my DIY "fake rocks" for my geckos

[jargonchipmunk]

I told some people I'd post my stuff I did for my geckos. You can't really see it properly in these pics, but you'll get the idea. Two stories, three hides in all, and a vertical temperature gradient instead of horizontal.

Here's a picture of the Top level... the top has two seperate hides built into it, and the top of it comes off so I can get into the hides easier.

and a couple more just 'cause lol.

The bottom level was a lot harder to snap pics of as it's a lot darker obviously. It has a rock patterned linoleum floor for easy cleaning, and luckily enough the geckos have decided to use the restroom down there mostly.

Here's where their spiral staircase meets the half-level and then on to the straight stairs to the upper level.

and here's a closer picture of the spiral staircase.

and finally pictures of the whole structure. if you look close you might see a couple geckos in there somewhere I did use the basic rock-foam background that came with the exoterra viv. Guess I got lazy there.

and.. erm.... another,.

there it is. I like it myself. Was a lot of fun to work on. I learned a lot lol

 

[slug]

It looks awesome 8) - I love the spiral staircase. How long did all that end up taking you?

 

[jargonchipmunk]

if I were a better "planner" it wouldn't have taken me long at all. I kept changing my design as I went lol. All in all took me a couple weeks I guess. I think If one were to already know what one wanted and had all the time to just to this, a week would be plenty of time. The grouting is the timesink.

oh and thanks for the comment. Hopefully the geckos enjoy it as well. They eat, drink, and "go" downstairs, and they bask and sleep in the hides upstairs, so the whole thing gets used. I like how it turned out.

 

[foolsgold]

Sweet looking set up you have there. I really like how you doubled your floor space lol. What kind of geckos do you have in there?

 

[jargonchipmunk]

leopard geckos. They're small at the moment so I don't know the sexes. I'm HOPING that they'll turn out all female but one. If I have two or more males I'll have to try and trade out for females.

 

[foolsgold]

They actually do better w/ UTH's then basking lights as they are nocturnal geckos.

 

[jargonchipmunk]

yeah, but leopards are SOO much easier to keep than people give credit for. The red basking light stays on at night and they'll bask under it, or go down to hunt, and one of the hides is 85, one 95 so they can pick their poison while they sleep during the day. Plus, the grout holds heat very well, so they get plenty belly heat to digest food. They're all fat and sassy and growing like weeds.

 

[foolsgold]

Sounds like you have some happy leos I've got 5 little babies myself and one of them is about to lay her first clutch (any time soon). What do you feed yours? I couldn't stand the idea of keeping crickets (NASTY little things!) so I've got a HUGE colony of dubias and some mealworms.

 

[jargonchipmunk]

well I can't have dubias, so crickets it is. dusted and whatnot. I keep way more than I need so they can always be nice and gutloaded when I want to feed. I have a colony of supers as well, but they're nowhere big enough for that lol The supers are for my upcoming beardies.