Nero's new Digs

I decided to build a Vivarium for our Beardie Nero, it is 6x2x2. It is in our living room in front of a fire place we have never used for 10 years. I built a cabinet and the Vivarium to be seperate peices so they can be moved easily. I used Aspen so it would be strong and very light weight. Total weight without glass was about 70 lbs.


My intent for this Vivarium is to loosely replicate a type environment you might find in inland Australia since Nero is an Inland Bearded Dragon.


The size of the Vivarium was decided by the size of the face of the fireplace.


I built the lower cabinet frame.


I then built the box that would become the Vive.


I cut in the side vents for airflow


I then primed the whole interior with Zinsers Water Based Primer.


I painted the ceiling sky blue and installed the lighting using 14-2 Romex.
*If you are going to install your own electrical, if you do not know exactly what you are doing, for your own safety and the safety of your family and dragon(s) please consult a professional.


I installed a T8 Fluorescent light fixture and a 120W outdoor spotlight housing. I wired the Fluorescent and one of the spotlights to one circuit and the other spotlight to a separate circuit and spray painted the fixtures sky blue to match the ceiling so it would blend. I painted some white splashes here and there to look kinda like clouds.


I then rough framed my basic structure from 3/4 inch foam insulation board.


This is the basic structure I decided on.


Research gave me the feeling that I it would be prudent to add some more ventilation, so I cut five round relief vents along the back wall.


I then took a 4x8x3/4 Foam Board and cut it into 2 inch strips using a drywall square to keep the cuts square.
Then I freehand cut each of those in half creating a pile of 1 inch strips square on the back and uneven and random on the front. I used Liquid Nails Foam Board/Paneling glue to glue all of the squared sides of the strips to the wall creating a random effect like you would find in nature.


I added 3 more structures that would act as 4 inch pot holders for live plants.


I softened some of the hard lines of the board layers with Great Stuff expanding foam.


I used a hot knife to cut some random crack lines in the foam along the walls to help create a more natural look.


After the foam was cured (24 hours minimum), I shaved some of the areas down a little before completely coating the whole thing with the primer.


I then took Quarry Red Clay colored grout, mixed it to a runny consistency *(it should just be able to pour it) and used a cheap paint brush to "paint" the grout onto the structure and completely coat it.


It really doesn't matter what color the first two coats of grout are, they will never be seen. If you have any grout left over from other projects, use it.


Just make sure you coat all of the foam, even the undersides.


I used a small 16 ounce plastic paint pail to mix the grout in small batches. I was able to create random color shade changes in the layers by mixing different colors of grout together. I used quarry red as the base and added varying amounts of wheat colored grout and snow white grout. I applied a total of 3 coats of grout on the whole structure and a fourth coat on the high traffic areas.


A little closer look at the shade spot under the ramp.


4 inch potholder outside the cave.


4 inch potholder at the base of the ramp


4 inch pot holder in the back corner behind the basking spot.


No cave would be complete without cave drawings.


Finished on the right.


Finished on the left.


Used Aspen paneling to skin the lower cabinet, trimmed the edges in 3x1 Aspen Boards and Made 2 doors our of the scrap.


I put 2 coats of Minwax Sanding Sealer over the grout. It did give it a very shiny surface, but no worries.


After the Sealer cured for 24 hours, I put a coat of Minwax Satin Finish Water Based Poly-Eruthane. After 6 hours I put a second thicker coat on and scattered a mix of red and tan sand and tossed it all over the wet surfaces.


Don't try to do the whole thing at once, start at one side and work your way across.


I worked in 6-8 inch segments, top down.


I installed a 100 watt zoomed basking light and a 100 watt infrared that will be on a thermostat to kick on if the temperature drops below 70 degrees.


I installed the Exoterra Reptiglo 10.0 bulb in the T8 fixture.


I tested the lights with a 48 hour continuous on to make sure there were no electrical problems or overheating.


I installed a 6 foot long 1/4 inch sliding panel track on the top and bottom opening and ordered 2 sheets of tempered glass for sliding glass doors. The entire cabinet is stained mahogany red and coated in urethane.

