Q's on leo friendly D.I.Y

[Repkyle]

Hi,
I'm in the process of designing my own enclosure. Already got the glass and the foam, but before I make a start i would like to check a few things.

• Can I use the foam on the floor? Even over the heatpad? (does it melt at the temps required)

• If I'm including the hides in the designs, would it be best to use another material for the mould, then foam over the top for rock effect? Or should I just use the foam first as last?

• If I include water, food and cal dish in with the design, do I have to use a film of some sort? I'm thinking maybe the painted grout would be bad for the Leo if it's drinking the water off it, even if it's non toxic paint. Or is it safe idk

That's it for now, I think lol. If anyone has the time to answer my questions I would be very appreciative

 

[AmberJean86]

I took an actual food/water dish and molded in right into my design, but allowing it to be removed for cleaning. I dont know what's safe or not as far as making it apart opf the design, I was more worried about being able to clean it.
And i just built my hides right in, but my humid hides are rubbermaid containers covered in the building material.

 

[Glass_]

Alright, I tried this a while back. I took a 20 gallon tank and went crazy sculpting the foam on it, then covering it with grout. It turned out disastrous. I mean, it looked great. But as far as efficiency goes, it was lacking. I have some tips for you:

I really don't recommend putting the foam on the ground. It's really hard to clean, and is permanent which means if you change your mind on it you can't take it out.

Don't attach the hides to the tank. I did that for all four of the hides, and the roaches I was feeding them at the time hid in there, and the geckos pooped in there, and it was literally impossible to clean.

I still have that 20 gallon aquarium somewhere in my garage, I wish there was some way I could clean that foam / grout out, but like I said, it's permanent in there. There are probably roach carcasses still inside the hides, and poop there too.

Best of luck!

 

[theCREECH]

I've been working on different ideas on this subject, and have yet to find a really good solution. Like "glass" said, when you're trying to keep the cage clean all the time you really want the process to be easy. If it's not then you'll have places where bugs can hide and bacteria can grow. Ultimately I recommend trying to make something that looks nice and natural but can be removed and washed really simply.

And to answer your question about foam and heat.. as long as you're aiming for the standard gecko belly heat, your foam will be fine. And I also recommend a removable dish to more easily wash.

here's what I did, if you want to look
http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=73678

 

[Glass_]

I've been working on different ideas on this subject, and have yet to find a really good solution. Like "glass" said, when you're trying to keep the cage clean all the time you really want the process to be easy. If it's not then you'll have places where bugs can hide and bacteria can grow. Ultimately I recommend trying to make something that looks nice and natural but can be removed and washed really simply.

And to answer your question about foam and heat.. as long as you're aiming for the standard gecko belly heat, your foam will be fine. And I also recommend a removable dish to more easily wash.

here's what I did, if you want to look
http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=73678

Hey that's a really cool thing you've got going on in that thread. Are you ever going to put up a more detailed tutorial for it?

 

[Repkyle]

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. But sadly the glass I had obtained from work turned out to be tempered, wich meens it can't be cut. Guess we learn something new every day lol, back to he drawing board.

But TheCreech, that's a very nice idea indeed. I was thinking detachable hide-tops but what you have there is something special,