# my home made viv



## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

i am making my own vivarium, what do you think so far.


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## Carnuss (Feb 27, 2011)

Need to add some photos brah.


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

lol tryin but duno how, prest post by mistake


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## Carnuss (Feb 27, 2011)

toytown said:


> /home/martin/Desktop/viv build/viv step 1.jpg


lol, upload them to ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting then post the link to them.


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

ahh i see, so i cant pull them strait from my hard drive. will do it now


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

ok don that, but cant find the url names for them to download em onto here


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

*home made vivarium*

start again lol, this is the start to my ambitious attempt to build my own vivarium......

it is going to house (fingers crossed) ether a bosc monitor, or 2 bearded dragons. i wanted a BnW tegu but as much as i love them and would swap my mrs for one, they get too big i was pushing my luck pestering her (2 years, 2 BLOODY YEARS) to let me get a lizard in the first place.

it will be L5ft x W2ft x H2ft, can make it slightly higher and wider if i need to, would this be big enough for a bosc as i know they can grow up to 3ft.
would 6mm clear perspex be ok or is it better to use glass.

viv step 1, i started by dismantling a double wardrobe that has been in my shed for years, was a pleasure as its been in the way and driving me potty.










viv step 2, the original base was a perfect starting point as it needed no modifications and was strong and on casters.










viv step 3, i started with this the base and worked my way up.










viv step 4, then i took the internal shelf and cut it half, luckily they 2 halfs where the perfect hight to make the sides of the base.










viv step 5, then i cut the centre divider for the doors to match the hight of the side panels.










viv step 6, with my panels cut i attached them to the base.










viv step 7, the original top to the wardrobe fit perfectly onto the new base, giving a strong sturdy platform on witch to put the viv.










viv step 8, i took one of the doors and cut it to make 2 new doors.










viv step 9, after cutting the doors and putting them in place i took the second handle of the other door and added it to the unit.
perfect if a may say so myself.










starting on the viv tonight, hopefully all goes well.


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## Darklas (Mar 25, 2009)

Ahh you are clever with the building of things.  Looks great. Sure the viv will be great too.

Regarding perspex vs glass. You can use either, but glass is considered better. Perspex can scratch very easily.


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## Catfud (Mar 2, 2010)

Good work so far! :2thumb:

As for the Bosc I believe the recommended viv size for an adult is 8ft by 4ft. I have a young adult Bosc in 6ft x 3ft x 4ft (W D H)


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## Carnuss (Feb 27, 2011)

Looks like you know what you're doing, keep us updated mate, eager to see how it looks when it's complete. :thumb:


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## james_kelly (Feb 15, 2011)

im in the middle of making a 8x3x2 for my bosc. tying t get glass prices got evrything. my bosc is only about a ft and a half atm. so this will be a good size. and will use old viv for a beardie or somethiing hopefully another small bosc :whistling2:


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

thanx, bin told if it donsnt look tidy it wont be in the house lol.

i really want a monitor, can any one advise a monitor that wont grow too big

are the female boscs smaller than the mails


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## james_kelly (Feb 15, 2011)

toytown said:


> thanx, bin told if it donsnt look tidy it wont be in the house lol.
> 
> i really want a monitor, can any one advise a monitor that wont grow too big
> 
> are the female boscs smaller than the mails


 
i have a female and they are smaller i think.


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

got it, im gona go for a couple of Red Akies, they only grow to about 30ins. dose any1 know of any akie owners on here


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

well after another loooooong night in the workshop i have got halfway towards being almost done with this overenthusiastic challenge i have set myself.....

step 10, i took one of the sides to the wardrobe and cut it down to 2 equal sides for the viv.










step 11, then i took the second door and cut off one off the shaped edges and gut a piece of wood to extend the lid.










step 12, then i took a long strip hinge and secured it along both pieces of wood (with 56 stupidly tiny screws, y i do not know :hmm









step 13, after my mammoth screwing session i needed a break.










step 14, then i started on the frame for the floor and the sliding glass front.




























step 15, final part of glass frame.










nearly done......:mf_dribble::mf_dribble:


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## jetsmart1 (Feb 7, 2011)

thats neat for an old wardrobe, very clever methods


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## bumbleyjoe (Feb 5, 2010)

:2thumb: Looks awesome mate! As mentioned it will be too small for a bosc but you could very happily get a trio of ackies!!! Good luck finding red ackies as these are quite hard to come by, but the yellow ackies are awesome animals! 

Good luck and looks awesome!


