# DIY Leopard Gecko Viv Project.



## SirLance

Finally my second ever fake rock viv build, after my Bearded Dragon build I done a few years ago on here I have been dying to do another one of these.

I have my blue foam, Christmas is all done and dusted, I have got a start on my Leopard Gecko viv project. 

I got wood from a local timber yard, it is white furniture board that I have all fitted together and measures at, Length: 30" Depth: 16" Height: 19"









I think it's a nice size viv, just need to get my blue foam fitted snug inside. 









After fine shaving with a scalpel, saw and sand paper it fits. Now I just need one more layer of foam on top of this one to have enough height for hides.









Now I have started my first cut on both layers which will be a cave entrance to a moist hide that will be a Tupperware box in the back corner.









Time to cut out the other hides. I am having 2 warm hides on the right hand side and a BIG cool hide in front of the moist hide. Looking to have lots of hides for the gecko and maybe with the multiple hides I could keep two females, this is just a thought really atm though.


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## SirLance

Time to shape this thing so it actually starts to look like rocks.

















Now comes the messy bit were I get my socks cover in styrofoam, This part took me a while getting it just the way I wanted, so I will skip to when it looks prettier….

…









Now it's looking prettier and like rocks.









The main cave feature I have created for the moist hide is really starting to look good, very happy with it so far.









I set it back into the viv to make sure I have not taken to much of anywhere and stopped it from being snug, but everything is fine and its looking good in there.


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## SirLance

Time to cut the entrances for those hides, they are all going to look like little cave entrances.

























Looking at the 3 entrances cut, everything is starting to take shape. The entrance to the big cool hide I think looks the best shaped.


The entrance to the feature cave for the moist hide was kind of awkward to get at, but with the hole cut in the tupperware box, it was not too hard to get a hole lined up and cut.

























The gecko should have no problem getting in and out of the moist hide and it can even sit outside it and hide under the deep outer cave entrance.


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## demon3000

KEep the Updates coming.....good start


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## SirLance

I wanted to have a borrow that leads one of the hides to the top surface.
So I chose the back warm hide, since thats where the most room is on the surface.

















On the bottom layer on foam I made a slope leading to the top









I made a tunnel then in the top layer that runs at a slant with the the bottom layers slope, just had to made sure they matched up and the inside was wide enough for the gecko.









I think it has turned out just how I wanted, the size is good and it looks like a borrow. Now I hope it uses it cause it was so fiddly doing this. lol


Now I have to scope out some of the foam on the roofs of the hides, to give them a little more height inside.


















The next thing I have to do is cut holes out in the roofs of the hides and turn them into lids, so I can get at the gecko when its in the hides.









So far this is what it looks like, i cut into some of the shapes deeper, as the grout will fill them up and I have also carved the front edges that will face out so it looks nice and rounded. 
And thats my dog looking sad next to it.


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## jacklyn

This looks fantastic! Really interested to see the final product.


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## Vivexoticspares

Your viv is looking great! if you need any spare parts for it, you'll find them in www.vivspares.co.uk :2thumb:


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## 12kslr33

Where can I get that blue foam from?


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## SirLance

12kslr33 said:


> Where can I get that blue foam from?


Got it on amazon, a little expensive compared to getting insulation boards. But I didn't want to have to worry about getting foil off and the extra dust.
Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Styrofoam-S...UTF8&qid=1420649379&sr=8-3&keywords=styrofoam
It has been real easy to work with as you can see and is not too dusty at all.


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## SirLance

Time to cut out the roofs in the hides and make lids.









I have cut out the roofs of the hides…









…Now I will be able to get my hands in a lift the gecko out when it is hiding.

Lids









The cut out piece will act as a plug for the hole to keep everything in place and I will make a lid to go on top to blend in with the ground and so I have something to grip to lift.









The first lid has turned out really well and when everything is grouted, it should all blend in together.

Now I just have to make the rest of the lids for the other hides.


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## SirLance

When I was cutting out the holes for the lids, I made a boo boo.
I took a chunk out of the side of my top layer so now it doesn't fit snug into the viv. :eek4: :gasp:

But***8230;

















I think I have repaired it with the help of making a new chunk for the side and Gorilla Glue. So I am just keeping it all taped so it sets.

