DIY Cave Build For a Bearded Dragon - Step-by-step guide! 

Great tip!

What do you seal with? Cannot find anything on sealing it or how to prevent chipping

@@kbeancritters8463 you don't

@@kbeancritters8463 you mix the paint into the wet grout.

@@kbeancritters8463Use resin/epoxy or a varnish on can.

So sorry for your loss. Thanks for the kind words. Glad the video could prove useful! 🙏😀

Awww thanks soo much for the kind words! 🙏

Thanks! 🤗🙏

Thanks soo much for the positive feedback 🤗

Thanks for the kind words!

Thanks for the positive feedback! Soo glad it proved useful!

Thanks soo much for the positive feedback. Will do 🤗

Thanks for the kind words! 😊 🙏

Thanks for taking the time to comment and for the kind words 🙏 😊

Thanks! 🤗

There soo many ways to do it and still get similar results. I enjoy learning about how others go about there builds. Thanks!

Thanks so much for the positive feedback. It really does enrich your scaley pets life! 🙂

No worries, soo glad it helped. Goodluck with your build! 😊

No worries! I'm so glad the video proved useful 🙂🙏

Thanks ☺️ 🙏

Thanks 😊 🙏 Great! I'm sure you're snake will love it!

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah give it a go! Goodluck with your build!

Thanks for the positive feedback! Because it just had surgery on its jaw and it was still healing, if any loose substrate got into the wound, it could lead to infection. The fella who owns this Bearded dragon really does care about its well-being 🙂

@@ReptileWay I'd assume anyone who has an animal with surgery, especially on a reptile, must really care. You don't what to know what happens to seriously injured pets in my neck of the woods (It's not spend thousands of dollars on them) lol. But I understand the substrate issue, thanks. Unfortunately I still see a crazy amount of people (and the few I know personally) who won't use any substrate because it's easier on them. Personally I never have the problem because mine refuses to poop anywhere but my tile floor when I take her out 🤣. Hold it, hold, hold it...Oh I get to come out now? Poop! Within a minute. LOL.

@@Swearengen1980 yeah that lizard really was cared for. And for the rest of this comment I had a right giggle, especially regarding bathroom preferences 🤣🤣

Sure is! 😍

Thanks 😊 Goodluck with your build, I'm sure it will turn out great 😊

Thanks ☺️ 🙏

It came out amazing

@losmon4533 thanks! Yeah I think Letty the Bearded dragon would agree with you 😊🤣

Thanks soo much for the kind words. It's really great that you adopted your one. Personally, I love the oddballs! People tend to forget how resilient these species of lizards are. This build is a great example of how you can add enrichment into an animals life even if it may have limited abilities. Because your lizard is missing a hand, which is pretty important for climbing, this gradual slope design will work great. Jumping of objects is a natural behaviour, so if it jumps of this, it will be fine. I do prefer to use a substrate that will cushion jumps. In this video a thick rubber grass mats (the owner has multiple mats to rotate in and out for thorough cleaning) were used due to this lizard having open wounds that were still healing, so sand was not a great option. But if your lizard doesn't have any open wounds, and if you don't feed it directly on the sand (this will reduce chance of impaction), sanatised play sand, that you can get from Bunnings is a great option. It reptile safe, has larger sand grains, encourages natural behaviours like digging, as well as being great for their joints! Anyway, great job for doing your bit to improve the lives of captive reptiles 🙏👏

They make wonderful pets! Goodluck with your new arrival 🦎

I'm sorry for your loss That's great to hear. I'm glad this video helped 🙂🙏

So sad 😢

That's great. And thanks for the feedback. I used foam sheets which I cut to shape the base of the structure. Then I stacked thinly cut pieces to build up the cave walls, pillars etc. Then I cut out a large piece of foam sheet to be the platform the whole way across (last top layer). Then I cut smaller bits of foam sheets and spread throughout the top layer of the structure to give it a rocky appearance instead of being flat. I used silicone to glue all those pieces together. Then I started the foaming process. Hope that gave a bit more insight into that stage. Apologies it wasn't in the video!

Ahh great to hear! Goodluck!

@@ReptileWay Are you taking orders currently?