I let it cure for 48 hours then vacuumed all of the loose sand out and filled it with a 1/2 inch of substrate and I will add another 1/2 inch when the glass comes in. I have ordered a Ponytail Palm, Jade plant and a snake plant from the greenhouse near me that supplies some other bearded dragon owners in the area with live plants. It was pretty cool that they knew exactly what I was looking for and completely organic with no pesticides that are Beardie friendly. I will amend this post when I have the glass installed and the plants in their pots.


While I am waiting for the glass and plants to come in, I let Nero stretch his legs in there.


He inspected every inch of his new habitat.


I mean every inch! He has climbed every wall!

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope it helps.

That is a fantastic job...I'm impressed. Nero is too, by evidence of his exploration!

Great work and nice project. Thanks for sharing.

WOW :shock: that is awesome! You must be a carpenter?? Lol..how long did that take you to build? That's one luck dragon!!

Such an awesome build, nicely done!

Thank you for the kind words. Total build time was about 6 weeks with about 100 hours in it. It was a very ambitious project that I have never attempted before, I made mistakes along the way but everything turned out good in the end.

I am not a carpenter or cabinet maker, I just never learned what I can't do

That's the attitude more folks need, excellent. Looks like a stout project. What type of thermostat unit is being used for the infrared? Also what sort of substrate?

Love the thread, thanks for sharing.

This is still a work in process, just very close to being completed. I am still looking for the right thermostat for the infrared. the plate glass doors are on order and will arrive in approximately 2 weeks, I had to custom order them. The timer for the daytime lights is on the small viv right now with a battery backup that will move to the large viv with Nero. My interior hygrometers are made by Xicar, they are designed for cigar humidors, they are extremely accurate. I am placing one on the upper left corner and the other on the ceiling of the cave on the lower right, that way I can monitor both ambient temperature and humidity on both sides. I also have a Riobi Infrared temperature gun and it reads 75 in the cave and 105 on the basking spot. I have a jade plant for the left corner, a ponytail palm for the bottom of the ramp and a snake plant for the outside of the cave on order from my local greenhouse. (I am lucky, the lady there provides plants for another customer that has a bearded dragon so she already knew the requirements and what I have to do to make it safe for Nero.)

Substrate, that is the question, and the more I read, I see there are some passionate people out there. The sand I used to scatter on the walls with urethane is repti-sand. I then vacuumed all of the loose contaminated sand and brushed it out and vacuumed again. My plan is/was to add 30 pounds of repti-sand as substrate but with everything that I have read on the boards from the sand opponents, I do stop to pause. My intention is to not harm my friend, but to provide him with the best habitat that I can while trying to appeal to his origins. Nero likes to dig and sanitation considerations too. I did as much research as I could while building this, but I was on a time limit because I had to stay ahead of his growth. He is 5 months old in a 20 gallon tank. His temps are all good right now, but I am out of time. He is 7 inches with an equal tail, 14 inches overall.

I am considering putting another thick coat of urethane on the floor area like I did on the basking spot, ramp and platform, then use grout sealer to make it cleanable and not using loose sand, but then the plants will be the only thing he can dig in, and I want him to be able to dig. He likes digging in the sand and I watch him a lot, he never eats it, but yes, he does get bits from food.


I am open to suggestions. I would like to hear from any sand advocates too, if there are any.

There are a couple people who give them dig boxes. The one that I saw that really stuck w/ me was filled w/ alfalfa pellets. Dragons don't care to eat them, they were contained in one part of the viv, they are big enough that they are easy to clean up and if they DO get eaten it won't hurt them. I really like that idea.

I'm new to this forum, but have read for awhile. I'm working on a viv for my future dragon. However, I do have experience with geckos. Here's my take on it..

There've been flawless and deadly results with sand-based substrates, it seems some reptiles are more at peril than others. Geckos, from what I have read, seem to be more at peril, than BD's from what I've read, for example. The key factor is most BD's will eat from a bowl consistently, whereas most Geckos (especially Leopards) will eat anywhere they find food.

If you can keep a large feeding area sand-free for Leo's, then it would be more safe, or even have a separate out of viv feeding area for them altogether, that seems to be best for Leo owners who use sand. For BD's, it seems they use bowls anyhow, and other than bouncing, hopping or travelling insects, won't usually go foraging for their food.

Some are more curious than others, and will lick/feel around their viv more than others, same for Leos.

