Ocean Themed Viv Suggestions

[DeweysMom]

I've officially decided to build Dewey a new enclosure using the crossfire plans. It will be a 4x2. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to design the interior so it would be both practical and safe for Dewey. I want there to be a "sleeping" area on one side where I'm going to have a cave/hide which will have a nice cozy blanket for him to snuggle with to provide a completely dark resting area should he want one. On top of the hide will be another sleeping area with another nice soft blanket. This is where I'll be putting him at night once he's fallen asleep. I was toying with the idea of giving him a little sand box, but the fear of impaction is making me really second guess that one. I most likely won't do that. Aside from that I'm stumped. I'm a visual person so without having everything in front of me it's hard for me to picture it.

I just looked over on my desk (yes, I'm at work right now... lol) and noticed my picture frame which is coral (like the ocean's coral reefs) made of resin and it hit me... I think an ocean themed viv would be really cool! The ocean is my absolute favorite place to visit so it's a fit for me. Now I just have to figure out to incorporate it into a viv plan. Would using real seashells be safe for Dewey? Would boiling them kill any germs?

I'm definitely open to any other suggestions on this! I can't wait to get started now!

 

[DeweysMom]

Ok, I'm thinking ocean themed may not work now. It doesn't seem right to have a desert animal in an ocean themed cage. Back to the drawing board. I know I want kind of neutral earth tone colors. I'm not into the bright colors. So, I'll still take any suggestions that you may have to offer.

 

[Rutabaga]

Darn...I love the beach..I was interested in seeing what you came up with.

 

[Jess]

Why not do a beach theme?! I think that would be awesome!
People keep them in tropical themed vivs all the time, and Ive seen plenty of vivs full of sand and fake cactus... Beardies dont live in sand in the wild, and there are NO native cactus in Australia! :lol: Ive also never seen blankies, hammocks, or stuffies in the wild... So why not have a little fun with a beach theme?

 

[DeweysMom]

Yeah, that's very true. He is MY beardie and I'm the one who will have to look at it right? We'll see what I can come up with.

 

[Jess]

I can help if you want! I know exactly what I would do if I gave Dudley a beach viv, LOL :lol: If it werent for the fact that I already made new decor and got a new background for him for Christmas, I think I would have. Oh well!

 

[DeweysMom]

Hey, any ideas you have are 100% welcome! This is my first attempt at really building and designing a viv and it does feel a little overwhelming. I have so many thoughts going around in my head and I keep flip flopping on a theme. It's either gonna be an ocean theme or a desert theme. As I said, I want it to be practical and safe for Dewey (no high platforms that he could fall from, etc). I'm looking for a clean set up. Not a lot of clutter so he'd be able to move around freely with plenty of leg space. Also as I said, I'm into earthy tones - bright and/or neon colors aren't me so those are no no's!

I'm hoping to do some shopping around this weekend to see what's "out there" and to hopefully get some more inspiration. I'm very excited to get started. It will be hard though because I'm a very impatient person so the longer this takes the more crazy I'm going to go! :lol:

 

[ziggy23]

Actually there are coastal BD's. If people want to say a desert theme is making it look like their natural home, then one could say that an ocean theme would be like visiting a cousin! And ya know, sometimes when you visit others you might decide that you like their place better and decide to stay. :lol: Besides it's not like they know better.

 

[Jess]

Well, my idea is that you could use a picture of the ocean as a background of course, and use sandstone tile or tan-colored shelf liner (thats what I use) as the "sand". Then, for his hide, you could make a sand castle out of styrofoam and grout! If you use sanded grout for the last layer, it actually look/feels like sand. If you still wanted to do a 2nd hide were you put Dewey after he falls alseep, you could make it a double-decker sand castle!
For a food dish, you could cut a coconut in half and hollow it out. I made a hide for my hermit crabs that way. Its pretty eay to do!

If Dewey likes hammocks, you could make him a netted-looking one like this:

And these are cakes, but I thought that just a cute, simple sand castle like this would be adorable. And in you dont want to make it 2 stories, you could make the little wall on the top of it taller, and put Dewey on top of it when he sleeps.

Can you tell Im having fun with this? I wish I did a beach theme now...

 

[DeweysMom]

Thanks for the ideas. I was actually trying to figure out how to make a hammock today so that's already bouncing around in my head. Those cakes that you showed are so cute! I love the sand castle idea too. I can't wait to go shopping just to see if something catches my eye. Today I got to thinking about a log cabin / rustic kind of theme too. There are so many options out there!

Oh, and it's not to late for you to change to a beach theme!

 

[Jess]

I cant wait to see what you come up with!

Ive already worked so hard on my desert theme though! :[ But I tend to re-do my cages alot because I get sick of things really fast LOL, so next time I will try a beach theme for sure!