@@savagetimeparker173 At the moment I'm only doing the occasional custom builds for people in the Darwin Area and surrounds. That's why I wanted to share the building secrets, so anyone can have these products and make them themselves. There is a huge wardrobe snake enclosure build I'm working on atm, video hopefully out in the next couple of months 🤗

I did my tegus whole enclosure like this as well as my ackie monitor and about to do two different styles for my beardies. This technique is a game changer for enclosure builds

@@GarysTandAExotics Agreed! Great stuff for putting in the hard work for your reptile enclosures 🤗👏

Yes it sure would! 😊

Unfortunately I only sell locally in the town I'm in as I'm not mass producing products. Sorry! But thanks for the kind words ☺️🙏

​@ReptileWay what town? Maybe I can drive lol

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Well you could look up the particular grout that I used, what components make it up and compare it with products in the UK. You could also take the information about this product to your local hardware store and see if they have any advice. Hope this helps 🙂

Thanks soo much for the kind words. If your Bearded dragon does not have a severe health condition like the one in the video, I great option instead of fake grass is sanatised play sand. This will allow you then to spot clean when it poos instead of having to take everything out. To clean rock structures, we recommend soft cloth and some earth dish washing liquid in water (this product is reptile safe, does not have harsh chemicals that will strip waterproofing and is grey water safe). Do avoid risk of impaction, try not feed directly on sand and encourage the feeding to happen on rock structure, by placing its food bowl up there 😀

Also for more Bearded dragon enclosure inspiration, you might enjoy our most recent build video... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XnrMm2BZnGw.html

@@ReptileWay "try not feed directly on sand and encourage the feeding to happen on rock structure, by placing its food bowl up there" GREAT IDEA!!! Thank you so much. I appreciate your due diligence and great advice. New subscriber on board.

@falexisjr no worries! And thanks soo much for supporting the channel! Happy building!

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Soo glad you like the build! It's around 18- 25cm high. The width of the platform ranges from 15cm to 30cm. The ramp on right hand side included the width is about 45cm. That's the customers heating so I don't know all the exact settings. I do know the basking spot directly under heat lamp is between 38 degrees to 43 degrees celsius. Hope that helps 🙏 🙂

Thanks! At 19 mins 8 seconds into the video, so towards the end, there is a shopping list, listing all the products that were used. Hope that helps 🙏 🙂

Definitely you can use that instead!

@@ReptileWay Thank you!

I was gonna ask that too thank you!!

If you do a minimum of 3 to 4 coats of grout, apply correctly like it explains in the video, making sure there is no exposed foam. Then followed by a minimum of three pond sealer coats (waterproofing). Once that has all been done, I've tested this to withstand temperatures of 50 degrees celsius. Haven't tested any higher than that because no reptile basking temperatures really go above that 🙂 Hope that helps 🙏

They make great pets! I'm pretty sure it was 120cm long, 60cm wide, 60cm high 😊

Reptile Way only sells items locally unfortunately. For quotes for other businesses I can't really speak for. However for a piece like this you are looking at it be upwards from $300 for the product itself and when I went to an Australian post office and asked for postage costs, this product was a couple hundred dollars to post. So all up probably over $500 (Australian dollars).

i'm going to make one soon for my beardie for the first time but i've been curious about that

@JameGoFast That's an excellent question. Once you've done the final layer of waterproofing and stuck your plants on using aquarium grade silicone, the curing time is 7 days and then it stops letting of any fumes. I generally wait 10 days to be on the safe side. This building method I have tested to withstand basking temperatures up to 49 degrees Celsius and it has not melted or altered the product in anyway. However I have only temperature tested with these building materials. I cannot say for certain that it will work with other building materials. Goodluck 😊

The minimum entrance size for builds I've done for adult Bearded dragons is about 15cm wide and 15cm high and the hide itself I don't do smaller than 15cm high, 35cm width, 30cm length. Only because it allows an adult Bearded dragon to completely turn around, yet still feel safe and secure. They are not always the biggest fan of going into tight small spaces say in comparison to something like a Blue-tongue lizard.

Idk how to do the stars srea

@genesisISjustgeneis no worries at all. I didn't record spray foam or carving for this video. However check this videos out... Similar design and you can see spray foam and carving stage: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7n8yXKTZtU4.htmlsi=bzOdHgTXgK9ffuXF Goodluck with your build!

Ah okay tyyy

There is already a list of all the materials used at the end of the video, 19mins 7secs, under the heading shopping list. Hope this helps 🙏

I would be careful as to what grouts you use as some have toxins and chemicals that may not be safe for reptiles. Definitely do your research if you are going to pick a different type/brand.

@@ReptileWay thank you, what one have you used?