Presently I have 3 vivs, and am down to just 1 leo. One of my Leo's--a giant--was adopted at an old age, had spent his whole life on sand. I kept him that way for a month or two, but was compelled over time by other folks in the hobby, to go with something else.. even though he had been fully tested by a vet and shown to not have a spec of sand in him. I eventually tried carpet, then moved to tile. The carpet is nice, but it requires frequent cleaning, even if you use something over it like paper, because it soaks up liquids and can keep debris in it.

I liked the tile (slate) the most, as it was very realistic, was cheap, and could easily be wiped down. Nothing was going to soak into it. I use napkins for the poop area, and swap them out with clean ones as needed. I don't think he ever quite adjusted or loved the environment as much as sand. He eventually passed away, having gone through a stressful winter, which I think didn't help. (no health issues at all). He seemed to thrive most on sand, perhaps because he grew up on it. All the times I watched him--which was a lot--he never licked it, and his food was always in a feeding dish or he was fed outside of his viv.

The other leos were raised by me from birth, starting out on slate tile covered with napkins, and love it to death. They don't seem to have a habit of licking the floor, but will lick stuff you put in there like objects, or occasionally the wall. Knowing the risks, I wouldn't want to put them on sand either way. One of them had a habit of nipping at the napkins, but after a day lost interest. Probably could be said about sand also (which is why juvis should never be kept on sand).

Seems that some reptiles are fine, and others aren't.

If I had another situation where the reptile had been an adult for awhile, and had spent its life on sand, and had been checked by a vet and shown clear of any impaction level whatsoever--then I would feel ok with keeping it on the sand, because it is use to it. If there were signs, or it wasn't used to it, or wanted to constantly lick the sand, then I definitely wouldn't.

I'd say from an analysis standpoint, my fear of using sand with BD's wouldn't be due to impaction, but would be due to having to keep it clean from all the poop all the time. For Leos, I'd fear more about impaction. Impaction can happen not just with sand, but even with stiff cricket shells or other insect exoskeltons. In fact, I've seen one leo who had such a situation. So, it can happen either way. Most important is to keep your air and floor temps precise, and your nutrients on hand.

Some other thoughts on sand aside from impaction fears:

* You have to stay on top of keeping the sand clean from poop in the poop area. You could make this job easier by putting napkins over the poop area. With BD's, they don't appear to have a set poop spot though so that may be an issue. Leo's almost always poop in the same area, give or take a couple inches, so it's much easier. Sand will absorb liquid waste quickly, and what doesn't clump up, still stains the sand.

* Sand can get everywhere

* One of the benefits of sand is that it allows the critter to set its warming spot up to its liking. I've watched my Leo and other reptiles, somewhat burrow their stomachs further down to get warmer, or build the sand up a smidge more for less warmth.

* I also suggest the alfalfa dig box, I saw it used in a couple of BD vivs and they seem to love it, and its safe
Hope this has been a helpful bit of input.

Yes it does. I have the time to apply a sand paste and I think I could clean it effectively, If I need to I can cover the floor with loose slate tiles. Do you know if they cut the same as regular tile? I have a tile saw with a diamond blade. I like the idea of a dig box, I could probably put it under the ramp. How deep should it be?

Glad to hear.

I've seen folks cut them with your average tile cutting saw (the reciprocating kind). Not sure how effective a nipper would be.

As to the dig box, I have no personal suggestion, but this poster has the alfalfa box: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=132151

There's a photo of it about halfway down. I'm sure she and others could advise. It looks to be about as deep as the BD's torso.

The Glass has come in, and I have installed it. Nero is living in his viv full time now and loving it. I will be posting final pics soon. One of my son's helped me yesterday to clean out and re-pot the plants for the viv. I have a jade, a sansevieria, and a senecio radicans glauca (string of beans) succulent . I pick up a pony-tail palm next Friday.

I cleaned the roots and removed all of the old potting soil and replanted them in new pots that I cleaned and disinfected with organic soil. I also have large "feeder" plants. I know that I will be replacing them regularly, they are intended for him to play on/with or nibble as he see's fit. I have extensively researched "Dragon Friendly" vegetation.

They should be ready for the viv in about 6 weeks.

This is fabulous!!! Great job!!

how are you going to get the glass doors in?