The Epic cage build (sad update)

[only S/R]

its called the killing time thread so ill kill my time

i got my bearded dragon, tequito, in august 09 and hes awesome, i had in to small a cage and im poor so i started building a new cage for him, i started with some wood we had laying around and got a basic box set up, my dad put some doors on it for xmas and we started making him some places to play inside

ive been working on it alot more since we got the materials i needed, heres a few piks

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs233.snc3/22039_260126847108_585267108_3691796_4285432_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs213.snc3/22039_260126872108_585267108_3691798_3856953_n.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs293.ash1/22039_260126857108_585267108_3691797_6731602_n.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs233.snc3/22039_260122502108_585267108_3691783_3253819_n.jpg
i know its sideways, im coating the side and gravity helps so i layed the cage on its side
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs233.snc3/22039_260122522108_585267108_3691785_7922105_n.jpg

i ran into a bit of a problem..

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=273091537108&ref=mf

after the fail i tore out all the old grout
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs171.snc3/19839_273343447108_585267108_3740325_1426175_n.jpg

i satrted to rebuild it with a new design idea, the grout seemed to stick better to the foam so i layerd foam on the walls
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs171.snc3/19839_273339157108_585267108_3740297_329698_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs191.snc3/19839_273339172108_585267108_3740299_3342511_n.jpg

after i had the walls done i layed out the platforms again
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs171.snc3/19839_273339227108_585267108_3740305_7416797_n.jpg

i also had to build another pillar since the olds supports were lost
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs171.snc3/19839_273339242108_585267108_3740307_4857980_n.jpg

after 4 hours and alot of elbow grease i was done
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs191.snc3/19839_273339257108_585267108_3740309_1700007_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs171.snc3/19839_273339262108_585267108_3740310_495025_n.jpg


now all i have to do is a couple of top coats, sand and heat

recently completed with no epic failing, holds the heat at 80* in the cage with 110* basking spot

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs171.snc3/19839_292027382108_585267108_3801960_2603777_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs171.snc3/19839_292027397108_585267108_3801961_2265505_n.jpg

update: there is one very bad design to this cage. as you can see in the piks under the highest platform there is a rock i built. i let teguito chase crickets in this cage as they would hide and he could dig them out and chase them. well about april 18th 2010 he went after a cricket and slipped off the top platform and fell back fisrt onto that rock and fractured his spine. lost and in heart ache i made the mistake of purchasing another lizard a few days later and namd him scrat just like on ice age. well scrat had an attitude and would bite and damn near attack you as you went to pik him up, well a few days ago i was fed up he had just latched onto my thumb and it was the final straw. i called the pet store and told them that i could not tame him and to see if i had options through them, the owner said " oh thats not a big deal, they are animals and have personalitys like us, hes prolly just a mean dragon, come pick out another one and well swap."

so i went and spent about an hour with her 3 dragons all about 2-3 months old a tiny as crap and picked out my new guy. no name yet but he is already easy handled and cuddles up to my hand and stays put.

this is the new guy...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs393.snc4/45626_417264457108_585267108_5146948_8038711_n.jpg

more piks soon as i am building another (safer) cage


Sorry to say my second dragon has passed on and im not getting another anytime soon. he was way to young and just stopped eating and drinking. maybe if i can find an older one for cheap i will, but the headache and investment ive put in to dragons only to have both die just turns me off to getting another for awhile

[ARIO98zx2]

looks nice. how did you coat it?

[zxtwou2]

how do the lizards like styrofoam? i know natural rocks hold the heat in then radiate it out, and they usually like that. i don't know the first thing about lizards as pets, though. i always wanted one when i was a kid!

[only S/R]

i used tile grout and play sand

and tim, when i coat it it is as hard as rock and im putting heat lamps in the cage when its done

[grimmszx2]

Looks cool man, I almost bought my son a lizard for his 3rd birthday. My girl thought fish was a better idea tho. So we ended up with fish. lol

[only S/R]

Looks cool man, I almost bought my son a lizard for his 3rd birthday. My girl thought fish was a better idea tho. So we ended up with fish. lol

no way, tequito and princess(my cat) wrestle all the time and hes def loyal to me, im pretty much hes safe home, he gets squirely with other people, i can walk through the house with him on my head(his fav spot) and he wont budge

[capitalcrew]

i used tile grout and play sand

and tim, when i coat it it is as hard as rock and im putting heat lamps in the cage when its done

The density of real rock is what holds the heat, not just surface hardness. Put a few regular rocks in there to really hold the heat in. Looks good though.

[Mike]

He'll love it more when you fill it with water.




















j/k...looks really sweet man.

[only S/R]

so ive been working at it, it wheighed about 50 pounds, then i put a 25 LB bag of grout in it, and the whight on the water to mix it and then sand, its getting heavy, and i have to tip it to coat the walls, but when i do it cracks...anybody worked with tile grout before to tell me why its not very strong?

[powder]

Tile grout isn't made to support itself. It's strong and seals well when used in the right application, but when put on too thick it's very brittle. I'd honestly try something like concrete bricks from a hardware store. It won't be lighter, that's for sure, but it will be much stronger. Granted you wont' be able to tip the cage either, i'd just stack them if i were you.

Another problem could be the styrofoam. It's not stiff enough. The core can flex and creates cracks on the grout when it's used as a shell. If you want to stick with grout, i'd suggest using some wood as the core for the shelving.