I will get working on the rest once this has dried.

This place is alot quieter than back when I made my first viv build, has members left over the years?


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## SirLance

Lids are carved.



















Now to see how it looks inside the viv…




























Now I just have to figure out how to decorate the walls and still be able to lift the two layers of ground in and out of the tank for cleaning and stuff.

Let me know what you guys think, have not really had much feedback so far.


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## Mark Kerr

I really like it buddy. I am looking forward to the finished article. 
What are your thoughts for substrate?


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## jacklyn

This is coming along great, really different to the usual fake rock backgrounds out there. For the walls, what about painting them the same colour as you plan to paint the floor and hides so that it blends in, and maybe add a few fake rock ledges for texture. Would also give the gecko a little climbing area? Just a thought :2thumb:


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## HforHERP

Any updates? looks great so far.


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## SirLance

Mark Kerr said:


> I really like it buddy. I am looking forward to the finished article.
> What are your thoughts for substrate?


Using a piece of vinyl, actually got a little off cut piece today at a carpet shop, got charged a fiver for. LOL Nothing is for free after all.

My girlfriend is using vinyl now with her gecko and its easy to wipe, the heatmat gets it nice and warm.


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## SirLance

Update.

This week I am going to work on the walls, I have an idea on what to do.

I am going to cut pieces of foam the size of the walls, do some carving, then buy strong magnets and attach one to the wood and counter sink the other into the foam so that when both are connected they are hidden inside the foam and sit flush with the walls. This way it also means everything inside the tank is removable, incase I ever want to put a whole new build inside it in the future.

I don't know if that makes any sense to read, but I will be putting pictures up once I get a start on it. This week I should get the 3 walls carved.


Just wanted to ask a question in regards to lighting. My girlfriend doesn't have a light with her gecko as it's facing a window and her room gets a lot of light. My room, depending on the time of year can be rather dull as my window is on the same wall as the vivarium.
I was wondering what lighting could I look for that would not be strong or too bright for the gecko, if I do decide to use lighting?

Thanks for the feedback guys.


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## Viqer Fell

*Amazing*

Have just read your last build post for the beardie, and am loving the work you have done so far on the leo viv.

I am hoping to get my very first leos soon and whilst my setup will be basic to start you have inspired me as a longer term project to dust off my creative hat and diy skills.


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## GavinMc

SirLance said:


> Using a piece of vinyl,


After looking through this thread and thinking how good it could look, all natural and that, you go and drop some vinyl in it? Wouldn't be my choice but I suppose we all choose what we have for a reason. It looks great and I'm sure it will look good even with the vinyl.



SirLance said:


> Just wanted to ask a question in regards to lighting. My girlfriend doesn't have a light with her gecko as it's facing a window and her room gets a lot of light. My room, depending on the time of year can be rather dull as my window is on the same wall as the vivarium.
> I was wondering what lighting could I look for that would not be strong or too bright for the gecko, if I do decide to use lighting?


I would go with a UV lighting setup, simple. 



Gavin.


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## SirLance

gavgav04 said:


> After looking through this thread and thinking how good it could look, all natural and that, you go and drop some vinyl in it? Wouldn't be my choice but I suppose we all choose what we have for a reason. It looks great and I'm sure it will look good even with the vinyl.


We do indeed, I need something to place over the heat mat inside the viv. Vinyl is easy to clean, cheap and it also gets rid of any loose substrate eating worrying (not that I have ever had this problem) cleanliness is the main one. I love CLEAN... *coughs*OCD*coughs*

There's only a tiny amount of floor space and I will paint the lino to blend in with the rocks. 

Carving these damn walls is a pain though.


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## SirLance

Carving the walls.

So spent this week trying to come up with a way of carving the walls for the viv. I was trying to go for a "everything in the viv can be removable" approach, but I just was not happy with how the carved panels looked in with the floor. I did like the carving but they didn't go together and the panel was too thick.



















So I just said screw it I'm sticking carvings to the wall, so I cut out some shapes and tried to carve them in such a way that hopefully gives the impression that the surrounding wall is rounding at the corners and makes it feel more enclosed.



















Grouting is the next step.


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## SirLance

Grouting is all done.



















