Outdoor enclosure/play area?

[aidan724]

At the moment it is a little too chilly to take my beardie baby outside but I am thinking of building him an outdoor enclosure/play area for the summer. With 3 young kids we spend a good deal of time outside during the nice weather & I was wondering if you folks would have some ideas. Are there pros & cons to taking a beardie outdoors in your own private yard? We don't use pesticides, weed killer or the like. I do have a large dog but Falkor would be kept in an area of the yard that Piglet isn't allowed. This part of the yard only has standard grass & dandelions, no ornamental plants or anything. I have a lot of questions about how to make one for him as I'm hesitant to just put him down in the yard. With the kids there is a possibility that I would have to take my eyes off of him for a minute or two so I would rather he be confined where I wouldn't have to worry about him getting himself in trouble.
What materials would you all suggest?
What would you keep with a beardie outdoors for a few hours?
Is there any prep that needs to be done to the ground?
What outdoor temps would you consider ideal for them to be in?
What about outdoor humidity?
Are there plans for an outdoor play area online?
How large should the enclosure be?
We live in NC so it gets pretty warm pretty early & stays that way fairly late in the year. It's also fairly humid here a good deal of the time. I would like Falkor to be able to enjoy the outdoors safely so I thought it best to think about it now & get started. Thanks!

 

[samchavles]

Taking a beardie outside is one of the best things you can do for him/her! They love basking in the all natural UVB they get from the sun, and it's a nice thing to display!
Depending on what you want to do you could make an outside cage, or a pen area so he has a lot of room and you dont have to worry about it.
I wouldn't use grass, not sure if it's ok for the beardie to eat. And at such a young age your beardie is going to eat and taste everything. If you want to make a project out of it, make the whole pen area have a slate tile floor. It retains heat well, and will keep the dragons nails filed! I use it in my tank. Basically you're just going to be making a big enclosure outside. As far as decorations go, branches or anything else they can sit and crawl on will work great! But remember to make a spot for them where they will always have access to shade, and a small pool for water won't hurt either. As far as outdoor temps, it doesn't need to be 100 degrees, as long as the air isn't cold and the sun is bright and warm, it's an ideal day to take your beardie out for an hour or so.
As far as keeping him outside, he'll be fine, just don't leave him out there without supervision. Only let him out when you will be out there.

Like I said, try slate tile for the ground. It looks great, and is much easier to clean as well!
As far as the size of the enclosure, it depends! How much room do you have, and how much do you want to give your beardie? If he's young, he'll be pretty active for a while, and it's always good to give them room. So the roomier you can make it, the better.

As far as a design, i'd honestly imagine it being as simple as getting the floor area planned, say 6 by 6 feet if you wanted to. Remove all vegetation from that selected area, level the ground, lay down and grout the slate tile. Instead of 4 walls, just 4 Big Wooden Frames basically, then you can use Mesh as the actual wall! I don't know if that makes sense, but yeah. Then, decorate as you see fit. Branches, all that good stuff. Another option is to actually build out the spots in the enclosure such as a basking spot and ramp, or you can buy stuff, once again, a lot of options you have here.

Keep us updated, I'd really like to see this!

 

[aidan724]

I'm trying to do a lot of research into what is safe & such before I build it. We start spending a lot of time outdoors about March to April when it starts hitting 75 to 80 all the time. I'm always cold myself so I have a patch on the side yard set up where I'm always in the sun to stay warm that I think would be perfect for him. There are a lot of things that I want to look into before building the enclosure such as the local insects & plants to make sure they are safe for him to be exposed to. Unfortunately we have a lot of species of ants and bugs in general that I need to clear off the list before I take him out where he wouldn't be on someone. I do want him to have a safe spot that he can bask on his own while the kids & I are a few feet away so that he doesn't feel trapped & bored. There are so many options that it's a little overwhelming & I'm glad I have lots of time to consider it.

 

[samchavles]

Ah, I see what you mean. Possibly some insect traps around the enclosure? I mean technically, your dragon IS an insect trap but I get the concern of random insects. The hot area sounds perfect for him! As far as plants, they shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't have any in his enclosure.

 

[aidan724]

I'm thinking of some sort of wire exterior just to make sure nothing big gets in when it isn't in use & mesh on the inside to help keep out the bugs. There are a lot of plants that I can plant around it to help keep away some bugs but I want to double check them first. Raw grits seem to work really well on the ants & I can't see it being a problem for Falkor.

 

[samchavles]

Yeah he should be fine as long as they are outside of the tank. And yeah exactly like shape the enclosure, and make wooden frames for the walls, then put like a double mesh on for extra bug protection.Good luck!

 

[FishboneNC]

Great idea!
I read someone turned their sun room into a beardie play ground.

Something to consider:
I live in the country (I'm also in NC) so birds of prey are everywhere!
Also, red fire ants would attack him, not to mention snakes!

