Viv pics only thread

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
KLB85":2yz0cwz4 said:
Okay guys, so I got a baby beardie and kept her in a temporary enclosure until I finished her new home. Below I've included my progress, let me know what you think!

We had leftover slate tile from a reno and I siliconed this in place. I spent a lot of time researching silicone as not to harm my dragon in any way. I learned that you should NEVER use Silicone with any mold and mildrew resistance. It can be very toxic to your dragon. Ideally you should aim for aquarium and/or food grade silicone. I found aquarium grade, which was really expensive at $25 a tube, but after a lot of research I found a cheap source here in Canada. Home Hardware makes their own silicone that is aquarium and food safe and only $6 a tube. Great resource for Canadians who don't have the resources and cheaper prices as our American friends.
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As the silicone was curing for a few weeks, I started with a rough rock layout from polystyrene insulation which I cut out with a scroll saw. I wanted a cave hide for her and a corner basking area.
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After finishing the layout, I started carving the rock. The polystyrene is superior the regular styrofoam because it's more solid and easy to work. The regular styrofoam is made of compacted round little pieces so it chips out as your carve. I used a sureform file and a rasp to carve out the rocks. I didn't look at any rock pictures, so I sort of just did it by imagination. Once I was happy with my carved layers I siliconed them together.
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After a lot of research I decided on covering the polystyrene in Drylok. I didn't sand the polystyrene rock, as I wanted a rough finish and this actually worked out great! With the combination of the rough texture of Drylok and the rough texture I left the polystyrene, the rocks ended up looking and feeling quite textured. You can purchase Drylok in white or grey, and this is the grey colour straight out of the can, which you can easily paint on with a nylon brush.
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I wanted the rock to have some further colour and dimension. It is recommended to dye the Drylok with concrete dye, but this would still leave a one colour finish. I ended up mixing non-toxic acrylic paint with the Drylok instead. Here is the first coat of solid brownish-grey colour.
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I then added some shading with a darker colour. I didn't get a picture, but I ended up going over it with a lighter highlighting colour in the end to create more depth.
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Finally installed the rock and put my baby 8-9 week old in her new enclosure! I was worried she'd be nervous, but she seemed to love it! She was so curious and took a stroll around the whole enclosure to check it out. She's currently happily basking on her new branch after a dip in her water dish.
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Let me know what you think!

Wow, that looks great!!
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
charmander16":1xf6r9e5 said:
Our viv is mostly finished now. I finally got a dig box finished but we're still working on finding or making a naturalistic looking planter for the hens and chicks. This is a custom made corner viv. The two back walls are 4'. The two side walls are 1.5 foot. The front is about 3.5', and it's 2 ' high. Overall it's about 12.5 square feet of floor space, with a total of 16 square feet "living space" counting the corner shelf.

Here is an overall view:
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The finished dig box:
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Woah, that looks amazing!
 

Gretchen

Hatchling Member
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Here is Gretchen's home a 4x2x2.5 Atasuki enclosure. Tiles on the ground. I made the suspended basking spots and the ramps to it (well customized the branch and used a tile for the other ramp). She loves it!! And loves cuddles and let's me cut her nails like a good girl!!! Any tips on how I should light up the left side of her tank. Her UVB is a T5HO 24" so it doesn't get all the way over. Right now it's right behind her basking light which is a 100W Reptisun and her spots stays at a steady 105.
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OK, please don't laugh at the decor we made for Latigo! It looks rough, and it doesn't have the elegant profiles of many of these diy decor furnishings, but I must say that the little guy absolutely LOVES it! Lots of places to run, bask, and even hide (a cave on the bottom of one side, and a pass-through on the bottom of the other side), and he certainly doesn't slip on the surfaces. He's even got his favorite piece of driftwood in there. The highest point is just under the basking bulb, and the long bridge runs the length of the UVB bulb, so Laddy can bask under either, as he chooses. He can hide on the floor at either end if s/he gets scared, and s/he loves running full speed in a big circle from one side to another. Plus, it's a great place for it to go hunting for the occasional dubia or cricket that escapes during feeding time. Under the driftwood, and in the cave and tunnel provide shady areas if desired. So, although it's not pretty, it's fully functional, and Latigo is enjoying the heck out of it! It runs the length and width of the 30" long "baby cage", and when we move him/her to a larger home, we'll take the "rock thing" to the new place.

It's my first ever faux rock cage furniture build. When I build Buddy's, it will probably look nicer, but hopefully it will be just as functional and loved :).

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Lilbear

Hatchling Member
I've used this in the past n now for my present beardie Rocky (4yr. old). I'm thinking of using repti sand or walnut shells on top of tiles for substrate, which I used before but gave up because of the dust issue. I would also like to get some sort of background wallpaper, something light in color to keep the inside bright as can be, any ideas? I run three small fans, 2mins (2x)/hr to ventilate along with two large vents at top on each end of viv. Inside temps are 98degrees for 12hrs. on timers. My one concern are the uvb tubes (2) are reptisun 10.0 24". With 2 of themI'm wondering if that's too much for a 24" x 48" enclosure. Rocky's topside is 8" away from heat/uvb source.
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Titus123

Member
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I installed a tunnel system made of plastic pickle jars from his viv to his new playground I built for him so he could go between his home and playground freely and injoy looking out the
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window and feel like he is outside
 
Wow amazing job everyone, how cool to see the palaces built for all these lucky beardies!

This is our starter tank, a 55 Gallon we already had. Over the next few months we plan on transferring to a front-opening viv

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BayanB

Member
hmariesones":37uxk66a said:
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What kind of wood and stain did you use
 

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