Dragon Toys

I'm going to ask for some help and ideas here - I'm beginning to run out!
As mentioned in the intro post, my dragons are spoilt silly with tanks full of toys and ground floor freedom of the house at least four evenings a week. Here is what they have at the moment:

A range of heavy and light balls to kick and shove and chase around, including a very large handmade marble with bright splotches on that Tsam loves to kill.


Bouncy bugs for smacking around. I was very careful about testing the springs, they're light and fine so claws won't get trapped. The feet wiggle too, which is great for snapping at and jumping on - they jump away from you!


Both have their own hidey huts (and the sand is no longer in the tanks, it's replaced by astroturf, healthier!) to scrabble around.


Applewood branch climbing frames. Thick twine bound tightly around dried, clean apple branches to create fun shapes for climbing and sleeping on. I regularly find them here, hands dangling down the sides. Somewhere there's a picture of a Kyle-Kebab.


Swings! These are originally made for guineapigs, but are too good to miss on. Animal safe wood on heavy wire and chains, suspended from eye hoops in the ceiling for strength - ideal for climbing, swinging, jumping, hiding under... Hours of fun! I can spend ages watching them squabble who should sit on it when they're both out.


I haven't got a decent photo yet, but their joint christmas present was a SnakHut - again, built for rabbits etc, with edible long lasting walls and a straw roof. It doesn't go off, and is tasty to lick from time to time. The low roof is good to climb and smells great. Better yet, inside is not only dark and secluded - but has a very low wattage heat mat for just a hint of toasty warmth!


Other things they have: Tsam has a toy lizard that he likes to kick off the climbing frame, and they have little terracotta urns to knock around. Ky has a habit of storing them in a corner next to her giant grapevine log. They've also got a dragon ramp for getting in and out of Tsam's tank - a peice of tough board with apple branches no-more-nailed on for grip! They have a big variety of foods (that I sometimes hide to make them work to find it) including homebred lobster roaches and basil.

So yes, they've got a lot. But I'm always looking for more ways to enrich their lives! Any more ideas and pictures? What have your beasties got?

wow!

Are you able to post pics of your actual enclosures?
id love to see them!

And a video of their playtime with be awesome!

Sure thing, will take pics tomorrow as it's my day off. At the moment my sweeties are curled up asleep in a moment of harmony in their heated tank. Most of their fun is haring around and hiding from me - Tsam is an uberninja and can vanish within literally a second from jumping off my knee in the middle of the room.

Tsammy's tank is the smaller in length, but is deeper and taller. As you can see, the lizards join in with the seasons, and he's got a lovely cone tree with large sequinns firmly affixed; I was careful to check that they're chew-proof! He likes climbing it, knocking it over etc. Hung from his lightcage is his swing, a long thin version to match his long, thin frame, just right for bouncing on and off. He's got fake plants, a smooth mopani wood basking slope propped on an applewood climbing frame and a set of untreated terracotta urns to knock about balanced on his spare bits of wood in front. His swimming pool is neatly tucked under the frame too. (I've caught him swimming in this a few times - I was worried when he was head under, blowing bubbles from his nose, but apparently he was just being silly!) Everything is very carefully laid out, so that he has lots to do. Even his hut is carefully positioned - he can get out of the back, run in a tunnel under the plants, and pop out from any number of Ivy Exits. He's also got an on-demand pellet bowl, and the Dragon Slope. As it was bedtime, you can just see him peeping out of his house!


