Why do I have gnats in my crested gecko's live terrarium?

They are probably springtails. It is likely they came in on the plants or wood. They aren't harmful, but can be unsightly in large numbers. In bioactive tanks, they are used as "janitors" to clean up decaying matter, uneaten food and feces.

Thanks for reaching out about Aspen. It is sometimes difficult to soak them since they climb walls well. A shallow pan with a lid might keep Aspen in the water for several minutes, by not allowing to climb out. Just don't make it stressful. Abort if concerned and leave to spraying/misting. Good luck.

As long as the bark pieces are large enough, the chosen substrate should be fine. Small bark pieces could be accidentally ingested though, so care must be taken when feeding. Other options include reptile carpet or a moss/soil mix.

Give her a 15-20 minute soak in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte daily. During the soak, gently massage her abdomen front to back to stimulate defecation. The soak will warm her up, hydrate her and get her GI tract moving. This should help with defecation. Make sure she is eating an appropriate Crestie diet (Pangea, Repashy, etc). She can eat prey/insects, but if she eats too much, she may get a bit constipated.

The "stickiness" can be affected by water spots or film on the glass, humidity, diet, illness or a stuck shed. You can't "make" a gecko shed, you can only support him through it by maintaining humidity, providing a moist hide and having appropriate tank furniture that he can rub against to remove shedding skin. Clean the glass using a 50/50 mix of water and plain vinegar. Sometimes, hard water spots remain on the glass after misting and this will affect adherence. Humidity that is too high will leave water on the glass, even if you can't see it, that will cause him to slip. It will also foster bacterial and fungal overgrowth. Cresties normally become less sticky during a shed. Exam his feet for stuck shed and soak him daily to remove any bits if necessary. Review the diet and confirm it is biologically appropriate. If he is lethargic, won't eat or has swelling or bruising on his feet or toes, have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet.

You can clean the terrarium with a diluted vinegar mixture but you have to make sure the smell is completely gone before putting the geckos back in it. I suggest this protocol: 1. Spray glass tank with a 50-50 vinegar water solution. Wait 5 minutes. 2. Dry the tank with paper towels and then spray tank with just water. Wait 2 minutes. 3. Dry the tank and wait 30 minutes. The same goes for the items inside the terrarium. The smell of the vinegar is the problem.

Without a close up image, it is difficult to determine what these dots are. They could be springtail mites. These are harmless mites that feed on decaying matter. High humidity levels and a food source draw them in. They may have hitched a ride in on the live food or new fat tails you acquired. Treatment involves removing food sources, decreasing humidity and sanitizing cages, bowls, etc. Soaking your affected geckos in water may clean them off.