I like the idea though, looks like you do great work.

[only S/R]

Tile grout isn't made to support itself. It's strong and seals well when used in the right application, but when put on too thick it's very brittle. I'd honestly try something like concrete bricks from a hardware store. It won't be lighter, that's for sure, but it will be much stronger. Granted you wont' be able to tip the cage either, i'd just stack them if i were you.

Another problem could be the styrofoam. It's not stiff enough. The core can flex and creates cracks on the grout when it's used as a shell. If you want to stick with grout, i'd suggest using some wood as the core for the shelving.

I like the idea though, looks like you do great work.


well the foam isnt where its cracking, its along the walls, i think whenit dries its constricting and causeing small cracks, then when i tip the cage and it flexes it amplifys the cracks and it separates, if i were to poor it on as more liguid and about 1/2 - 3/4" thick would it hold better?

and btw ur mom said i do good work to, ha ha jk jk thnx tho ill have more piks up soon

[only S/R]

now a video about the walls

[02 5SPD]

You might want to use some primer on the wood to promote the grout's adhesion. Even still I don't know hew well that would work. Grout tends to be brittle anyway. Are you just using it to hide the look of the wood, or is there a reason for it having a texture? Perhaps you could put a thick coat of paint on the wood, then pour some sand on it while it's wet so the sand dries in. You're going to want to get some sand for the floor of the cage, as these lizards are from a sandy area. You need to get lizard-safe sand though. When they eat they pick up some sand, and they can't digest most sand, which will cause it to collect in their stomachs resulting in death. A couple real rocks are a good idea, maybe put one or two on the platforms and a couple on the floor. They also like to climb on hardware mesh. I used to have a couple in a home-made cage. it had a glass front, wood back, and wire mesh sides + top. When they got good at climbing they'de hang on the roof. That was cool. You'll like the Bearded Dragon, they're interesting lizards.

[only S/R]

You might want to use some primer on the wood to promote the grout's adhesion. Even still I don't know hew well that would work. Grout tends to be brittle anyway. Are you just using it to hide the look of the wood, or is there a reason for it having a texture? Perhaps you could put a thick coat of paint on the wood, then pour some sand on it while it's wet so the sand dries in. You're going to want to get some sand for the floor of the cage, as these lizards are from a sandy area. You need to get lizard-safe sand though. When they eat they pick up some sand, and they can't digest most sand, which will cause it to collect in their stomachs resulting in death. A couple real rocks are a good idea, maybe put one or two on the platforms and a couple on the floor. They also like to climb on hardware mesh. I used to have a couple in a home-made cage. it had a glass front, wood back, and wire mesh sides + top. When they got good at climbing they'de hang on the roof. That was cool. You'll like the Bearded Dragon, they're interesting lizards.

i like the texture look, and the grout really provided what i was looking for, the sand i have is play sand, and im thinking thats on the list of non-digestible, its comprable to beach sand, or sandbox sand, which is what it is, i usually hand feed him tho, and i have that dish in the top platform for feeding, i was thinking about scuffing the walls for adhesion, or maybe foaming the walls, which would help with heat as well, tequito isnt a very active lizzard yet, and hes about 1/3 of be full grown, but hes much more loyal to one person than ive read most are, most of the people that try to can not hold him, just me, i can do pretty much anything with him, and he doesnt "inflate" but when someone goes to pet him or hold him, hes all puffed out and he opens his mouth. ive yet to read anything about this level of loyalty. hes also very picky about food, he only eats live meal worms or crickets, i havent been able to get vegys or pellets in him yet and hes almost 9 months old. i was hoping the bigger cage with places to explore would bring up his appeteit and hed accept more food, but the cage is still uncerconstruction as u can see, i think since i cant sleep im gonna go try a couple things... with grout thiner is stronger correct?

[02 5SPD]

A hardware store would probably have textured paint, which would create a similar effect. I don't think the lizard sand is very expensive, and IMO, it's worth it for a piece of mind. Cut up some veggies really small and leave then in his food dish, or you cold try the water dish so they stay moist. When you get the new cage up and running you could release a few crickets in the cage so he can hunt for them, that's cool to watch. Hunting may also make him more active. I'm not sure about thinner grout being strong, it's almost always going to be pretty brittle. I'm honestly surprised it's holding up on the styrofoam.

[scort2498]

what about plaster?

[S/R]

staple wire mesh to the the wood then apply the material. grout, or skim coat of concrete. it will not stick to the wood. you need something for it to grab hold to. you can also for the wire to shapes for more detail in the back. my brother did this with an aqaurium years ago. used a bunch of wire mesh and skimmed concrete over it for a back of the tank. it look really cool.

[only S/R]

i went down and completely rebuilt it, ill put piks up sometime soon, it should hold this time, the walls are foam which wont expand when the grouts moisture gets in it

[only S/R]

Update

[texaszx2]

Subscribed for pics, and future pics

[JonsZX2SR]

Instead of grout make the walls from stucco (http://www.cement.org/stucco/). Stucco is more durable than grout. If you put wire mesh over the walls and cover it with stucco you should be able to build just about any shape you want.

[only S/R]

we gotta stay nontoxic, idk bout stucco, i used tile grout because ive seen it done in a few cages before.

[only S/R]

op updated