Naturalistic Setup Ideas?

[FatalityBoyZahy]

My Leopard Gecko is currently on Slate Tile, but I'd like to make an even more realistic habitat for her.

I plan on buy some type of Soil/Dirt and Laying an inch or 2 in the tank.
Then I want to buy some nice, large flat rocks, and stack them all across the bottom of the tank. I plan on making some nice caves/hides this way.

Then, I'll sprinkle some soil ontop of the rocks to give them a natural look.

The only thing I'm having trouble with is how I'll remove the gecko from her hides.

She's still young, so I want to wait until she's older to do this, but it was just a thought.

 

[acpart]

Check out this article about bio-active substrate by GF's Greg Madden: http://www.geckotime.com/?s=bioactive&cat=-1

Aliza

 

[EnigmaEcho]

what do you plan on makeing your hides out of? right now i made my own, and dealing with a warping issue and trying to correct it- be sure that whatever you hand make, that it is non toxic, and if it is not already waterproof to some degree, use a non toxic sealent ( fallow directions!) like shelaque.
with my hides, i made them in sections- hand made molds, then formed, then put together, and formed to fit- then i cut them at an -35 angle to create a access to the den that can be placed back and look normal without falling in and crushing the gecko ( make it a wierd shape to insure better that it wont fall in)
depending on the material, this can be easy, or a real pain- guess which i chose? lol
i wish the best for you and your gecko!

 

[FatalityBoyZahy]

what do you plan on makeing your hides out of? right now i made my own, and dealing with a warping issue and trying to correct it- be sure that whatever you hand make, that it is non toxic, and if it is not already waterproof to some degree, use a non toxic sealent ( fallow directions!) like shelaque.
with my hides, i made them in sections- hand made molds, then formed, then put together, and formed to fit- then i cut them at an -35 angle to create a access to the den that can be placed back and look normal without falling in and crushing the gecko ( make it a wierd shape to insure better that it wont fall in)
depending on the material, this can be easy, or a real pain- guess which i chose? lol
i wish the best for you and your gecko!

I planned on stacking rocks for their hides, but I'll look into using foam. I want the dens to be burried in the soil, but this might work. Thanks!

 

[EnigmaEcho]

foam is a great idea- and cheap! you can get some from stores that are throwing pacageing foam ( such as what electronics come in) and saw them into shapes you want ( its what im doing for her dry/cool den)- also, you can use great stuff expanding spray foam to make other shapes as well ( again, both need to be sealed as an end product- if you want texture, you can paint on grout, glue on sand- just the old fashioned kindergarten art projects lol- i like to use guache watercolors or delta ceramcoat acrylic paint for color ( under sealent) since these are both nontoxic as well and have a great variety of colors- ( im an artist too lol)-ah, i love brain storming! yep, i plan to add sand to various places to fill in gaps and make more naturalistic- id love to do more, but sophie is a voracious and excited huntress....so shed probly ingest waaay too much!
make sure you post progress pics! mine is a disaster right now, so i will when i feel confident in my progress lol

 

[FatalityBoyZahy]

I ended up buying a bag of natural topsoil from home depot. I let it dry out, then I sifted it out and only used to fine particles. Now, half of his 2/3 of her enclosure is slate tile, and rest is topsoil. I woke up this morning, and I saw her digging. She's alot more active too.

 

[LzzrdBoy]

I planned on stacking rocks for their hides, but I'll look into using foam. I want the dens to be burried in the soil, but this might work. Thanks!

There's a link to my Viv Project in my signature. If you're looking into the process for creating structures out of foam (polystyrene) you should have a quick read. I even provide a supplies list. Maybe it will help you with the decision. Good Luck!