Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[tonymc]

I attented the corn snake show yesterday in MK while i was there i saw the glass vivariums made by exo terra and they all had polystyrene inserts on the back that where made to look like rock faces i thought this was a graet effect and would like to know if they can be bought sepretly any where or weather any one would know how to make them.........thank you.

[Scott W]

Hi Tony,
Had this sent to me a while back, not sure where it's from but sounds good. I haven't actually tried to make it yet myself but from what I have seen they look great.



List of materials

Polystyrene/Styrofoam
Paint Thinner/White Spirit
PU Foam/Insulation in a can
Silicone (which I personally don't recommend, as it takes a long time to dry) or something else to stick the polystyrene to your wall (I used a hot glue gun)
Tile Adhesive (the same stuff you use to lay the tiles in your bedroom)
That's about all you need and, as I said, it's really cheap.

Directions

Take a brush and put some paint thinner (maybe diluted with water) onto the polystyrene. This is how you create your realistic rough surface and holes. Don't use too much thinner straight away, as the holes will probably end up bigger than you thought!

Stick the polystyrene onto the walls using whichever method suits you best. If your enclosure is made of wood or mesh, maybe you could use wire. I used a hot glue gun as silicone takes so long to dry.

You can also stick pieces up at angles to make shelves and ledges for the reptiles to bask on and hide under.

And here we use the "insulation in a can" to fill in the gaps between the pieces of foam.

Cover everything with the tile adhesive. For the first layer, put a bit more water into it to let it really settle into all the little nooks and crannies.

Let each layer dry for about 24 hours, making about 3-5 total layers. This will make your wall very hard and durable.

You can also put colours into the wall by adding different coloured sand, stones, pieces of wood, etc. in the final layer of the adhesive. If you don't put any additives into the tile adhesive, it will probably end up grey. You can always paint it afterwards though with a non-toxic paint, and allowing at least 48 hours for it to completely dry in a well ventilated area.

It's really easy and quick to make (except for the time the tile adhesive needs to dry) and I'm sure your dragons will enjoy it and love you for it!
_________________

Please DO NOT pm orders for reptiles, send email instead scott@captivebred.co.uk

[Pollywog]

Here's a very good photo series on how to create a naturalistic wall:
http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html
_________________
Andrew Tillson-Willis
Pollywog
www.pollywog.co.uk
sales@pollywog.co.uk

[tonymc]

thanks guys that is perfect.