So, here at Reptile Hero, we spent many hours packing both our experience and those of reptile owners that try out different products just to give you reliable information.
If you are still on the lookout for one, our top pick for leopard and crested geckos hammock is Niteangel’s Hammock Reptile Lounger.
But you should know that there are two more that made it to our list. Although you may not find them the absolute best alternatives, you can still check them out as they are either seen as the most popular or deemed as the most safe compared to others.
It is up to you to decide which of them best fits your judgment. So, let us dive right into our brief review of the three gecko hammocks.
Our 3 Best Gecko Hammocks
Niteangel’s Hammock Reptile Lounger – Best Hammock Overall
This is one of our best picks. This is a seagrass hand-woven product, which boasts sturdiness despite being soft at the same time. While it makes good use of the tank’s wasted sides, this organic lounger provides a safe elevation with its strong suction cups and leather strings for adhesion.
Shape: Triangular
Dimensions: 17” x 12.5” x 12.5”
Pros
- Given the dimensions, it is like adding a 2nd floor in a 20-gal tank.
- The sturdy rope can hold up to a little over a 500-gram bearded dragon.
- The suction cups are large enough to provide stable and strong adhesion.
- It comes with adjustable twines, allowing it to reinforce stability.
- It can be easy to maintain when cleaned once a week.
- The rough texture of the seagrass could help in shedding off a gecko’s skin.
- The hammock’s material does not make its surface too hot to touch.
Cons
- The bulky hammock can be hard to maneuver when affixing to the tank.
- Geckos of all ages may suffer injury when trampled on by this hammock.
- The large mesh size can trap gecko’s digits.
- Improper care can cause wild mold growth.
- The product cannot be machine-washed to prevent wear and tear.
PIVBY’s Reptile Lounger – Most Popular Hammock
This is an all-natural hammock made of hand-woven seagrass. With its rectangular shape, it brags of its ease to correctly position the product. While utilizing every bit of wall space in the tank, you can also conveniently set it to create a multi-level gym with multiple hammocks.
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 29.52” x 7.08”
Pros
- This heavy-duty hammock perfectly fits at least a 40-gal tank.
- Because its size is bigger than expected, its price is reasonable for the product.
- The rough texture can help a basking gecko shed off its skin.
- It can be easy to clean when washed off every week.
- Its price is a steal with its stylish design.
Cons
- With its structure and connection, the suction cups cannot hold much longer without falling off.
- It can get pretty moldy when kept unclean for more than a week.
- The large mesh size can pose a hazard to any geckos and their toes.
- The hand-woven seagrass can be laborious to clean.
ADOGGYGO’s Lizard Hammock – Runner Up
This is another hammock that despite not making to the top 2, still deserve its place among reptile enthusiast. what I like the most about this hammock is its mesh made of durable synthetic nylon. This exclusively green product (not particularly fun of this color as does not look natural inside a tank) comes in a pack of two pieces. So, you can create a multi-level story inside the tank. And with its breathable technology, it is light and safe to not cause harm on the gecko when it falls off. It also makes cleaning not a problem because of its compatibility with machine washing.
This hammock deserves such position here due to its very small mesh that make it way safer than other hammocks.
Shape: Triangular
Dimensions: 19” x 13” x 13”
Pros
- The smaller mesh size can be safe even for smaller geckos.
- While it looks fragile, its sturdy quality can hold a full-grown leopard gecko with no problem.
- The hammock’s material can make cleaning it more convenient compared to other hammocks.
Cons
- The suction cups that come with the product can be challenging to use.
- Its color is strictly green, so it may not always fit everyone’s preference.
- If used for another lizard (herbivore) it might get confused with leaves the pet might actually try to eat it
Talk to us!
Do you have any other recommendations? You can talk to us by dropping your feedback. We would love to hear from you. We know our list is short since we wanted to make sure we covered what we have personally used.
The 5 Factors in Choosing the Best Hammock for Geckos
You could be buying your gecko a hammock for aesthetic purposes. Or you might just feel like adding a new object to clean every weekend. But did you know that a hammock is genuinely appealing to your geckos?
Leopard and crested geckos can use a hammock because it provides comfort, urges exercise, induces relaxation, and helps shedding. While hammocks are safe, these five factors must be assessed when choosing one for the tank:
- Size
- Design
- Heat resistance
- Ease of care
- Cup durability
If you are considering adding a hammock to your tank, just keep on reading!
