Charlie's Viv is done!

A friend of mine gave me a 4'x4'x20" viv when I had Evee and I had always hoped to make it two levels but never managed it while she was alive

I finally got my renos done on it. I used styrofoam, spackling (I tried grout and realized quickly that I suck so bad at grouting), modpodge, acrylic paint, and varathane (this stuff https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.diamond-wood-finish---int-water-satin-236ml.1000111884.html). Quick question - how long should all of it air out before I can put her in it?

Now for photos - it's nothing fancy, but I'm happy with how it is looking - note - on the upper left is where the basking light and ceramic heat emitter will be will have a tree to climb on, just trying to figure out how to hang the lights as I don't want them sitting on the mesh (though they would probably be fine. The upper ride side will have a large water dish with an aerator in it - I'm not worried about humidity as the front doors and top are mesh, but as Charlie is tiny still there won't be much water in it to be safe. The bottom left where the lower hammock is will have her hide which is currently in her temporary enclosure while this one finishes. All three pieces are removable for cleaning.

Rough start -
Lower Hammock -
Spackling -
Modpodge tinted with black paint over the spackling, and window painting -
Brown mix over black -
Lower hammock area in brown -
Upper hammock for safety when crossing between sides -
Upper right where the water dish will go (and viewing for me lol) -
Upper left where the tree will go -
Full thing after varathane -
Viewing side - I added varathane in hopes it will still dry clear but not be reflective for her - we'll see -

I know it's not the best one out there, but I'm pretty proud of it

This has got to be my favorite part of the forum! the ideas and designs are awesome!! Very well done on yours!!

Thanks! I had a lot of fun doing it ? I just hope Charlie loves it.

A few more pics with the water dish and tree set up. I have two digital thermometers set up - one close to the top of the basking tree, the other the far opposite end on the bottom, plus I have a digital temp gun to get better readings. My 150w basking light was burnt out when I tried it! ARGH, I put in the 100W I have, but I'm not keen on the temp I am getting. Looks like I'll be heading to Petsmart or ordering off Amazing today or tomorrow.

Top -

Bottom -

Still smells a bit - ugh, I can't wait to get her in it and out of the temp pen.

So...I find the aerator really freaking annoying. Glad I tried it out before I put Charlie in. I think I'll take that big dish down and put up another basking spot as I'm not happy with the temps I'm getting for the upper section. I have another 'tree' I can put up there and a second set of lights so it's not a big deal. Can't really test out the full effect until she's in it though as the second set is what I use for the pen she is in. Ah well, it was worth a shot.

Charlie's in her home! I was paranoid about the sealant, but I can't smell it anymore and didn't yesterday either. I sewed fabric onto the hammocks as I couldn't get the paint and spackling off of them. They are better this way as now her tiny nails won't get caught in them!

Can you see her?

That looks great! So much space for her. Is she enjoying exploring her new space so far?

She's pretty much sticking to the two trees LOL she has two basking spots - the one with no foliage has temps up to 115f and the other side is about 90 - 95f. She switched to the cooler side just a little while ago. The bottom section has temps about 70 - 75f. I figure those are pretty good zones of variation for a beardie her age. I tried to get her to explore below (hence why she is on the ramp) but she was having none of that yet LOL! She ate WAY more tonight though - so that's awesome!

That is freaking awesome! And I'm super jealous that I'm not that creative lol
Are your doors screen?

BrandyLynn":3n0ozudl said:

That is freaking awesome! And I'm super jealous that I'm not that creative lol
Are your doors screen?

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Yes, they are screen doors. A friend had originally built it for his python, but his python passed and he gave it to me. I should have taken longer on it though...it's cracking and a few pieces have fallen. When It's warmer I will put Charlie in a temp spot again to repair it.

***Update***

Well...puckernuts. I had to rip all that work out Word of caution - if you plan on doing a viv custom job make sure it will suit your beardie throughout their growth cycles :shock:

Yeah, I didn't take into consideration how big Charlie would get. That little span between the two upper parts became the 'walk of falling'...every time (LITERALLY) Charlie would go to cross it in the last few days, he would fall. I was getting worried for his safety and made the decision to rip it all out before he broke something.

*sigh* I may try to make something as an insert, I may not - I haven't decided yet. So disappointed.

Aw poor Charlie =/. Perhaps simpler is better for now anyway.

CooperDragon":w7o2zixo said:

Aw poor Charlie =/. Perhaps simpler is better for now anyway.

Click to expand...

That's what I am thinking. He seems to be loving the single level...ah well. I had really hoped to make use of the whole space, but it was too much for him.