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DIY?

ohwonder

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
14
Hello, I was wondering if anyone here has made there own decor. I went and bought fake plants today, and my idea was too put them in styrofoam and paint the foam with non toxic paint that is safe for reptiles.

Then I realized that my beardie could tear up the foam and possibly eat it.. can't let that happen.

I have had success with DIY for Crested Geckos, but i am new to bearded dragons. A lot of the quality, and aesthetically pleasing plant decor from stores are over priced in my opinion. Any of you have success of ideas for DIY? I am in the process of making a hammock/ladder already.

BTW the plants would not be situated on the hot side of the tank, I don't want any melting or possible fumes.
 

BeardedHippy

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
672
Location
Scarborough UK
hello, I agree with you. Tank decor is way overpriced for what it is and making your own is good fun. Painted styrofoam is used a lot in tank backgrounds etc, I wouldnt worry too much about them eating it ,especially if it is coated with a good sealer or grouted first. Plastic plants are fine in the tank so long as they dont have any small removable parts (i have seen some that are just small sections of leaf clipped together) and like you say, not put directly under the basking lamp. I have been wanting for quite some time now to make some decor using polyresin, but I cant justify the cost at the present time. I have made my own bridges out of bamboo, not the best material as it turned out as it cracks (audiably!) when it expands and contracts.
Take some pics and show us what you build :)
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
I moved your thread for you :)

Like BeardedHippy said, if you grout, paint and seal the styrofoam, it should be just fine to use in your tank. I on the other hand, worry about them eating the fake plants. They look pretty but since dragons eat greens, they might mistake it for something they can eat. I used to have silk plants in my boys tank when he was a baby until I saw he took a few big chunks out of it!
 

ohwonder

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
14
Oh gosh @PatsyB, that what I was so worried about, him eating the leaves. I just posted a thread asking about that actually. I think Im going to test it out and monitor him very closely when the leaves are in there.
Thank you so much for moving it too!

And thank you to everyone who responded, you guys have helped so much in this forum its crazy.
 

ohwonder

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
14
@magpie hey! Thanks for your reference. I will be using excavator clay in the future, I've watched videos on it and Iike how easy it is to use
 

ohwonder

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
14
@BeardedHippy Hmm I didn't even think of using poly resin, definitely going to look into it now that you've gave me the idea.I know a lot of decorations for fish aquariums are made out of it. Which must mean its durable and reliable.
Excavator clay is somewhat cheaper, and reusable from the information/videos i've found.
 

Mark the Mailman

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
85
I've watched some videos of DIY builds using a concrete and sand mix. They pack newspaper into the desired shape and cover it with wire mesh, then start slapping on the concrete just taking handfuls and slinging it until its covered. They sand it after that. Looks really nice... Nd to secure the edges of the wire mesh to wood though
 

BeardedHippy

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
672
Location
Scarborough UK
Grout is just basically sand free concrete, there are a lot of ways you could use it. I thought of the mesh idea as well, you can get modeling mesh online. If you are going to build a large structure it may as well be hollow so it can be used as a hide. If whatever you coat it with is too rough, it will be a nightmare to clean and particles will be flaking off all the time, if its too smooth, the beardie will find it hard to grip onto. I have a hundred ideas on how to build something, I have almost zero ideas on what to build...my muses are ignoring me lately. At one point I was even thinking of making a resin sofa and bed etc, no reason why things have to look like they are from nature, the beardies only care if its comfy. Gave that one up as a bad idea though, but it would have been fun to make.
 

Mark the Mailman

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
85
lol I love the sofa idea...how about making your tank the interior of the Millennium Falcon for your beardy to hang out in...haha
I'm right where you are bc i want to build a custom hide, not necessarily the whole tank and i might use a different material. She nds something on the cool side of the tank bc she doesnt use the store bought hide at all.
I used to build pools so i can do anything with concrete or grout i'm just not sure what to do yet.
I also really like some of these foam board creations covered with grout. That may be the way to go
 
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