Questions about building my own hammock

[beardiebandit]

the cups i used where the cheapest i could find! lol! not sure what brand. they where the biggest i could find though.

 

[KairaandTaz08]

Really? Do you mind naming the store?
Thanks,
Abi

 

[beardiebandit]

it was Micheal's here in Oklahoma. its a lot like Hobby Lobby... just go to the stained glass section for the suction cups and the yarn section for the plastic material! lol! i was going to use bandanna fabric but i thought it would be too hard to clean. you may be able to throw that plastic material in the dish washer...? if it melts at least you only lost 39 cents! lol! that would kill any bacteria for sure!!!!
i like the fact that you can cut it how ever you wish. and use as many suction cups as you need to..i have some really good ideas i will be playing with.

 

[KairaandTaz08]

Oh, you're not too far from us then. We're in Kansas.
I'm very familiar with Michael's and Hobby Lobby. I'm really into crafts, although I haven't had much time to spend on my hobbies lol, with all of the cleanings and such that we've been doing.
Yup, it is the same stuff I have...you can get even larger sheets at Walmart, but I've only seen it in white there. It was $0.39 here too, for the smaller sheets. Walmart was selling them for about the same and the larger sheets would allow me more options, however they didn't have any larger sheets with the smaller holes :? . Has your girl had any problems with getting her nails stuck in the holes? That's my main concern with it. Cleaning it would be so easy! An extra bonus is the price...I'd be able to make several (at the price of one of the ReptiHammocks I have now, which is always nice), so Kaira would always have clean ones available. I wonder how we would hang it in a custom-built wood enclosure...probably nails? That's a few months away though. I'll be checking Michael's out for some suction cups though, because no matter what we use to make the hammock, we'll probably be needing those. I'm not sure about washing them in the dishwasher though, just from working with that material, it doesn't seem like it would hold up to the heat and living in an apartment, I don't want to risk making a mess of the dishwasher lol.
Please share any new ideas you have! I like to have many options to choose from lol.
It sounds like I'll have you and Cheryl to help me figure this one out! I'm so excited . Kaira just loves her hammocks lol...I can't take them away from her! Plus, she'll be moving into a bigger tank, hopefully, this week, so I'll be needing more "furniture" and Taz loves to climb.
Thank you for the idea and everything,
Abi

I also wanted to mention, that I didn't realize until a day or two after I made this thread that they had added the "DIY" section, so I kind of posted in the wrong place :? . Sorry everyone, especially the moderators.

 

[beardiebandit]

i think that material would be great for baby's! especially the stuff with the small holes. and you know how little ones love to climb! i need to check wal-mart i want some bigger sheets! when i get my custom tanks done i will be using those little circle hooks to hold the hammocks up...im pretty sure that will work very well. i have four dragons and there is no way i want to buy a bunch of those expensive hammocks at the pet store.

im glad i can help

 

[beardiebandit]

i havent seen her nails get stuck. and my smaller male loves his hammock! he is on it every time i walk into the room.

 

[KairaandTaz08]

Yeah, Taz is definitely a climber lol. I think the sheets I got from Walmart are about 22"x14". Hmm...I'll have to think about those hook things too. They've still got awhile before we are able to make custom enclosures, although Taz may need one sooner than we plan on. :? You're right, they aren't cheap to buy from a pet store...and for four dragons...yeah that'd be quite a bit. I bought mine online, though, and I got them for a lot cheaper than the exact same ones in the pet store (same with UVBs). Since they have coccidia, I haven't really allowed them anything else. That's why they have 3 each lol. They're always on them, not that they have many other options, but Kaira loved hers as a baby (when she could have other things in her cage). I love the way they'll lay on them with a front leg over the edge lol.
Good to know her nails haven't gotten "stuck". I may look around more to see if I can find the larger sheets with small holes, though.

I was thinking about a platform, too. Anybody have an opinion about this idea?
Get some slate/tiles, have Lucas cut them (he's good with all that stuff lol), and stack them somehow to make a stair-like thing. It'd obviously be pretty heavy and we'd have to figure out what type of glue/grout to use that would actually hold that weight together and be safe. I don't know...just an idea. It has its flaws and things I'd have to work out...but I suppose it's a start. I just don't know how else to support slate or tiles besides with other slate or tiles lol.
Abi

 

[beardiebandit]

LIQUID NAILS! that stuff is strong! i could prooly glue my car to the side of a building with that stuff! if you glue the tiles together with liquid nails you will never get them apart! lol!
you wont ever have to worry about the tiles falling...EVER! LOL! ive used Liquid Nails in the past for construction projects and once you glue down a counter top you better make sure its right because its there and it wont want to come up! thats my suggestion...

 

[KairaandTaz08]

Is it safe though? I know it's used a lot, but usually there's a sealant over it...

 

[beardiebandit]

once it dries i dont think its harmful at all..and you dont need to use much of it either. "a dab el do ya" lol!

 

[KairaandTaz08]

Well if it isn't harmful then I think I know what I'll be attempting to use as a platform...I'd like to get it confirmed though. If you couldn't tell, I'm a little overprotective of my two little ones. :? I'd rather be safe than sorry though.
Abi

 

[stephenrose06]

those ideas look really good. Although since My BD is only 8 to 9 inches long, wondering if I should go for the store hammock for now and build one later.

 

[KairaandTaz08]

Oh, they grow so much faster than you'd think. At least get the large hammock if you choose to buy one from a pet store. They also like to lounge around on them, so the bigger the better in my opinion.
Abi

 

[Geoff22]

Dun know if this will help ya but heres a hammock I made for bruce, Its made out of a digital print marine issued cami's

I just cut a piece off the jacket, sewed a suction cup to one end, and used a staple gun for the two sides against the wood *although this might be a problem with you for your glass lol*

heres a pic though

and that thing is like at least 10inchs off the ground believe me, beardies will figure out a way to get up there ! lol Ive seen him jump from being flat on the sand up there! ALthough now he put on a little weight *hes about 14-15inchs now* and hes not able to jump as high so I put another piece of wood in so he can climb up.

 

[KairaandTaz08]

LOL I love that picture! I saw it somewhere else too. He's so cute.
Is it easy to clean? I'm sure we could just use suction cups on the other sides too. The only problem with the other material is I can't stop worrying about her nails getting caught, but I need to be really careful with the material (non-porous, easy to clean), too.
Since you have a custom enclosure, maybe you can answer this one...what glue/grout would be safe to get heavy slate/tile to stack-up? Is Liquid Nails safe for them? I don't want to use a sealant on this...I want it to have as much of a natural texture as I can allow her (or them, if it works out)...obviously they're not getting too many "natural-looking" things to bask on. Logs are obviously not an option.
Taz is my climber (he's about 12 1/2" and a month and a half younger than Kaira)...Kaira's just over 14" (slight nip) and a bit more lazy lol, but she has her moments.

They have a check-up in a little bit (I'm nervous), hopefully their counts are down so I can start on these projects and get them in larger tanks!
Thanks everyone,
Abi