guide to creating a naturalistic enclosure*WARNING PIC HEAVY*

Hey guys, I started building my naturalistic vivarium decoration last night and decided I would do a step by step thread on how I did it. Incase anyone was interested in doing the same! At the moment, I am experimenting with different shapes, sizes, textures and types of hides, rocks etc

my current leopard gecko enclosure :

Pictures for inspiration:






These are my ideas so far!




List of Items used (so far!!):
Grout

Lots and lots of polystyrene


Textured spray paint :

Paint:

CLEAR vanish:

Paint bushes, stanley knives, kitchen knives, etc etc

Sounds pretty inspiring. Thanks for sharing the process with us. I'm sure the membership will find this very helpful. We should have a "how to" section that is a little more obvious.

Right, so my boyfriend and I started to experiment with the materials we have to see what we can make and what textures and shapes we could create.

Step 1: Grab some polystyrene and cut down to size with a stanley/kitchen knife

Step 2: incorperate what kind of shape you want using your tools, for example we are created a hill/mountain for the background :

Step 3: Once the shape has been made, use grout and a grout spreader (bread knife works just as good!) and put a layer of grout all over. You can make a really nice "rocky" and rough texture with this. and don't worry, the objects will not actually be this colour you will be painting over them

Step 4: allow to dry. Depending on the make, it could take up to 24 hours to dry.


This is a hide that we made, not sure if we are going to use it or not yet. I will be adding more layers of "rocks" ontop of it to make it look less rectangluar and non- realistic. :

with grout (half done)

These were my experimental rocks that I was creating:





This may turn out to be a calcium dish or a plant potter (i am making rocks to stick around the edges) :

I really liked this water dish that I picked up @ the petstore, but it was the wrong colour and so I spray painted it using the textured spray paint (you can't really see how well it came out tho):

Once everything is dry I will be painting etc I shall keep you updated!

Looking good so far... just a couple lil things... first how are you going to moisture proof/seal everything and make it non toxic to your leos? Second what type of grout are you using? Sanded or un-sanded? Sanded grout is better for moist applications such as humid areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. You should likely be using sanded grout in your applications here.

As far as I know it is sanded grout! But it doesn't say on the tub!

We will be sealing it with vanish OR another type of sealent. I am still doing my research and this is still in the early stages

You don't always need to make everything for your natural viv. You can recycle items from your old viv and give them a lick of paint and make them appropriate for your new naturalistic viv!

This is with the textured spray, I will be adding more depth to it with other shades of sandy colours once it has dried :

Before:




Being sprayed...



result...






Close up on the texture:



This is the water dish from before, dried:





Then we vanished it to make it water resistant and gecko resistant

For sealing it, I'd go with modge podge.

Yes, greed with Kodieh on the modge podge and you can actually get it at the dollar store. That is what I seal all my stuff with and it makes it water proof. Everything is looking great Becca. Thanks so much for posting your progress and the process and for being open to the suggestions of the forum!!

Modge Podge is just watered down PVA glue isn't it? I can make that for free

Also, thanks very much for the feedback! Its very useful

WOW looking great

Thankyou so much for posting this I will need to use it next year when I start make my naturalistic enclosures You are giving me some great inspiration

How much was the grout from B&Q? and can you get it in like sandy colour too?

Thanks The grout was about £9.99 You can get it in a creamy colour, which you can then paint over

Looking great! Im just now starting my foam shaping, cant wait to see yours finished!

Awesome I thought it would be way more expensive that that for grout.. did you get that texture spray paint from B&Q too?

I got the spray from Homebase. You can probs get it from B&Q but I wasn't looking for it and I stumbled across it whilst browsing homebase

Generally, manufacturers make them in many different colors. The more complex the color is to produce, the more expensive the grout will be. I know that for a 10 pound box of powder grout mix colored red was like 35USD but the bone color was only 10USD. Same for spray paint textures.

Right! We have been very busy today

Now to measure the background for the enclosure. You need to measure your own viv to ensure it will fit etc etc. I had to make sure that It was not too long and not in contact with the light or covering my vents.







Then cut it out and check it fits!!



From there I was playing around with the bits and bobs and see how it fits in! I used cocktail sticks to demostrate how the ledges COULD stay on without being glued. But I will be using magnets instead.







Still undecided on how I am doing the background.

I found these rocks outside in my garden... and to make sure that they were reptile safe, I washed them, disinfected them and put them in the oven for over 20mins to kill any pathogens

I do that once a month when I super deep clean my enclosures, I do 15 minutes at 350F. I also boil them prior to the baking procedure.

You're gonna want a little more space between your light and the styrofoam. Once you get it all built up with grout you'll be touching that light. Allow about 2-3 inches for grout then an additional inch or 2 for the grouted piece to be away from the light.

Also soaking rocks/wood in bleach over night will kill any pathogens that might be in them if baking isn't feasable such as a piece of bark or wood etc. Stuff that can't be baked.

Next we were grouting the ledges and hides. We watered down the grout which made it easier to spread and makes a nicer surface texture and makes it easier to paint!



I didn't have my camera at hand when we made the ledge layered. But I will get some when I do the other ledge

Cheers Kel! That is a very good idea! Didn't think of that

You're welcome Becca... I didn't want you to get it all built up with grout only to have to take it all apart because it was too close to the light Unless you were talking about the bleach thing yeah that seems to make life a little easier soaking them in bleach. Just an FYI... bleach dries to regular salt so it is non-toxic to your herp AFTER it is completely dry. the fumes however of fresh wet bleach will kill most creatures.

That's great Becca.
Thanks for doing the whole step by step thing for us.

what I got upto today!!

Coool looking goood.. i can't wait to see them when they are all painted