5 Questions When Choosing A Hammock
While leopard geckos are not the best of climbers due to their physical limitations, crested geckos are the exact opposite—jumping and sticking to the walls of their tanks. However, you would definitely find both gecko species to equally love the presence of hammocks in their tanks. Some of our friends that own crested gecko have told us that their cresty spend the whole day on their hammock. They really love it.
Before impulsively getting one for your tank, you should ask yourself these five questions to better assess the hammock that suits you best.
1. What Is The Ideal Size Of The Hammock?
The ideal size of a hammock depends on two factors an owner should consider:
- the gecko’s size
- the tank’s size
Your success in adding the decoration depends on how you evaluate when choosing the hammock. Of course, you would not want a small one that could not even accommodate your gecko’s growing size. Also, you would definitely not prefer a full-sized hammock that will cover the tank’s entire floor area—leaving no room for the gecko to move.
So, as an owner, you should choose a hammock that must be big enough for the gecko’s comfort. And it should fit appropriately into the tank for your gecko to move.
To give you an idea, full-sized leopard and crested geckos can measure up to 9 inches long and may weigh between 35 to 80 grams, if not more. This would mean you must get a hammock that can hold that much weight and span that much length. So, one that is sized at 12 inches could be a viable choice.
2. What Is The Design Of The Hammock?
Typical hammocks can be made up of natural or synthetic fibers woven into different fabric designs like:
- mesh
- non-mesh
While it is true that its size matters, a hammock’s material, and its design should be equally paid very close attention. As they come in a variety of options, different hammocks may offer you a wide array of comfort and value.
One of the more popular designs is a mesh hammock woven from natural seagrass. This type of hammock provides an environment-friendly option since its raw material degrades over time. What is more to this? Its earthy look would surely accentuate your desert or tropical forest enclosure to give it a final touch! Not only that, but the woody texture could also help your gecko with a gentle rub.
Another famous design you may look into is a non-mesh hammock entwined from fabrics. This type of hammock comes in more styles and layouts depending on the fabric used. So, you do not have to worry about reorganizing the whole tank to mix and match everything. Aside from this, it also boasts of its softness to touch. So, you are confident that it would never harm your gecko’s skin one way or another.
3. Is The Material Resistant To Heat?
The hammock’s resistance to heat depends on what material it is made up of. Thus, knowing whether it is natural or synthetic in origin is a piece of crucial information to a responsible owner.
Even though you would take into significant consideration of the material’s design, you should also take into account the hammock’s resistance to heat. Looking at it, a gecko’s tank can get warm, especially with the influence of the room’s temperature.
When you get a hammock with a low resistance to heat, its surface can get really hot. Especially when you place it on the warm side, this hammock could be several degrees higher than its surroundings. You may think of it as a heat rock, which is never recommended for use nowadays. So, your gecko might get injured instead.
That is why an owner must guarantee that the suitable material should be chosen—one that you can drape in the tank’s warm side for an extended period.
4. Is The Material Easy To Clean?
A clean hammock is essential in conserving the tank’s overall sanitation. Likewise, a hammock that is easy to wash keeps the geckos away from pathogens. So, its ease of care should be taken into account as well.
You may not entirely appreciate it at first, especially when the hammock is clean and ready for use. But when things get stinky and moldy, you have to perform your duty to clean the tank. And only then would you realize that an easy-to-wash hammock could have burdened you less.
To maintain your gecko in good health, keeping up a sanitized tank with thorough cleaning is necessary. This goes the same as well for the decorations like hides and hammocks. This is why you should just drop that artsy one if it requires handwashing. And choose the less intricate one that you can simply throw inside the washing machine.
How To Clean The Hammock?
There are several methods on how to properly clean a hammock without damaging the material. So, before picking up an old toothbrush or preparing the washing machine, find out what material it is made from.
Below are some of the workarounds to clean dirty hammocks.
- For any hammock material, the most common way to start cleaning it is to remove any surface-level dirt like dust and poo. You can use an old toothbrush or clothesbrush to sweep the dirt off from the dry hammock.
- For a plastic or seagrass material, soaking in hot water (with or without mild detergent) for five minutes would work best after removing surface-level dirt. As you cannot machine wash it, a good amount of laundering, rinsing, and drying should do the trick.
- For other materials like fabrics, you can simply throw it inside a washing machine after dusting off the surface-level dirt. This definitely makes your life a tad bit easier, especially when there are loads of other decorations that need your attention.
5. Are The Suction Cups In Gecko Hammock Durable?
Often, suction cups seem to be the weakest link to any hammock that uses them. Consequently, they determine a hammock’s durability. So, a great deal of attention should be given to this detail. This warrants that the product can handle geckos of any size and weight.
