# First leopard gecko 4fter build



## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Hi everyone, had my Leo for just over a week now. Been trying to construct him a nice viv I have a spare 4ft viv been on the look out for ideas can find anything I want so decided to just do it my self. Got silicon for aquariums , expanding foam for window (was told this is the best stuff) got Eco earth for the top of it all got some tiles for the floor and so on. 
I will post my updates as and when I get them. So far I'm about to sand all the paint off and put the feet on the bottom so it's elevated off the floor. 
I got a tip about making my own vines from pipe cleaners silicon and Eco earth anyone tried this? 

Comment some decor ideas as well if you want also post some photos of your set ups


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Okay so I tried to sand off the paint but looks like the paint was just to well sealed lol so I'm new at this when the word expand was typed in the can I didn't really understand just how much it would expand its okay learning curve it was fun .. Postimage.org / gallery - image, image Before and the start of the customise 
There's a buldge in the works around the middle towards the bottom of the photo I was wondering if I could make that a little hide ? What do u think ?


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Decided to just do it anyway and cut where I want the hide to go still a bit wet inside will leave to dry over night but wanted to do the cut before I forgot View image: image


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

View image: image

Started to cut into the wall now 
Done a hide in the wall going to line the inside though thinking about maybe moss as it's an in the wall hide 
Thinking about sanding it all smooth looking less artificial 
I'm trying to make it so there's lots of hides and places to entertain I may add in a bathing area in the cold side but will work it out so the humidity is not to high. 
I'm going to fit in a red light in the middle of the roof so I'm able to see him. I was told about a UVB 2% and how they can actually benefit from that but I'm not fully sure about adding one in please let me know about what you guys think


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Due to working I've not had to much of a chance to do anything but I picked up a bunch of pipe cleaners in making into vines and I got some accessories from sweep reptiles 
If you have trouble finding quality cheap stuff in ur local pet shops check them out!! 
I also got some 8ft artificial plants from eBay 

Ideas on a waterfall ?


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Update 
I ran out of foam do to being trigger happy been a while since I had time to get some more picked up 2 more cans and done the rest saved about half the can for the sides which I also for forgot about lol 
Here's a photo of it all drying before I do the sides 
Can I just say expanding foam is so hard to clean the nozzles after use 
Will be getting some treated wood and fake plants in the coming weeks 
I want to sand it all down and make the shelves pop out more 
I would say be ready before August simply as I work a lot 
This project is straight forward and could be done within 2 weeks 
Due to the foam expanding so much u need to allow 48 hours before carving in my opinion so the middles get super dry 
U can also put tiny holes in to assist this which I will be doing 
I'm ordering marine silicon for next week 4 bottles for £7 on eBay!!!! Obviously j don't need this much but what a bargain 
Now I'm considering a sandy back ground instead of Eco earth 
Any advice on this ?


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

I got done with the entire back and sides with expanding foam took just under 3 , 500ml of expanding foam 
I put thousands (okay a few) holes all the way through and around to make sure the inside drys tomorrow I'm sanding it all to make it smoother and will be trying to make the bulges more bold to climb on as shelves 
Then I'm covering it in silicon 
The marine stuff I was told is going to be my best bet 

View image: image


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## WoogieWoogford (Sep 12, 2010)

Keeping an eye on this, starting mine tonight, going to be using expanding foam this time after my failed attempt with polystyrene last time!!

As for the background you could use grout and paint it rather than eco earth? Thats my plan anyway :2thumb:

Keep the updates coming anyway, off to buy 3 cans of expanding foam now, ha!


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

WoogieWoogford said:


> Keeping an eye on this, starting mine tonight, going to be using expanding foam this time after my failed attempt with polystyrene last time!!
> 
> As for the background you could use grout and paint it rather than eco earth? Thats my plan anyway :2thumb:
> 
> Keep the updates coming anyway, off to buy 3 cans of expanding foam now, ha!


I was thinking about grout actually but decided to go with a muddier back ground I do have sand incase I change my mind though 
Do u think I would have to really dry out the Eco earth before sticking it on the back ground? I've tested a piece last night with wet Eco earth will check it soon 
I'm waiting on the deco and silicon now so will be trying to carve in the slips dips and shelves 
Do a post on yours!! This is my first back ground attempt in expanding Foam (it expands more than u think lol


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## WoogieWoogford (Sep 12, 2010)

Ahh i get the silicone now i think, your going to silicone the background and eco earth straight over the top right? 
If yes i would have thought it would be ok if it was damp, just pack it over and leave it a day or 2 to dry out then get rid of the excess? Don't quote me on that though, trial and error i suppose! 
Yea i think i will start a thread, got a few idea's floating around :2thumb:
Good luck with the carving, ha!


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

although there is nothing wrong with creating what appears to be a forest type setup for a leo, bare in mind that they come from deserts, rocky, pebbly sandy deserts  so although you can create a dry fake forest, its a bit strange to me lol but, as long as its dry, theres nothing wrong with it

I would just use sand to cover the foam, and large rocks, branches and dead bark for climbing, and pebbles on the bottom



look forward to seeing it finished anyway!