3-4 layers of grout done, I had to leave a slant on the sides bare, so I can slide the floor in and out for cleaning and stuff. It should look better when painted as it can all be blended in. 

I seen a T-Rex skull that I want to get and put in there aswell, it looked so cool. lol

Just waiting for my paints to come in the post now.


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## SirLance

Painting - Base Coat.




























This is 2 thick coats of white gesso. I have covered everything, this will help for when the real detailed painting is started but it also helps act as a way of stopping the small crumbles of grout (I used concrete grout, which has a rough texture) and it also tames a bit of that roughness that comes with it and now it feels a lot solider.

At the moment it looks like a snow land. LOL Would suit a mack snow maybe :lol2:

It's really starting to take shape now. Almost finished, the main painting will be started this weekend.


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## SirLance

Started main painting.









I want the whole inside of the tank to be like a creepy dark, dirty cave. I started with a dark grey all over the inside.









I then looked at a few different really dark caves and dark stones while on walks, I seen alot with tints of green and redy brown. So my misses showed me how to dry brush. I dry brushed these colours on first and then went over the whole thing with a white dry brush, which picked up the texture from the grout, giving it the stone look it needed.

















I then got my old lady to do her thing and go over it and refine some of the painting(shes a way better painter than me) She really made it pop more than what I done.

Just varnish to do on the interiors, then paint the actual wood black on the outside and get everything together and fitted.


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## SirLance

Tank all painted on the outside.










Heatmat fitted, the thermostat probe has a hole next to the heatmat's hole, it will rest on the top of the vinyl and the fake rock layers will keep it in place.










I also got my T-Rex skull I wanted, I love dinosaurs and with the new jurassic park coming out, I just had to get it and it should make for a nice hide.










I am super pleased with the results, I wanted it to look like the inside of a cave, with mini caves for the gecko's hides. I cant wait to get a photo of it popping its head out of the borrow on top of the surface. 




























I have only put the light in quickly so I could get some pictures of the viv, I am using a white python daylight white led with a dimmer. 










I have no sockets left on my wall for the tank(only one on the damn wall, which is being used by the bearded dragons tank.)
Have an electrician coming out this week at some point to fit me 2 double sockets, so I have plenty for the future.

Hope you guys like it and I cant wait to have pics of a gecko in it.


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## SirLance

It's business time baby!









I have a 3 more sockets than I had before, my electrician is the man and a good laugh.










And here she sits on top of my last build with my Beardie relaxing on her ledge.

Let me know what you guys think, now that its all done. 
I will post a pic in here when I finally get a leopard gecko, looking a mack snow eclipse.

Hope you guys liked it and hope it helps any future viv builders.


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## demon3000

well done....they both look great : victory:


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## SirLance

Now with the viv built, I have been spending the day getting temps, I have temp readings from every hide(except for the moist hide as I have nothing in it yet)

Today the temperature outside in Northern Ireland is 4c (bloody freezing walking the dog)

My rooms temp with the House Heating off : 17 - 18c. 
House Heating on: 20 - 22c

*Vivs Air temps (probe on the top surface)* 
With House Heating off : 17.7c 
House Heating on: 21.5, now the House Heating has been off for 3 hours its staying at 22.1c

*Warm Hide(cave under the Trex skull)*
33.4c

*Small cool hide(cave right next to the warm hide)*
26.1c

*Big cool hide(front cave on the opposite side)*
23.4c

From reading around all over the place the past few months the temperatures of the hides seem ok. Just wanted to know what you guys thought of it all.
Also what should the humidity level be when I get the moist hide kitted out and what substrate do you guys like to use. I have been looking at coco fiber bricks, what do you think to this or the moss?

Thanks for the likes also guys.


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## SirLance

My girlfriend let her leo stay in my new tank over the weekend. And he was having the best time in it, went from hide to hide, hunted and pooed. LOL
And he used the borrow I made that leads to the surface!


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## RubyFox89

Both fantastic vivs. Well done.


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## lozmick

They look awesome pal wish I had as much time to do something like this top job


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## Grimble76

That is amazing!
Inspired me to try something out now.


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## mcmorland

Looks awesome you made a good job of that :2thumb::2thumb:


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## fairynat

*Awesome!*

These are incredible! Feeling inspired to do something for my little gecko girls


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