Planning for large vivarium.

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I am planning on building a large enough enclosure for my beardie to be able to run around in because I really don't have a suitable spot for him to run around but do have space for a larger viv.

The rough dimensions are 8' x 3' x 4'.

I want to try and make this viv as real as possible, without making too many mistakes.

I will be making the enclosure with a layered styrofoam background and want to do the sealing and sides with spray on foam.

I want the viv to have sand, so I will be feeding in the viv he is currently in now.

I want to use a powersun bulb for the UVB and basking spot. Not sure on what the appropriate distance should be from it. Haven't done too much research on it.

I want to have a cave and several shelves for him/her to rest on, and might try to work in some kind of "bridge thing."

I will have a CHE on one side, and a halogen on the other for variable temp spots.

I will be trying to make a water fountain using a tetra whisper filter that will be sealed into a styrofoam insert with the basin being a ziploc container for easy cleaning.

Am I leaving out anything significant?

Pictures of a very rough sketch, apologies ahead of time for my horrible drawing and camera skills.

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RuselBro

Juvie Member
8L x 3W x 4H....... 8L is great, 3W is great but 4H is way to high. 2 Foot High would be better. Beardies do not need a lot of room to climb, they're not good climber's and would get injured falling from 3 or 4 foot high.

Next, Sand is still Very Bad, it doesn't matter if you are feeding in another enclosure. beardies Lick EVERYTHING A LOT! The Beardie may only get a piece's of sand in his mouth per lick, but those few piece's and lick's add up too A Lot, and there is the Impaction. Beardies Do Not actually live on Sand in Australia. They live on a Dried out Forest Floor and Compacted Hard Dirt/Clay which as I said is very compacted and no where near as loose as sand.

Third a Water Fountain, or water fall or anything water is a HUGE No! Beardies need little to No Humidity, Humidity will cause an URI "Upper Respiratory Infection" which could be lethal. 99% of Beardies will not drink standing water, like in water dishes and such, that's why people on here do not use them as they will raise the Humidity in the Enclosure.
 

bjosephs

Member
I agree that 4 feet is a bit excessive, but I built a 4x2x2' recently and I wish I had an extra 6" or so of head room. It all depends on the minimum distance of your bulbs. My megaray needs 15" and the bulb + fixture is 6" long. That leaves very little space for your pet let alone an elevated platform for him to relax on.
 

RuselBro

Juvie Member
I've seen many people use Fixture's mounted to the top inside of their enclosure, and their fixture's were 2 to 3 inche's Long, so I'm positive they make much smaller ceramic or metal fixture's for mounting.
 

bjosephs

Member
Well, the math really isn't that tough. I said the bulb + fixture was 6 inches - a Par 38 bulb is, by itself, 5.31 inches! Some of that is the thread so even if you mount a future that only added an inch you still at about 6.5". And remember that a 2' tall enclosure is not 2' inside... 3/4 inch ply would leave you with just over 22.5" floor the ceiling.

22.5 - 6.5" = 16"; subtract 2" for the height of the animal.... You get idea. Trust me when I say it's not worth the aggravation. Just plan a few extra inches so you can give your pet at least a few inches of structure for climbing. Or reconsider the MVB route so you don't have to pigeon hole yourself with one brand (ie, the one that works at whatever height you're left with), you can always lower a bulb or raise the floor easier than increasing the height.
 
I'm just starting to design a new viv and the enclosure dimensions are 33"H x 38"W x 22D. Looking here and on youtube at all the efforts of others, it looks like the lights, controls, and electronics will take up a lot of space. Even though you are starting out with 4', by the time you add all that stuff and some habitat, the space shrinks very quickly. I have to think the more room a beardie has to move around naturally, the better. I know they can live very well in smaller spaces but if you have the room for a larger habitat done with care, should be great for your beardie.
 
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