He doesn't like my DIY hide? :[

[perfectsoldier23]

So, I made my own hide cave the other day. Took a square of floral foam, carved and sanded the design, plastered it with plaster of paris, sanded the plaster, painted with non toxic acrylic paint and then sealed it with matte mod podge. I followed a reptile DIY blog online and use his exact same materials.
I allowed the completed cave to sit overnight before offering it to my 8 month old in the morning. He walked in and was gone so I left him to it. Came back about an hour later and he decided to be on the complete opposite end of the tank! This guy loves the heated area too! I thought he just decided to "cool off" for a bit...came back and still the same thing. Now, he's sitting in his moist hide [directly next to the new hide cave] and just seems uninterested. Beforehand, I had a silly little paper mache DIY cave that was never completely finished. He loved that thing! No paint, no sealant, no plaster, just paper mache, newspaper and syrofoam.

Could it be fumes? The cave feels warm but it's not discoloring, dripping or damp. Is this typical when the tank is changed around? Does he need me to put in for a change of address? :[

The rejected cave in question:

 

[acpart]

Give him some time. Maybe it smells funny to him, maybe he's resistant to change, maybe he's just in a "humid hide" phase.

Aliza

 

[Akari_32]

Could just be that the change in decor made him uneasy. I had to more or less force Orchid into her new wet hide. She was so used to her deli cup that the weird green square thing that replaced it was just too over the top. After three days of not going in and clearly needing a good shed, I had to herd her over to the opening, and block her in a way that if she wanted to move, it would be only into the hide. Of course that stubborn brat found some way around my hands, so I picked her up and placed her head and front legs in the opening of the hide, and as soon as her feet touched the wet moss she got all excited, drank for like 5 minutes, and then settled in for the night LOL you may just have to show him what it's for

 

[Lavodnas]

I usually let my DIY projects air out for at least a week or 2 before putting them in an enclosure. It most likely is the fumes that he doesn't like. But at the same time, you need to remember that geckos are cooky creatures and he might just be missing the "silly" cave. Let this one air out some more and try it again.

 

[perfectsoldier23]

Yeah, I will try bringing back his papermache hide and allowing that new hide to dry out a little more. I got so bold as to sniff it and couldn't smell anything other than gecko stink but I'm sure his nose is far more powerful than mine. ;]
Thanks for the tips guys. I'll re-introduce this in another week just to be on the safe side that the possible fumes aren't disrupting him.

 

[Amyleewolf14]

I currently have a store-bought moist hide (the Reptishelter 3-in-1 cave by ZooMed) so I know there were no fumes associated with mine and my geckos had the same issue. They didn't want anything to do with until I made them go in there (very similar to Akari_32's example.) After I showed my older girl what it was, that was her favorite place to be for awhile. Lol. Sometimes geckos are just unsure of new things in their tank and very stubborn about them.