Most of the commercially available hammocks take advantage of suction cups for attachment. However, these cups are infamous for occasionally falling off in almost every situation. While such cups are efficient in acrylic, glass, or plastic enclosures, you may find yourself struggling to adhere to the object, especially if you have a wooden tank. So, you are left with no other options but to discard the hammock.
Hopefully, you did not yet!
Dealing with stubborn suction cups is not an uncommon problem. And you may already have heard of replacing them with different kinds of hooks in this case. Meanwhile, others even make use of nails to affix their hammocks in wooden tanks.
While you have to carefully decide how to go about it, here are some tips you may find helpful to make your encounter with suction cups less stressful.
How To Use The Suction Cups?
More often than not, improperly installed suction cups are the reason for a hammock to fall. To avoid this from happening again, you can follow some of the tips below when lodging these troublesome cups.
- Clean the tank’s surface where the suction cups are to adhere.
- Remove any debris and dust with a lint-free cloth.
- Soak the suction cups in warm soapy water.
- Wipe the cups dry with a lint-free cloth.
- Dab a tiny amount of petroleum jelly or cooking oil on the rim of the cups to enhance suction.
- Press the cups firmly against the surface to establish a secured adhesion.
- Push down the cups’ center a few more times to remove all air bubbles.
You have to remember that typical suctions cups are affected by temperature and humidity, among others [1]. Leopard and crested gecko tanks fall on the cups’ reliable temperature range of 22 to 120°F. However, occasional or daily heavy misting would undoubtedly cause them to lose grip.
4 Reasons Why Geckos Love Hammocks
Whatever age they are, leopard and crested geckos would appreciate a hammock because 1) it provides comfort, 2) promotes exercise, 3) induces relaxation, and 4) can help in shedding.
Why do geckos enjoy hanging out on a hammock, like the one in the video below?
What is it that makes these loungers attractive? Here are four reasons why geckos love hammocks.
1. Comfort: There are undeniable moments when you accidentally startle your geckos. And hammocks are just excellent to outright present a fantastic safe space underneath for hiding. Not only can they benefit from a hammock on top but also below.
2. Exercise: Adding a hammock in the enclosure provides more area for your geckos to explore. So, it allows them to move around more by climbing a few inches of flights. As curious creatures, they are certainly up for the thrill and challenge.
3. Relaxation: While reptile loungers do not swing as our hammocks do, geckos definitely love the additional area to relax. And splooting on a hammock above ground can be just as relaxing when enjoying a different angle of their tank.
4. Shedding Process: You may think that hammocks are nothing but artsy stuff. However, they do serve a vital purpose as well. Their textured surface is excellent in alleviating the itch. What is more? A gentle rub aids your geckos to shed off their skin.
Although these reasons seem to focus on why your geckos enjoy hammocks, you can also look at the list from a different perspective.
What are the four reasons why you should get a hammock for geckos?
A hammock should be added in a gecko’s tank to:
- provide a safe space
- promote exercise
- give a relaxing spot
- assist shedding
6 Dangers Of A Hammock
Needless to say, whether you are getting a mesh or a non-mesh hammock made from natural or synthetic material, it all comes down to your careful evaluation and personal preference. So, while you are at it, spending a few more times weighing the dangers and disadvantages of different hammocks would mean you and your gecko well.
Here are some of the many dangers that must be taken into account are:
- Foot Damage: Some hammock designs, especially those with bigger mesh sizes, can get the gecko’s feet and toes stuck.
- Chemical: Hammocks made out of fabrics could pose a serious health hazard if the dyes used are improperly pre-treated.
- Mold: Hand-woven hammocks made from seagrass tend to attract mold growth rather quickly, so frequent cleaning should be considered.
- Drops: A heavy falling hammock can cause physical injuries to geckos of all ages, especially when suction cups lose their grip.
- Odor: Some hammock materials may need more dry time after sanitation for the scent of mild detergents to completely go away.
- Pathogens: An added decoration like a hammock made of any material could harbor and breed pathogens in the tank.
Conclusion
While it should be safe for gecko use, the best hammock should have a suitable size for the gecko and the tank. Its low maintenance design must not retain heat as well. Not only that, but the package must also come with durable cups for long-lasting adhesion.
All these things considered, the best hammock for leopard and crested geckos is this Niteangel’s Hammock Reptile Lounger, which is worth more than the money you would spend.