@@emmaspence4066 no worries. it lists it in the materials list towards the end of the video. It's the Davco sanitised grout

The green stuff is Bastion Multi-use insulation foam board. You used to be able to purchase it from Bunnings, but they no longer stock it. The waterproofing stuff is Crommelin 1L clear pond Sealer. This can still be purchased at bunnings. Bunnings is a hardware store in Australia, so if you are not in Australia, go into your local hardware store and ask for clear pond sealer (if it's safe fish, it will be safe for reptiles), and Foam sheets. Hope that helps 🙏 🙂

Thanks for the comment, I've never had this happen with any of my animals. However some things spring to mind that may have caused this to happen: The grout wasn't mixed properly so was prone to cracking. There wasn't enough layers of grout. The thinner it is the weaker it is and is prone to cracking or flaking off. I always do a minimum of 4 layers of grout. If you didn't use any form of water proofing, such as the clear pond sealer, I have found the grout can more easily flake off. When you apply a minimum of 3 layers of the waterproofing it results in a strengthened outer layer. So it may have been due to some of the reasons I listed above. But I of course can't say for certain. Hope that helps 🙏 🙂

Most of the time it should be, as it's for aquatic life that are more sensitive than reptiles. But in the world of online shopping where there are dodgey products, I would try go with a reliable brand

In Australia you can get it from Bunnings. If you're in another part of the world most hardware or home depo stores should have something similar 🙂

Home Depot

It's Selleys glass silicone (on packaging make sure it says for windows and aquariums). Safe for reptile and aquatic life. Takes 7 days to cure. I've tested it under heat lamps reaching 48 degrees celsius and nowhere close to being affected by the heat or melting. So all in all totally safe for Bearded dragons and other reptiles.

@@ReptileWay hi..thank you,but this is silicone i mean sealant u used as last to seal and cover whole project...all i can find is only tubs of clasic silicone..hope you know what i mean 😇thank youu

@@ReptileWay i have been using mod padge till now to seal my projects but it is fine in viv but im not sure about the basking spot be honest i think is pretty hot for mod podge...thank you for help

@@ReptileWay to seal and waterproof

@@peterjambor8162 the sealant i recommend is a type of pond sealant, it's called Crommelin 1L clear pond sealer, takes 7 days to cure, I've tested it at 48 degrees celsius and it's totally fine. Safe for fish and reptiles. Follow instructions. Allows for easy cleaning, I recommend using earth dish washing liquid to clean as it's natural, grey water safe and does not strip the water proofing. Hope this helps 🙏

Of course it is safe. The grout used, is a sanitised grout used in such places as food preparation facilities, paint is acrylic which is also safe. However to make it even safer there is layer upon layer of pond sealer, which has been tested and is safe for various sensitive forms of aquatic life, which indeed makes it totally safe for reptiles. Once you have applied the pond sealer/waterproofing, it creates an almost fibreglass glass texture. This make for easy cleaning, with a soft cloth, water and earth dish washing liquid (natural and grey water safe) even the nastiest of poos can be cleaned 🙂 Also it can withstand heat of 45 degrees celsius, maybe even slightly more. And these chemicals you talk of are non existent due to having that waterproofing barrier. Hope this answers your questions 🙃

I think it's just a stick on image with a plastic covering

Through alot of research 🤣 And through building for 10 years without a single animal fatality. A good guide to stick to paint wise is use waterbase acrylic paints. These are non toxic. Use aquarium grade silicone. Most of the time what is safe for aquatic life tends to be safe fore reptiles. As aquatic life is alot more sensitive. Seal your build with an aquarium grade clear pond sealer. This is safe for reptiles, it makes cleaning your build easier (as it creates almost like a plastic/fibreglass texture), increase longevity, reduces the build chipping, locks in your paintwork. Hope that helps 🙏

thank you that is very helpful; really appreciate it xx @@ReptileWay

Hi, thanks for the comment. These boards are simply just Multi-use insulation foam boards. In Australia they can be purchased from bunnings. Or if you're in another part of the world they can be purchased from most big chain hardware stores or some arts and crafts shops. What country are you located in?

@@ReptileWay I am based across the pond in Hong Kong. I'll have a look at some of the hardware shops here. Even though a lot of stuff is "made in china", our stock availability this side, can be a little limiting. Might need to look on Amazon

@@OPTIMUSPR1M8 ah wow! Once you've found out where you can purchase it from, do you think you could post it in these comments as it's great for me to know and may prove useful to others watching the video if they are in a similar location 🤗

@@ReptileWay sure! Definitely. Always glad to assist others who have the passion for building something special for their reptile children. I had to start one of mine over. I built it all out of expansion foam. But I didn't waterproof it enough, so it started to smell due to obvious reasons. I'll tag your IG in the post so you and others can get ideas on what one can do with DIY bearded dragon enclosures

@@ReptileWay okay, I've tagged you in two posts on IG. My star wars themed DIY build. One day I'll get another enclosure and redo the build with better water proofing

Please answer

It's 120cm long. And cost not including the following items you listed. It was about $230 Australian dollars

@@ReptileWay ok ty so so early in the morning if it's morning or u

@@ReptileWay wait one more question is 120 cm how many foot is that in the us if you know

@@genesisISjustgeneis 4 foot long 🙂

Bunnings as I'm based in Australia!