As for an enclosure, mine can climb just about anything! A screen would be used as a ladder!
I saw mine hanging almost 3' up my deck rail, it's un-painted wood! He climbed up it in a blink!
They think they're part Ninja.
Also, with a screen, they'll keep bumping into it thinking they can walk through it, this will cause irritation, it's why a viv shouldn't have screen.

I have a harness and leash, he's fine while he's on me, as soon as I put him on the ground, he's running!

I made a plexiglass 'tank', all 4 sides slide into slots cut into 2x4s with locking screws. I can assemble it in minutes.
I take it to the camp grounds, the beach, the patio...anywhere.
He can see everything, so kids, or my dogs etc can't spook him by looking over the sides...plus he can't climb out!
Just watch they don't learn how to dig!

 

[aidan724]

A friend suggested that I make a portable enclosure out of a kiddie pool & use something like quilting hoops for shape just for something to have him in for a few mins while I sit beside & read or the like. I'm terrified of the hawks around here. I've seen them take dives at small dogs & cats. I wouldn't be leaving him alone outside & would be just a few feet away so maybe the small wire with the plastic pet screen?

 

[FishboneNC]

A friend suggested that I make a portable enclosure out of a kiddie pool & use something like quilting hoops for shape just for something to have him in for a few mins while I sit beside & read or the like. I'm terrified of the hawks around here. I've seen them take dives at small dogs & cats. I wouldn't be leaving him alone outside & would be just a few feet away so maybe the small wire with the plastic pet screen?

If you mean the type of pool that the sides is a roll of metal, that would work, some garden stakes hammered in the ground.
Just make sure it's flat on the ground! They can use their nose, flatten their body and squirm under.

I would steer clear of wire or screen for walls, they'll get their nails in it and hike right up it!
A good idea If you intend to use it as a cover.

If he's big enough for the harness they sell in the "For Sale" section, it works for me.
I tie mine to the lounge chair, he can wander as far as the leash will let him...just enough for him to explore, or his favorite thing, sleep on the dog!

 

[aidan724]

He's only 9 1/2 inches right now & it's too cold really to go outside until about March. I'm wanting it to have a top & a bottom. The kiddie pool is a hard plastic circle. If I use some wire hoops at the top & bottom then I can have wire & mesh to make a cylinder with a wire & mesh top. I could even just cut a door & make a latch or just lift it up. We have too many birds of prey that aren't the least bit afraid of people around here not to have a top. I'm wondering if I use the kiddie pool for a bottom if I could even plant some edibles in the bottom for an all you can eat buffet & be able to move it around the yard to where we are at any given moment. The wire (I'm thinking) would allow me to attach some natural branches from the yard much like I do for our bird. Bake them & sterilize them etc. It's just an idea I'm working on as we have a few months to get it done.

 

[aidan724]

I'm really concerned about the bugs & predators we have around here. Not to mention we have Anole lizards, frogs & the like that roam around the house & I'm concerned about communicable diseases with that too.

 

[FishboneNC]

He's only 9 1/2 inches right now & it's too cold really to go outside until about March. I'm wanting it to have a top & a bottom. The kiddie pool is a hard plastic circle. If I use some wire hoops at the top & bottom then I can have wire & mesh to make a cylinder with a wire & mesh top. I could even just cut a door & make a latch or just lift it up. We have too many birds of prey that aren't the least bit afraid of people around here not to have a top. I'm wondering if I use the kiddie pool for a bottom if I could even plant some edibles in the bottom for an all you can eat buffet & be able to move it around the yard to where we are at any given moment. The wire (I'm thinking) would allow me to attach some natural branches from the yard much like I do for our bird. Bake them & sterilize them etc. It's just an idea I'm working on as we have a few months to get it done.

Now I understand.
A roll of metal fence 1/2 x1/2 or 1x1 for the a cylinder would work. The hard part would be attaching it to the plastic pool.

For the roof, you could use aviary screen, or bird screen. It's a cloth mesh, just need to rig up some supports to keep it from sagging.
Just make sure you can fit in it to get him out!

The 'buffet' would be a buffet to anything else too!

If you go with the plastic pool idea, I have one I'm not using.
I tried to use it as a "meet and greet" enclosure to introduce my dogs to week old chicks...it didn't work out so good.
Who would have thought week old chicks could just jump out of that pool!
No chicks were hurt but I sure got a workout rounding up them chicks!

I live near Lizard Lick NC...Google it to see if you're nearby.
Then use Wikipedia, you'll get a kick of how that town got it's name!

 

[aidan724]

That's an awesome idea. I can maybe punch a couple holes & use some zip ties or just make it a drop in. I was planning to put it up when we weren't using it if I didn't plant in the bottom. We have 2 small buildings for storage. Lizard Lick is awesome I'm originally from Charlotte, NC so I have heard of it. I can't remember how far off from us it is at the moment.

 

[aidan724]

Chicks are so cute but such a handful. LOL They are so funny & get themselves into so much trouble I would have never expected I bet it was a lot if fun trying to round them back up.