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

CloudForest said:


> although there is nothing wrong with creating what appears to be a forest type setup for a leo, bare in mind that they come from deserts, rocky, pebbly sandy deserts  so although you can create a dry fake forest, its a bit strange to me lol but, as long as its dry, theres nothing wrong with it
> 
> I would just use sand to cover the foam, and large rocks, branches and dead bark for climbing, and pebbles on the bottom
> 
> ...


I'm a strange person lol 
It's because I had Eco earth going to waste I maybe do half and half of whatever I'm still undecided Lol so many ideas it's going slow due to shops near me not sticking the right stuff and not pricing them nicely so I'm having to order so much from online 
Thanks for the input and yeah I know there dessert habitat


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Carving stage basically done spent a little while on it today 
Didn't do much but I carved into it making some foot areas on the walls I only did this because I felt it was a bit to rounded might do more later but not sure 
Silicon comes Tuesday so finish piece shouldn't be far off.
Should I use moon lights ? People have said LED strips ? Or should I just put a heat Matt under ? Already got a brand new thermostat if I use a heat Matt how do I put it inside ? I'm using repticarpet so I can put the heat Matt under that no?


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Oh and I made another in the wall cave with a tiny hole entrance between the 2 so he can pick and choose


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Update !! My stuff came 
Wasn't expecting it to come till tomorrow or Wednesday what a surprise will be getting stuck in after dinner maybe!


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Things are not working out to great :/ took 4 tubs of silicon (marine safe for fishes ) 
Basically ..... I changed from Eco earth to sand I didn't want to but I'm impatient and the sand was all ready the Eco earth was no where to be seen ... 

I do have a photo but postimg is being weird and not allowing to upload 
I did it all and I can't tell how much sand was used to cover it 
Waiting till tomorrow for it to dry properly then I will (with my sister help) be lifting off the extra sand 
Seeing the result 
I'm a bit worried if it has not stuck in some places what should I do? (Lol didn't thing the faults through) I'm going to have lots of leaves in there however ..should I just put PVA on it all and put more on? I dunno what else to think of lol 
Anyways yep after the sand is dusted off I can put the carpet down (green reptile carpet was all I could get ahold of :/) then start doing the hides 
Still looking into a water fountain


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

no don't put PVA, its waterbased and wont hold up to moisture in the air or water splashes

just leave it till its cured, ~48hrs depending on how thick a layer you have used, then you can touch it up with more silicone if you need...sticking pieces of bark/wood (oak is safest), stones and pebbles, is another option to fill up gaps and make it look more natural


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

CloudForest said:


> no don't put PVA, its waterbased and wont hold up to moisture in the air or water splashes
> 
> just leave it till its cured, ~48hrs depending on how thick a layer you have used, then you can touch it up with more silicone if you need...sticking pieces of bark/wood (oak is safest), stones and pebbles, is another option to fill up gaps and make it look more natural


Okay thanks for that mate !! I have tones of pebbles 
What can I use to stick it with? I'm out of marine silicon lol


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

So I let to dry over night and all morning in the sun .. Tipped it so the extra sand came off and I'm left with a not so expected back ground 
Something went wrong and I'm not sure what
But this is the next update I'm nearly out of money for this project lol 
Is the expanding foam safe if I leave it like that? Also the silicon I used I picked black and it's safe for marine tanks and fish 
If some black shows is this a health risk ?

I have to think of a way to cover the areas that somehow didn't get covered 
Any idea how I can do this? Thinking of scrapping it now


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## WoogieWoogford (Sep 12, 2010)

That looks pretty good to me dude, if you have any silicone left over can't you just touch the bits up? I would have thought you would have been lucky to get every nook an cranny covered in one coat!

Have you got a link to the silicone you used? I would be happy with that type of finish : victory:


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

WoogieWoogford said:


> That looks pretty good to me dude, if you have any silicone left over can't you just touch the bits up? I would have thought you would have been lucky to get every nook an cranny covered in one coat!
> 
> Have you got a link to the silicone you used? I would be happy with that type of finish : victory:


I went on eBay and typed marine silicon 
4 tubes for £7 something was a good deal 
I don't have any left I used it all:/ 
It don't look terrible but you know when u got an idea in ur head and it's not looking like that idea lol


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

looks like a good start to me - I would get another tube of silicone and fill the holes with gravel/stones/pieces of wood - don't worry about it being uniform, no natural environment looks uniform 


also you should get a big paint brush and brush off excess sand, it looks a bit lumpy as if there is still more loosely stuck to it; give it another 24hours tho, its probably not completely cured, and any moisture left will make the sand sticky, so you may find in 48hrs that more sand comes off again


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

*update****!!! 

Okay so I had some error trouble with things showing that were not covered properly 
I've allowed it to air since my last post and it will keep airing for another week or so 
Here's some photos I dusted the sand off then fitted reptile carpet 
I took it up stairs and then played around with the accessories inside 
I'm waiting on the heat Matt then I can introduce my buddy to it


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## HOTTOASTcass (Jun 6, 2015)

Last update of how it turned 
Out everything in including heat and the leopard gecko 







Still a few plants on there way


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