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

i agree lol its not easy finding reds and when you do they aint cheap, the yellows look very similar to the reds anyway dont they just a little smaller? 

i thought a 5x2x3 would of been a bit small for 3 ackies??

got a few more tricks up my sleeve i gona try to keep the running costs down and a bit more heat efficient, will have to do some test runs tho.

wat is the average quarterly running cost of a 5x2x3 viv (food ect not inc).

i was planing on using a 40-60W halogen spot on a thermostat switch as my heat source (maybe 2 to create a larger surface area for basking) along with a 3-4ft UV strip, would that work.


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

jetsmart1 said:


> thats neat for an old wardrobe, very clever methods



haha yeh i thought so, duno if the mrs will agree she was planning on using it in the back room, but that was months ago i ignored her when she asked me if i had fixed the doors on it :rotfl:


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

well done as much as i can now until the glass is delivered .

step 19, after fitting the lid i added a few supports for stability and to keep it all square










step 20, added some brace blocks to stop the viv sliding around and to secure it in one spot on the base, but can lift it off if need to move it.


















step 21, stand back and admire :2thumb:









me stood next to it to see how big it is, its a bloody monster (mrs gona go apesh*t lmao, she only thinks i building a lil tank).


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## Carnuss (Feb 27, 2011)

That's a brilliant setup, lots of space in the viv, and you can put all your extras in the cupboard - AND you made them from a wardrobe. Impressive, you saved a good bit of money there.


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## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

awesome


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## cbarnes1987 (Feb 2, 2010)

looks good mate


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

thanx im quite pleased with it so far.

haha got sent this today, its an answer to a question posted online about how much it cost on average to keep a bearded dragon per month.....

It is a well known fact that dragons like to live in caves and protect large treasures. I am not sure if its the cave that they like more or the protecting of the treasure but either case you are going to need both. The cave can get a bit pricey, standard monthly rates for renting a cave run anywhere from £790 to £3500 depending on geographic location, size, and nearby volcanic activity. That aside you need to find a hefty treasure to place inside the cave that the Dragon will protect. With out the treasure your dragon is likely to wander into a nearby village and eat and burn all the peasants. If you are Mr. Money bags you could purchase the treasure, or you could do what I did, find a pirate map or two (depending on the size of the treasure you may even need 3) and locate the treasure yourself. Saves a ton of money in the long run, but takes a bit longer. Once you have the treasure in the cave you are ready to place the dragon in to protect it. Their aren't really any other costs associated. If he starts to get hungry just post some flyers in the nearby town advertising the treasure in the cave and the dragon should have a steady diet of villagers and knights that enter the cave in search of the treasure so you shouldn't worry about buying food. The flyers should only run you $5-$10 at your local store and should be enough to keep people exploring for a few years. Good Luck let me know how things go.


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## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

Strange how it goes from pounds to dollars lol thats all thats weird though :lol2:


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

oh yeh lol didn notice tht


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

Hi guys,

Sad to say I am no longer in a position start keeping reptiles due to family matters :sad:
because of this I am putting my home made vivarium plus base up for sale. 

It is a mahogany effect viv with access via sliding glass front and lid top with a double door storage unit as a base. Still waiting on glass to be delivered though but should have it in the next week or so. Unfortunately it dosnt include electrics or décor as the shop I got them from gave me a refund as they where un-opened. Could be lined and used as a terrarium. viv is removable but secures to base so wont fall of if knocked into

Had planned to keep 2 yellow ackies but would be perfect size for 2-3 beardies.

Internal dimensions, 28”H - 66”L - 20”D
Eternal dimensions, 30”H - 68”L - 22”D (56”H including base)

sensible offers please guys but I am not greedy so grab yourselfs a bargain

pm me any questions, pick up only from Shrewsbury area

DOSE NEED A POLISH AS ITS A BIT DUSTY


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## s3kcy (Dec 4, 2010)

toytown said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Sad to say I am no longer in a position start keeping reptiles due to family matters :sad:
> because of this I am putting my home made vivarium plus base up for sale.
> ...


GLWS - epic home made viv imo


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

thanx

gutted that i not gona be able to use it, FUMIN :blowup::lol2:


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## s6t6nic6l (May 15, 2010)

tough luck there on your "issues" esp' after an excellent project completed. impressive build. :2thumb:
good luck with a sale


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## toytown (Mar 14, 2011)

thnx bud, fingers crossed i will be restarting a project in the future


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## Kyukaji (Feb 23, 2009)

looking pretty nice atm =D : victory:


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