DIY Rock Structure

[wyrmsocks]

Hello!! This is my first post on this forum My beardie's name is Norbert, shes about 7 years old and I love her to death. Soooo I'm giving her a bit of an upgrade!! I recently moved so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to build something new for her, and I thought people might be interested to follow along

(Don't mind the cracked tiles haha) I got this vivarium from dubiaroaches.com and it was super easy to put together! I printed the backdrop myself and pasted it up with mod podge, and I laid the tiles down with liquid nails and grout.

...aaaand the building begins!! This process was very long and tedious, but I'm a project person so I enjoyed every second of it. I'm following some tutorials that I've found online, and luckily I just bought a TV for the new place that had a TON of styrofoam in the box, so I didn't even have to buy any! I also found that breaking off pieces instead of cutting them gives the edges a rougher, more rock-like texture.

The whole building process took about two days... this thing is HUGE (the whole tank is 2x2x4). But Norbert is crazy about climbing so I'm sure she'll adore it! The plants are actually from a craft store and are way cheaper than any pet store. They also have a wire stem at the bottom so I could poke holes for them straight into the styrofoam!
The structure actually ended up working out so the left side stacks on top of the right (you can sort of see the raised lip where the pieces separate). This is so I can take the separate pieces in or out as needed and so it's not one huge chunk (super helpful in the grout/paint/seal process).
I'm hoping to hang a hammock somewhere (maybe underneath in one of the corners? Or a bridge-shaped one somewhere?). She loves her hammock in her current place and I'd hate to take that away from her.

I just started the grouting process too! I almost have the whole right piece covered, I just need to do the underside and probably a second coat. This process has been much longer than I thought it would be, but I've been enjoying it and I'm sure Norbert will love it. I'll be updating this thread with my progress if anyone is interested!!!

 

[Snappy's mom]

Amazing

 

[wyrmsocks]

The grout is finally finished!!! This step took way way longer than I was expecting, mostly because I had to wait for pieces to dry in between coats and I needed to flip the whole structure around to get to the underside...which broke some pieces along the way. But, with everything now covered in grout and solidly attached, I'll begin the painting tomorrow!

The first picture doesn't give a great idea of the space in this terrarium since I took it from a bit higher up, but the second photo shows just how much room is above the highest basking point

I also ended up attaching the two pieces in the end. It was nice having them separate so I could have a bit more maneuverability during the grouting process, but now that it's all finished and I'm probably going to glue them to the tiles anyway I thought it would be best to attach them.

More updates to come!

 

[wyrmsocks]

The structure is all finished!! The paint really made it come to life, and I couldn't be happier with it. The polycrylic sealer I used left a bit more of a shine than I would have preferred, but I really don't mind it.

Here is everything all finished!!! I'm not sure if i'm going to keep the tree on the left side, but it was one of her favorites from the old tank so I thought I'd put it in for now and see how it goes. I think I'll also need to adjust my light setup. The UVB is fine (it's kind of hidden at this angle of the photo haha), but at the moment I'm using a 75w halogen light for the basking spot. It worked fine in the previous setup, but I think I might need to go for a higher wattage; you can even see in the thermometer up there that the temperature's not quite up to snuff.

And here's the lady herself!! It's (understandably) taking her some time to get used to the big move. She's been quieter than usual and I think just adjusting to the new surroundings. I'm hoping with a bit of time (and maybe a new basking light) she'll start to get comfortable in her new home!

 

[Sadie]

View attachment 32396View attachment 32397

The structure is all finished!! The paint really made it come to life, and I couldn't be happier with it. The polycrylic sealer I used left a bit more of a shine than I would have preferred, but I really don't mind it.

View attachment 32398
Here is everything all finished!!! I'm not sure if i'm going to keep the tree on the left side, but it was one of her favorites from the old tank so I thought I'd put it in for now and see how it goes. I think I'll also need to adjust my light setup. The UVB is fine (it's kind of hidden at this angle of the photo haha), but at the moment I'm using a 75w halogen light for the basking spot. It worked fine in the previous setup, but I think I might need to go for a higher wattage; you can even see in the thermometer up there that the temperature's not quite up to snuff.


View attachment 32399View attachment 32400View attachment 32401

And here's the lady herself!! It's (understandably) taking her some time to get used to the big move. She's been quieter than usual and I think just adjusting to the new surroundings. I'm hoping with a bit of time (and maybe a new basking light) she'll start to get comfortable in her new home!

Please get a digital probe for the surface basking temp - the one shown is giving ambient temps- other than that the tank looks very nice - does the UVB have a reflector on it? If not I would get one - the rays are going to bounce all over the tank w/ out one and she wont get any UVB - the reflector is going to direct the rays downward toward her

 

[wyrmsocks]

Please get a digital probe for the surface basking temp - the one shown is giving ambient temps- other than that the tank looks very nice - does the UVB have a reflector on it? If not I would get one - the rays are going to bounce all over the tank w/ out one and she wont get any UVB - the reflector is going to direct the rays downward toward her

Will do! I've been meaning to get new thermometers but it's just one of those things that I haven't gotten to yet I will definitely look into getting a reflector for the UVB!

 

[Snappy's mom]

That turned out really awesome .. I'm assuming you used a paint that's safe for both the lady and the heat. What kind is it?
The whole project was a really cool ideal, start to finish. Thanks for sharing, n btw... the Lady's a beauty

 

[Ferne the Bearded Dragon]

That’s a amazing!!