They were 1200mm x 600mm x 50mm Multi-Use Insulation Foam Boards

I'm not sure how many OZ the spray foam has

Oh wait the spray foam I used comes in either 500mL (16.90z) or 750mL (25.3oz)

@@ReptileWay ty and one more thing how many ounces the grout?

@@genesisISjustgeneis 176 0z

60cm or 2 feet

@@ReptileWay Ty!!!!

Thanks for watching the video! I'm glad you like it enough to buy, but it's a build it yourself thing 🤗

It's very easy to wipe it off, if you watched the whole video, the last stage is waterproofing. Once you've finished the waterproofing it creates almost like a fibreglass texture which makes it incredibly easy to clean. You can even take the product out, and hose it down. The product I recommend for cleaning these , and its commonly used in the Reptile hobby in Australia, is Earth dish washing liquid. It's reptile safe, grey water safe, and doesn't have any nasty chemicals that will damage the product. This style of building I have done for 7 years, and poos from Bearded dragons, Blue-tongue lizards, Children's pythons, Black-headed pythons, Woma pythons (and the list goes on) can all be easily cleaned. I hope this answers your question fully 🙏 🙂

@@ReptileWay Ah! Being able to take it out to hose it down is really the selling point for me! Right now my beardie is only like 40g so her poops are tiny, cute, manageable and odorless but I’ve recently been shown photos of adult beardie poop that trigger my gag reflex just looking at the photos, looks just like a huge puddle of chunky brown vomit and I’m absolutely terrified and feeling like I’ve made a huge mistake if that’s what’s coming down the line. Right now she’s in a 4x2x2 naturalistic setup but if horrible hellish messy poop explosions are in our future I’m not sure I want anything more than bare minimum for ease of cleaning those nightmares. 😭

@dm2836 yep you are correct, adult Bearded dragon poops are big, disgusting and smelly. The key for easiest cleaning is to check your enclosure daily for poos. Also if you are lucky some adults, like our Gimli, will get into a routine whereby the poo at a particular time like clockwork. Best method is to cleaner it sooner before all your basking lights start baking it to the product. As if you leave it a while you need to use a bit of elbow grease 🤣

I think if u go to my page u can see my dragons this way

I apologise that you found the video frustrating. Unfortunately, if I included absolutely everything, the video would be hours and hours long and somewhat unwatchable. However, I will take unboard your feedback whilst creating future videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂

I don't know exactly what you are referring to as this seems to be such a broad and inflammatory statement with no specifics or knowledge into the products themselves. Using the broad statement of "this many chemicals in such a restricted, enclosed environment... Cruel recipe disaster" What are you actually meaning? Do you actually have in depth knowledge with reguards to the products used in the video and at what points of their application are you referring to? Do you know the compositions of these products? Do you know about their curing times? Or if we are just keeping it broad using the term 'chemicals' by some definitions it can be known as 'a distinct compound or substance, especially one which has been artificially prepared or purified.' I could type a similar inflammatory and untrue statement: All the chemicals you use to clean your bathroom in such a restricted, enclosed environment is a cruel recipe of disaster. It is important to know the products you are using definitely! You must apply the products as per the instructions and wear a mask and protective gear where required. These builds are done in a well ventilated space with alot airflow going through the building. Now the building itself: foam sheets/spray foam, Grouting, painting, waterproofing. The grout I use is a high quality sanitised grout and is a popular option in the Australian Reptile hobby. Once it's dried and completely hardened you are ready to go onto the next step safely. The paint you are using is acrylic paint, waterbased paint with no added chemicals and therefore is reptile safe and has been proven to be reptile safe. The waterproofing you use next once the paint is dry, is a pond sealer, safe for fish frogs reptiles etc. Apply the layers as per instructions. It takes 7 days to cure, however your climatic conditions may impact the cure time slightly, so factor that in. Once I have finished my builds, I wait a couple weeks to ensure the curing process has definitely finished. I do a thorough wipe down of the products and clean it using earth dish washing liquid (a popular natural cleaning product in Australia, and popular in the Australian Reptile hobby, its not going to strip the waterproofing also). By the time you're at this stage the products used in the build are completely cured and safe to go in an enclosure. The chemical compounds in the product are no longer changing or letting off a by-product such as fumes. There is no harm to the animal at this stage, even in an enclosed environment, if you have followed the products instructions and adhere to curing times. The waterproofing also makes it an extremely sanatised area as it's easy to clean urates and faeces off the piece. I also think you mean 'ignorance is no defence' 😜 I hope this helped to clear things up. I'm happy to discuss further if you do have the specifics. Have a good one mate 👍