Ky's tank is a bit bigger, so I had to do it in two shots. My partner's phone wouldn't do it in one! It's only another foot longer, but it's not as wide - they've got roughly the same space to run about in. Again, starting from the left is her corner pool that she sometimes stomps in, you can just see her set of rings in front (which are supposed to be hung on the applewood frame, but she likes to pull them off and put them there), one of the pingpong balls in the back and her bowl of pellets against the partition. I regularly top this up with greens and exciting tasties, because unlike Tsam, she's prone to going off her dinner when people are around and eats "in secret". On the other side of the partition is a wonderful grapevine log which you often find her fast asleep on top of or behind - check there if you think she might have vanished. Again, there's her Christmas tree, a confection of wire and plastic crystal balls, topped by a clear star. She's known to kick it around, climb it, lick it, there are even tongue marks on the star! She's got a tidy little log (where she's asleep if you look closely) and her bouncy bug she bats when she's sat on the log. She's also got in the background a teeny little dollshouse tank (upside down at the moment) with an axolotl in (because I keep axolotl among other animals too) and of course her whacking great big swing!


The house is slowly becoming more and more dragon-proofed, we started by "fencing off" the underside of the fire with chicken wire. They still try to find a way under, but at least they won't get burnt now. Their hut is tucked in the corner behind the TV where they used to hide anyway - just now it's dark and warm too. I discovered I hadn't lizard-checked the Christmas tree enough when I'd discovered Tsam had managed to jump up into it and made himself a nest - but there's nothing in there to hurt himself on, so I just let him get on with it. He came out eventually.


So - anyone got any photos of their tanks, any ideas for toys or any pics of their lizards playing?

Amazing really, i dont have any toys but I mite just think about putting some in Maybe I will start with a golf ball :-D or something lighter, like a squish ball?

Golf balls are a bit heavy, but you can get some awesome cat toys in pet stores - they come in heaps of colours and do different things, some jingle, some rustle... I will get a vid of Tsam and his marble some time too, he's eaten already so he's not wanting to play at the moment, but maybe later.

TheDragonKeepers":86c48 said:

Golf balls are a bit heavy, but you can get some awesome cat toys in pet stores - they come in heaps of colours and do different things, some jingle, some rustle... I will get a vid of Tsam and his marble some time too, he's eaten already so he's not wanting to play at the moment, but maybe later.

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I shall do that on my next trip to the mall, which is this afternoon lolz :-D Thanks again for all the tips!

did you make that swing!? its soo cool. Lol i want one! :lol:

Wow- You spoil your dragons worse than I spoil my kids. :lol: I have tryed to get Bogie to play with a ball, but he is uninterested. He does however love to swim and will dive from his rock into the deep end of the tub. It's fun to watch. And he loves to climb any time any where. Just no interest in any of the toys we have tryed.

Sandy H

If you want instant interest in a pingpong ball, take a black marker and put big dots on it. You could even sketch bugs on!

I didn't make THESE ones, but I have done in the past, as large animal swings are pretty hard to come by. You need some light chain (DIY store), some thick wire, a pair of pliers, a drill and several fruit tree branches, well baked. Baking helps dry the branches as well as kills off any nasty funguses or bacteria and so stops them shrinking too much later. Drill a hole through the top and bottom of each branch about 2cm from the ends, then thread onto the wire. Bend the ends round to create a stop and large loop. Slide the chains on and tuck the remaining (if any) inside the hole to protect away sharp ends. The strength of the wire will mean these loops are perfect for holding the chains whilst suspended. You can also screw the chain ends in, but ensure any sharp ends are fully filed down for safety.

Et Voila - make-your-own Swings!

My goodness, I feel like I was hearing from the beardie section at Macy's, :wink: You would just die if you saw my viv's, they are so bare, my excuse is that I'm moving soon and will be buying new home's for my 3 babies,(hopefully) so I haven't spruced up their vivs........ but they are very.......... very spoiled. This gives me alot to think about, thanks for sharing.

*grins* More than a pleasure! Spoilt, they're so spoilt they're rotten in our house!
I would love some ideas and suggestions though.
My plan is if we get rich, to have a network of clear, airholed tubes with UVB striplights above them, so they can run about, get UVB'd and toasty all at the same time! I'll have to run it by my partner yet, but fingers crossed! My partner would like to convert a room with specially built fake caves, trees and hammocks, diggy pots and all kinds of lizardy goodness. So yes, that and tubes to run around the rest of the house safely!