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Homemade
Basking Platforms
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I just started a new project and thought I would keep everyone informed on how it's progressing... Making a custom basking platform can be very rewarding. I decided to make a fairly large basking platform for Ojay that has a hide under it. When finished, it should fill about one-quarter of his 55-gallon enclosure. Not only will this new platform offer him a surface with an angled slope so he can get as close to the UV rays as possible, but it will add more surface area to his cage. It will not be attached to the cage so it will be easy to remove for cleaning. It will also be waterproof and sealed so I can spray it down with Nolvasan or bleach without harming it. Below is a photo of his current enclosure (click on photo to enlarge it)... |
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| There's nothing spectacular about Ojay's enclosure or furnishings, and I hope to change that. I got the idea to make my own furniture from another beardie owner in Las Vegas. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Step 1 - I'm a visual person and I needed to sketch something out on paper before I started cutting. I wanted the platform to fit into the corner of his cage to be more secure. And I wanted the sloping sides to not be so steep that it would make climbing difficult for an older beardie. Step 2 - Get your supplies. The
following list is what I purchased at Lowes: These are items I had around the house
that I used: |
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Supplies I purchased
(click to enlarge photo)
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| Step 3 - Cut up the polystyrene, and work your way from the bottom up to the top to shape the platform. I had so much extra polystyrene that I really wasn't worried about messing up. I probably have enough extra to make two platforms. I decided that I wanted the platform to be 7" tall, so I needed 7 one inch layers. I rounded all the edges with a sharp knife. You can use an Exacto knife, but I used a very sharp pumpkin carving knife. It worked really well because it had a thin, sharp blade that was slightly bendable. I also carved out caves on the underside of the platform. After about an hour of cutting and carving the polystyrene, this is what I came up with... | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Step 4 - Starting with the bottom layers, glue the layers together one at a time. After I got 3 layers glued together I pushed toothpicks into the polystyrene to keep it from sliding around. After it's all glued together, let it dry overnight. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Step 5 - Grout time! I bought the premixed grout, because I didn't want to mix it up and make a huge mess. Even though the premixed costs a little more, I'm sure glad I got it! But if you're making a lot of platforms it would probably be wise to buy the grout in powder form. All you do is add water. It is important to work outside or in a well ventilated area during the next few steps. The grout and sealant contain odors that can harm us and our reptiles! With an old butter knife or putty knife, scoop up the grout and smear it onto the polystyrene. I found that it was easier to first smear on a thin layer with the knife, then smooth it out with a damp paint brush. (And I liked the rough texture the paint brush made in the grout.) You don't want to make the first layer of grout too thick, it is better to put on a few thin layers instead of one or two thick ones. Let each layer of grout get good and dry before applying the next layer. This is what it looked like after the first layer of grout... |
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Step 6 - After several layers of grout, I applied the grout sealant and "threw" sand on it. I didn't have a lot of luck getting much sand to stick. I decided to paint over the grout and sealant with something called "Weathered Stone." It's a textured paint that is used to make something look like stone. And it worked really well! Looks a lot better than the sand throwing approach. |
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The photo above on the left was taken just after I started to spray on the weathered stone paint. You can see a big difference already! The photo on the right is the can of weathered stone paint. I got it at Lowe's for about $7. After the paint dried, I applied a weatherproof sealant. This sealant is made by the same company as Weathered Stone paint and is the recommended sealant for this product. |
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| Voila! All done! After waiting a few days to make sure there were no fumes, I cleaned it and put it in Ojay's cage. He loves his new cage furniture! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Check out these platforms
that other beardie owners have built...
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| Beth (Spring Hill, FL) built her beardie, Vashti, this wonderful platform! Beth's design is very unique, and she should be proud of her accomplishment. This just goes to show that building one of these platforms isn't that difficult if you put your mind to it. Great job Beth! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Adam M. (New York) built a great looking and very functional platform for his beardie. He says he had a fun time making it too! Looks great Adam! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Steve (Canada) - I took your advice on making my beardie a platform!! He loves it, and it was cool to make, although there were some times when I got impatient! haha. Thanks for the idea!! Here's a picture of Spike basking on his platform. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| James (Texas) - Hey just wanted to say you have a wonderful website and thanks for the idea and information on making the home made platforms. I added a couple of pictures of the platform I made for my son's beardie named Spikes. Spikes love his new platform as you can see and I enjoyed the creative process of constructing it. Thanks again. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hello
veronica, I just wanted to say you have a great site! It's helped me a
lot with everything, I loved the platform idea. It was fun to make and
my dragon loves it! It also gives him a place to get closer to the uvb
light. I've attached some pictures of mine. Thanks again for the idea! -Tim |
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I took the advice from your homemade platform page and this was the turn out. I hope you enjoy. Thanks, Jackie :) P.S. I used hard foam, 1 - 2 layers of sanded grout, and 2 - 3 coats of spray grout sealer. I will be sending more pictures ... just finished another platform. Thank you for the wonderful advice. |
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| We finally finished
Tang's platform. It turned out pretty nice. Elisa |
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| Thanx
for the cage furniture "how to's." Check out what I came up
with... ~Jacob (Ohio) |
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Email
me with a pic if you'd like to share your creation with other reptile
enthusiasts.
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