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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!
What size is the tank ? I think the cave will actually still suit her when she's older, they love to curl up in even a tight spot....you know beardies sleep in the oddest places so I think she'll continue to use it if she likes it.
