Godzilla Vs. Denver build - Thoughts?

Ok, been going a couple months now, guess its time to share. We decided we wanted a little more room for our one year old, and he's a climber, so we went tall - Maybe too tall, but whats done is done. Here's what we're starting with...
Stained to match our decor
cabinet underneath for supplies, habitat area is 22' deep, 48" wide, 43" high. UV is a 34" arcadia 12 percent. Bask on left, and another fixture on right, for more light or supplemental heat, if needed.
The theme will be Godzilla attacking Denver, CO. buildings are under construction, his bask is 11" under the light/UV - it will be a helipad on top of a hospital (which doubles as a hide on lower level, and a hammock inside the building!) a "downed" skyscraper is a ramp up to his bask, and begins at a lower level building (trying to give several levels for different heat/uv. A "rubble" pile will be his ramp up to lower building.
UV - I'm reading lots and lots of different stuff - do I understand that UV at his bask should be 3, or did I misunderstand something? Solar meter says 3.5 at bask, down to .4 farthest corner (He will have a few different zero spots when complete.)
Anyone have opinions on night temps? He is currently, I believe, in a state of brumation - sleeps alot, eats little, poops less. Took to a vet we haven't seen before, and she wants me to keep night temps at 78-80??? I had always read that down to 65ish was ok (which is what we get down to.) She also told me red light is fine, which I thought was a no-no. Did I get the wrong exotic pet vet?
The "downed" building is hollow, with no bottom. Thought on this was putting a fixture in there if needed more light/heat/uv lower in enclosure, since its almost 4' high - I could use this for a night time CHE if she is correct about night temps? I was also considering another light fixture inside the tall building on the right, over his "interior" hammock. This would still leave him 2 dark hides (under hammock, and in building on right)
Last thought, I'm using polyurethane to cover all interior and non-visible surfaces - open to thoughts on cure time before safe - I've read from 3 days to 2 months - that's a big window. Exterior surfaces are going to be covered with a low VOC dead flat varnish - since all surfaces will be sealed in one of these two varnishes, I haven't worried too much about what kind of paint I've used.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQ3S0YE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
ANYHOO...I'll keep posting pics as I get closer, if I'm making any no-no's, I'd rather hear now than later, thanks!

This is gonna be awesome!
What a cool theme.

Did you build that cabinet or was it an existing piece of furniture?

General consensus is a uvi level of 3-5 at the basking spot. So of that's what you are getting you are fine. How high up is your baskign site from the ground? Your tank is quite tall, I was gonna recommend the 14% arcadia but if you're getting around a 3 already you should be fine.

Unfortunately it sounds like you did get the wrong exotic vet. Dragons dont like to sleep with lights visible. They are very intune with lights and light colors as it helps them determine the time of day. Dragons have an extra cone in their eye when compared to humans. This allows them to see much better than we can, and likely much more of the spectrum. If you can see the light, a dragon can and most likely in much more intense fashion.

Keeping temps warmer at night is up to you. Some people like to keep it around 70. Keeping it around 75-80 is good if the dragon is sick. I like to keep cold night time temps. Usually 60-65. I dont ever let it get below 60 though.

As far as cure times, if you can still smell it, it's still reacting and offgasing VOCs so let it sit until that's done.

-Brandon

claudiusx":10kc4rej said:

This is gonna be awesome!
What a cool theme.

Did you build that cabinet or was it an existing piece of furniture?

General consensus is a uvi level of 3-5 at the basking spot. So of that's what you are getting you are fine. How high up is your baskign site from the ground? Your tank is quite tall, I was gonna recommend the 14% arcadia but if you're getting around a 3 already you should be fine.

Keeping temps warmer at night is up to you. Some people like to keep it around 70. Keeping it around 75-80 is good if the dragon is sick. I like to keep cold night time temps. Usually 60-65. I dont ever let it get below 60 though.


