Hi Folks


I've not been about for ages as I've been moving house and still haven't got a land line (and hence no internet :humbug: )

So, new house, empty 4 x 2 x 2 viv and some inspiration later here's what I've been busy constructing – Fake rock for my Bearded dragon’s new viv!

First cut the polystyrene (great fun, but hell of a mess)


More mess making the cave take shape


Checking the final shape fits into the viv


Upside down showing cave


View into cave whilst in viv


Adding the first lot of tile grout (like icing a giant cake!_


Then the sand - put first onto the final layer of tile grout whilst still wet, then a layer of matt varnish covered in sand, then varnish, then sand etc)


Up on end to make sure the sand gets into all the nooks and crannies!


Horacio trying it out for size and comfort (I think he likes it!)


And finally in the viv ready for Horacio (once I've moved his bowl, log and dimming stat across!)


Comments please!

Cheers
Andy

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by god thats quality! - care to list your instrument of use ?

My BD is 16 month do you something like this he would enjoy? he hasnt been lively for about a week i think hes becoming bored :/

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4.4.0 - Fire Belly Toads
1.1.3 Leopard Geckos
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Arnold - as in the Terminator:P)

http://www.amphibianark.org/
Sign this petition and donate if you can 2008 year of the frog help save them !

Finally have 3 Female Fire Belly Toads- for breeding purposes! will start my breeding soon - then will be selling at £5 each or 10 for £30.00

No probs.

1 sheet of 4' by 8' polystyrene from Wickes
1 bucket of tile grout from Wickes
1 bag of bird sand
1 pack of cocktail sticks
1 large tin of Ronseal Diamond Hard Wood Varnish Matt finish

Two very sharp kitchen knives
Disposable gloves
disposable container (for watering down grout)
polythene dust sheet


cut polystyrene to shape and join layers together with cocktail sticks (you could use grout)

When happy, cover with grout using you hands to smooth into all the nooks and crannies. Allow to dry. Add another layer. Either sand down grout to smooth finish or leave rough. Alternatively do what I did and water down some grout until it is like runny icing. Pour this all over to give a smooth finish. then throw a load of birdsand all over. When dry cover with varnish and throw a load of snad over the wet varnish. Allow to dry, shake off excess sand, varnish again and cover with sand.

I repeated this step 5 times and then did it in different positions, (on it's side etc) to allow sand to get every where.

Finally finished with a coat of varnish to seal it and make it relatively 'wipe clean'.

Messy and long winded but makes a great effect and it much cheaper than buying (although I've never seen anything like it for sale!

First attempt this, gonna work up to some of the other vivs I've seen on this site and others!


Cheers

Andy

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Cheers im saving this link and printing out instructions give me something to do - can this be done for Leos also ? I wanna make a pakistan kinda place for them

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4.4.0 - Fire Belly Toads
1.1.3 Leopard Geckos
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Arnold - as in the Terminator:P)

http://www.amphibianark.org/
Sign this petition and donate if you can 2008 year of the frog help save them !

Finally have 3 Female Fire Belly Toads- for breeding purposes! will start my breeding soon - then will be selling at £5 each or 10 for £30.00

Here are links to places that I got my inspiration from!

Getting Creative - Livefood UK Forum

Made My Beardies A New Home - Livefood UK Forum

My First Attempt At A Fake Wall - Livefood UK Forum

Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred :: View topic - Fake Rock / Natural viv, photo step by step DUW!

Happy building!

Cheers


Andy

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Brilliant - it looks really good, very impressed and I know my beardie'd like summat like that too!!!

by the way - how many times did you have to unblock the hoover?

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My Aminules..........1 beardie - The Fonz - brilliant!!1 cuban knight anole - Dino 1 female red headed rock agama - Alice - beootiful1 female blue spiny swift - Thelma1 sudanese plated lizard - Gerry 1 african fat tailed gecko - Pepi - my daughter's
40 approx cage/aviary birds: canaries to small parrots6 assorted bantam hens1 serama cock4 large fowl chickens1 chocolate labrador1 elderly border collie2 ex racer greyhounds2 black goldenretrXnew zealand huntaways1 black cat!1 rescued handreared bunny1 rescued russian hamster

Looks very good chap, I'm planning something similar for my Beardy......Just got to finish the bloody decorating befor eI can move onto something else.........Nice work!

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....Well.....Used to be.

The rock you built looks great! Although, it has to be said, that the last link that you put up of that viv slightly lessens the greatness of your work! I could not believe how good it looked in the end! It was amazing! I think I'm going to try and create something like it for a Cham! Should be fun whatever happens!

I'm aiming to do this sometime I have a full day off... I suppose this isn't recommended for baby beardies? I have an adult and I'm getting a baby soon (not living together obviously). I've heard that babies sometimes use hides and caves too much. I'll be making one of these for my adult, but is it a no no for the younger beardies?

Cheers.

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- Reptiles -2.2.0 Rhacodactlyus ciliatus1.1.2 Pogona vitticeps1.2.0 Eublepharis Macularius0.1.0 Elaphe guttata guttata- Mammals -0.2.0 Octodon degus1.0.0 Oryctolagus cuniculus2.0.0 Cavia porcellus1.0.0 Canis lupus familiaris- Wanted now! -1.1.0 Varanus acanthuras brochyuras0.1.0 Rhacodactlyus ciliatus1.1.0 Eublepharis Macularius- Wanted eventually -0.0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus1.0.0 Elaphe guttata guttata0.0.1 Brachypelma smithi0.0.1 Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

My pet hate: it is impossible to be heterozygous for RAPTOR.

That looks amazing, might have to copy when I get my bigger viv

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Last edited by Malky : Today at 07:49 PM.