Hey guys,
So I decided to make Frankie a little cave today - Just for something to do, and also because he loves exploring everything in his tank. I thought I'd share with you how I made it, as it was really easy and would be great fun to do with kids.
I used driftwood sticks, natural red desert sand and water. I know lots of people on here don't like using sand - So this method wouldn't suit them, but for everyone that does use sand for their beardies, I hope you like it!
1) I placed down 2 slightly larger sticks, for the walls. Then I covered those with 1 layer of smaller sticks going in the opposite direction, for the roof. I also added a tuft of fake grass, for looks
I plugged any larger gaps in the roof with some solid clumps of sand.
2) I mixed probably about a kilo of sand with afew cups of water, gave it a good stir and applied that all over the roof and sides, to join all the sticks together. Here you can see Frankie 'project managing'
3) I filled in all the gaps with the sand-water mix and then patted it all down very firmly, to make sure nothing was going to collapse once dry. I then sprinkled some dry sand over the top, just a tiny bit, so that the wet sand wouldn't stick to Frankie when he undoubtedly came to check it out properly.
4) After about an hour I put all of his things back in the tank ( I had moved them out for a bit of working space) and now it's finished. Ready for inspection!
For anyone with a larger lizard, or anyone making a taller cave, I would recommend leaving the cave to dry for an hour or so longer, before letting them climb on it as it might not be as strong. I built Frankie's very low and wide, as he is only small, so it is pretty strong. Laying the sticks close together and blocking any large gaps really keeps the whole thing nice and sturdy - So you know nothings going to collapse on your lizard
So I decided to make Frankie a little cave today - Just for something to do, and also because he loves exploring everything in his tank. I thought I'd share with you how I made it, as it was really easy and would be great fun to do with kids.
I used driftwood sticks, natural red desert sand and water. I know lots of people on here don't like using sand - So this method wouldn't suit them, but for everyone that does use sand for their beardies, I hope you like it!
1) I placed down 2 slightly larger sticks, for the walls. Then I covered those with 1 layer of smaller sticks going in the opposite direction, for the roof. I also added a tuft of fake grass, for looks
I plugged any larger gaps in the roof with some solid clumps of sand. 2) I mixed probably about a kilo of sand with afew cups of water, gave it a good stir and applied that all over the roof and sides, to join all the sticks together. Here you can see Frankie 'project managing'
3) I filled in all the gaps with the sand-water mix and then patted it all down very firmly, to make sure nothing was going to collapse once dry. I then sprinkled some dry sand over the top, just a tiny bit, so that the wet sand wouldn't stick to Frankie when he undoubtedly came to check it out properly.
4) After about an hour I put all of his things back in the tank ( I had moved them out for a bit of working space) and now it's finished. Ready for inspection!
For anyone with a larger lizard, or anyone making a taller cave, I would recommend leaving the cave to dry for an hour or so longer, before letting them climb on it as it might not be as strong. I built Frankie's very low and wide, as he is only small, so it is pretty strong. Laying the sticks close together and blocking any large gaps really keeps the whole thing nice and sturdy - So you know nothings going to collapse on your lizard