-Brandon

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Brandon - Thanks for your reply. As far as the cabinet - I had it custom built (I traded a tenant some rent for building it-its the real deal) - I already know things I would do differently, but its done - and I believe will work great. 14% vs. 12% - I considered both, researched a lot, even got some advice from you, decided I could make either work, and for my setup, I felt 12 fit my needs better - can always go up to 14 come replacement time. Oh, and main bask spot is 28" from floor level. That's one problem with our build, is no changes without giant pain in the butt - thus the attempt to give him several "buildings" to hang on and in....

getting closer to move in time, the structures are done, still working on backdrop. He has his bask on top, and then inside the tall building there's a ramp to get in, and he's got a hammock bask with a light in there. The diagonal building has a heat lamp in it to help maintain temps at night.

That's gonna be amazing!! Can't wait to see the finished product! What a spoiled beardie he will be! LOL!! ?
-Dee

I tried putting a ramp in ZaRDoZ' enclosure when he was a few weeks younger. I put grooves in a scrap of plywood to give him something to grab onto, but it didn't work too well. It was about the same grade as your ramp but he kept sliding down it and freaking out. I think he was just too lightweight for it; I may try it again now that he weighs more than a paper clip.

I see you've got some kind of surface on it; what're you using?

MrSpectrum":3fnzfdoe said:

I put grooves in a scrap of plywood to give him something to grab onto, but it didn't work too well. It was about the same grade as your ramp but he kept sliding down it and freaking out. I think he was just too lightweight for it; I may try it again now that he weighs more than a paper clip.

I see you've got some kind of surface on it; what're you using?

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SO, on the short ramp into the lower level, its a textured wood, painted like a road, going into parking garage (his hammock bask) - I made little foam speedbumps, painted and sealed, to give him grip - he gets up and down it no problem. For the long ramp that you can see - Its kind of a fat corduroy cloth velcro-ed in place. Its same cloth as our couch, which he scales up and down all day long, so thought it would be a good surface - and we were right - he flies up and down it, and loves laying on it. Cuz its velcro-ed, can remove for cleaning.

Thanks, I didn't even see the small lower ramp.
The first thing I thought of while reading corduroy was, "What if he..."
Then I saw, "can remove for cleaning." :lol:

I'm still waiting for the background. As imaginative and artistic the OP is I know that will be icing on the cake.
All of you that do this stuff amaze me! I've spent hours on hours looking at viv pics. Lol! ?

-Dee

DragonPete":6uqkk4or said:

All of you that do this stuff amaze me! I've spent hours on hours looking at viv pics. Lol! ?

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The heck of it is that we're actually doing most of it (the aesthetics, anyway) for ourselves.
Does anyone seriously think reptiles have aesthetic sensibilities? All they need is heat, light, ventilation, and N squares of num-nums & salad, and they're happy! :laughing6:

MrSpectrum":cm88rd74 said:

DragonPete":cm88rd74 said:

All of you that do this stuff amaze me! I've spent hours on hours looking at viv pics. Lol! ?

Click to expand...

The heck of it is that we're actually doing most of it (the aesthetics, anyway) for ourselves.
Does anyone seriously think reptiles have aesthetic sensibilities? All they need is heat, light, ventilation, and N squares of num-nums & salad, and they're happy! :laughing6:

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I hear ya! Same reason I make thin diagonal slices of fresh snap beans. I'm sure Petey doesn't care but I like how it looks. Lol! ?
-Dee

Waiting on the artist teenager to finish the backdrop...so it may never be done! As far as who we do this for, definitely ourselves! Lil quality time with the kids, while appeasing the wife with a conversation piece instead of a lizard box!!

1dhollister":3u075rlh said:

Waiting on the artist teenager to finish the backdrop...so it may never be done!

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LOL! :lol: I used to be that teenager, and in some ways still am. My enclosure is a "work in progress"--stalled now because some things I need to do involve fumes, and I have to wait for clement weather! Other things--like his basking mountain--I seem to be tweaking on a semi-continual/regular basis.

...But that's the way of hobbies, isn't it? :laughing6: Good thing these lizards are tough little b******s.

Well, I think we're finally calling it finished. Here's a few last photos. Of course if we were doing it again, I'd change a million things, but we'll save that for next time. Live and learn.

Awesome! Absolutely, freaking, awesome!!!

You should be very proud of yourself, that thing is AWESOME

Hindsight is 20/20, every build I do, every project I do, I look back and think about a dozen things I could have done different.

Once again... AWESOME!

-Brandon