug either--if it's just a single bug it probably just found its way into the cage and liked the wood so it stayed there.

Well, it was bugs... plural. I mistyped. There were 4 or 5 of them. I have kept a sharp eye on that area since I cleaned and I can't spot any bugs running about.

I think I shall wipe down everything just in case, but I am glad this isn't a 'trip to the vet' thing. I was worried.

[mainbutter]

Most mold is benign.

[mlededee]

Well, it was bugs... plural. I mistyped. There were 4 or 5 of them. I have kept a sharp eye on that area since I cleaned and I can't spot any bugs running about.

Fungus gnats love naturalistic enclosures--that could be what they are but those are black. Any gnat or fruit fly type of insect won't harm your gecko and are mainly attracted to leftover food and moist substrate.

[CopperNightShade]

Fungus gnats love naturalistic enclosures--that could be what they are but those are black. Any gnat or fruit fly type of insect won't harm your gecko and are mainly attracted to leftover food and moist substrate.

I am thinking they were wood lice nymphs or silverfish nymphs, actually. But still no sign of them!