Moorish Gecko viv: picturelog

[Massis]

I finally finished my beardies tank, so it's time to begin the new gecko's palace.

Currently I have only one Tarentola Mauritanica female, but I'll be getting 3 more somewhere the coming week. They'll be housed in a quarantine tank for the first 2 weeks, until the new viv is finished. The one I already have is staying in her current viv until I finish the new one.

The viv will be built into a big black closet I have, so it has rather weird sizes.
It's 86*40*62cm, which is about 33*16.5*24.5 inch.

Complete with back wall, night and day lighting on a thermostat & timers and a dripping waterfall so they constantly have moving water available (without raising humidity by much)

First of all: here's an overview of the new beardie viv:


and here's the gecko's viv:
the closet:


overview in foam







the waterfall: (water will drip from the ceiling into the right puddle, flow into the middle one and drop down to the lower one, where it will evaporate)




first layer of grout:
















TODO:
- 3rd and 4th layer of grout
- colouring (mainly grey)
- add fake plants
- add ceiling
- add both front plates, glass runners and windows
- cut 2cm (3/4") off the sides since I forgot to deduct the bottom plate of my total height...
- add electronics

I plan to have it finished halfway through november, when I'm starting 2 new 5*2*2ft tanks for a friend of mine...

Let me know what you think!

[cmmercer]

Wow, that looks really good. Some lucky little reps you have there. Still working on my Beardie viv, it'll be finished one day I'm sure.

Bet you are dead chuffed with all that!!

[stitch]

Very impressive! i tried this once! got as far as putting the wardrobe on its side and took the doors off and the OH came in and went mad! lol

[Massis]

thanks for the great comments!


This is an old closet we got from my parents when I moved out this summer. (so it's basicly mine )
My gf and I have a few rules about my reptile hobby though:

- insects go in the basement! (though a small supply can be kept in a plastic box tucked away in a closed empty aquarium so I don't have to go to the basement 2 times a day)

- she has 5 fish, so I can have a max of 5 reptiles (have a beardie and a gecko, maybe 3 more geckos this week = total of 5)

- the viv I'm building into the closet HAS to be removable, just in case we ever get rid of the closet without getting rid of the gecko's

- no snakes or spiders or other invertabretes (scorps etc) (so Zarath, my corn , lives at my parents house. Dad wouldn't let me take him with me anyway)

I can cope with that, since only a year ago reptiles were a "no go", then we got Spike, our gecko, which she could live with and actually liked watching every now and then.

Then we moved out and I really wanted a beardie (been nagging her about it for over 2 years but we didn't have room for one), so she agreed "if you really really really want one, who am I to stop you?".

Now she sits in the living room petting him to sleep every now and then, and I've even got her to feed him roaches multiple times

[haunted-havoc]

Originally Posted by Massis

thanks for the great comments!


This is an old closet we got from my parents when I moved out this summer. (so it's basicly mine )
My gf and I have a few rules about my reptile hobby though:

- insects go in the basement! (though a small supply can be kept in a plastic box tucked away in a closed empty aquarium so I don't have to go to the basement 2 times a day)

- she has 5 fish, so I can have a max of 5 reptiles (have a beardie and a gecko, maybe 3 more geckos this week = total of 5)

- the viv I'm building into the closet HAS to be removable, just in case we ever get rid of the closet without getting rid of the gecko's

- no snakes or spiders or other invertabretes (scorps etc) (so Zarath, my corn , lives at my parents house. Dad wouldn't let me take him with me anyway)

I can cope with that, since only a year ago reptiles were a "no go", then we got Spike, our gecko, which she could live with and actually liked watching every now and then.

Then we moved out and I really wanted a beardie (been nagging her about it for over 2 years but we didn't have room for one), so she agreed "if you really really really want one, who am I to stop you?".

Now she sits in the living room petting him to sleep every now and then, and I've even got her to feed him roaches multiple times

...teach me my mum hates my reps, even though she likes playing with them like you would a baby. pulling wierd faces and sticking tounge out is a favourite. yet she hates the feeder

[Massis]

can't, mine's special

[Massis]

wages are in, time for an update!

The last layer of grout isn't completely dry yet, but I like the colour (it'll lighten up a bit). I've also added the lower front, bought some decorative edges to cover up the bare wood and bought a new fake plant, a bamboo root, a hygrometer and a 'lil dripper for my "waterfall"

the entire thing should be finished in a week or 2!

no flash


with flash


old furniture from parents house (my old workbench is 15+y old, got it when I was 6 )


lower front, fake plant & bamboo root added

[Massis]

thanks for all the great comments!

anyways: new update, nearly finished now.

to do:
- second coat of varnish
- pick up windows
- install thermostats

[Massis]

bumpidy bump...

240 views and noone with an opinion to share?

[corny girl]

WOW, that looks good. I'm sure they will be very happy in their new home . I want to do a natural viv for my Gecko's which i'll be getting in the new year. But i won't be doing any fancy backgrounds (will probably end up buying an Exo-terra one).