My 55 gallon desert for bearded

ac251404 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 02:16 PM

Just finished my first fake rock wall for my bearded dragon. It was fun and annoying at the same time but I learned a lot. He will soon be moving to a new enclosure but I wanted to try this technique out once and learn a bit before doing final version in his new tank and my other tanks.

Critiques welcome

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wyatt003 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 03:31 PM

Very nice! I like the hide out in the lower left. I've never done any desert environments but I really like the look of it, especially that cave!

beckdg · #3 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 05:10 PM

looks good, don't know if the aloe plant will be an issue... that's up to the plant guys.
the sand may be an issue for now... he looks young! and if so there's an impaction risk... i'd put tiles in for now, but i can't tell age either from your pic... if he is young you could always go back to sand later...

other than those... which i'm not sure of... it looks great!

ac251404 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 05:34 PM

The aloe plant is safe for beardeds according to everything I have read. And its about the only thing he wont try to eat im pretty sure. As for the sand, I know it is seen as a risk for impaction but I've always kept my beardeds on it without issue. I also know that a lot of people will say "you havent had an issue YET" and I understand that but I am aware of the risks and prefer sand to anything else for a natural look. I'm playing with an idea for his next enclosure using the false background style but for the floor... something like tile but more natural rock looking and only filling the gaps with sand. And as far as age, he is about 1 year maybe a tad more right now.

thanks for the feedback!

happy toad · #5 (**permalink**) 07-25-2009, 09:45 PM

Oh my gosh! It's sand!

Just kidding, but anyway it looks great and I've always thought that if used properly sand doesn't cause impactions, just my opinion though. I do like your idea though about using grout combo for the floor as well, I have always thought that was the best alternative to sand.
Good luck!

Lasher · #6 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 09:03 AM

Sand! GASP! You monster, that poor beardie...

I used sand for many years without issue, unless he's gulping down mouthfulls of it I wouldnt worry too much. Personaly I now(if appropriate) use millet seed as substrate, it looks relatively natural and IMO is more hygenic and easier to spot clean, though obviously only suitable for a dry viv and can cause issues if it gets dragged into a laying box.

Your rock looks good, nice and simple, great for a first try. What was the construction method?

Ari Gold · #7 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 01:37 PM

very impressive... Good job!

froggsong · #8 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 10:38 PM

Wow, this thread just came to my attention, and I must say I LOVE your BG. It's one of the best I've seen. I may work off of your design a bit when I do mine. I like that you used larger "rocks" in the design, rather than lots of small ones. It looks like a natural sandstone formation.

As for the comments against sand and for tile, I like using tile, and I took my guy off of sand (he wasn't ready yet and decided to eat alot of it, silly fellow), but I have noticed that with the tiles, his nails get worn down TOO much (as in to the bleeding point) due to the fine rough texture of the tiles. So, I'll be going back to sand very soon (a finer particle sand than I had before). Tiles are great for the clean up and are virtually no risk, but they do have drawbacks as well.

oink · #9 (**permalink**) 09-05-2009, 12:37 PM

nice work on the rocks! impressive indeed.

Lasher · #10 (**permalink**) 09-05-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froggsong

As for the comments against sand and for tile, I like using tile, and I took my guy off of sand (he wasn't ready yet and decided to eat alot of it, silly fellow), but I have noticed that with the tiles, his nails get worn down TOO much (as in to the bleeding point) due to the fine rough texture of the tiles. So, I'll be going back to sand very soon (a finer particle sand than I had before). Tiles are great for the clean up and are virtually no risk, but they do have drawbacks as well.

I've found that isnt an issue if you use the right kind of tile - I kept beardies on sandstone and granite like tiles and had the same problems but found that natural slate tiles were rough enough to wear the claws, but not excessively.