Make a fake rock cave/basking spot for a reptile cage.

Step 10 Enjoy!

Well, this step isn't so much for you as it is for your dragon, but hey, you can still sit back and enjoy looking at your handiwork.

Comments

[jamz1378]

I make all my own backgrounds and hides and have found the best way to do it is with a few layers of cement and to finish just mix up some water based paint with some wood glue (the stuff that dry clear) and some water when dry this seals the hide. if wanting to use in aqauriums you have to remember that the foam will float solve this problem with more cement and you will need to be sealed all over several time to make shore that there are no small bubble holes this will need to be left for at least 4 weeks to dry and curer prier to putting into the tank

[HubertF]

i use silicon and attach flat river rocks that ive STERALIZED to the back of the terrariums . this looks good in desert or tropical set ups!

[Katelyn92507]

How did you go about sterilizing rocks? I'm getting a turtle, and was wondering how to make rocks clean enough to put in the tank..

[d3v1lducky]

Running them through the dish washer with no detergent works pretty good too.

[HubertF]

sorry for delay! i just bake them in the oven at 250f for 30-60 min. after i scrub them. i dont use chemicals the heat will kill any bacteria.

[chemicalvamp]

Thanks for a great instructable, Looks remarkably like real sandstone. I need a big supply of foam now :)

[meganyoung91]

Absolutely love your enclosure as a whole! Thanks for the awesome instructable!

[weiblen.c]

This is a great instructable.  I am a zookeeper, and this is easily as good or better than some professional work that I have seen.

For everyone wondering about waterproof rock-work for aquaria, you can use hydraulic cement and it will not leach any poisons into your water.  We used it all over the place when we were building aquatic habitats at the zoo, plus at home I keep sensitive aquatic amphibians in tanks with hydraulic cement features and they have suffered no ill effects.

Mix it at a very thick consistency and then you can just use it like modeling clay to build any shape that you want.  You have about five minutes to use it before it hardens, so make it in small batches.  You can build all kinds of shapes this way.

Again, this is the very best how-to I've seen on naturalistic terrarium furniture.  Kudos.  I can tell that you really care about the health and safety of your pet.

[smiles816]

My fiance and I are in the process of constructing a cage for our ball python, Mitch. In the cage, we are putting in a waterfall. Because it will continuously have water on it, we decided to go with your suggestion of hydraulic cement. It is made of entirely of styrofoam. Because we already had the shape, and didn't need to sculpt anything, we decided to just coat the waterfall in the cement. So, to coat it, we watered it down (to a soup-like consistency) and painted it on. Now that it dried, we have noticed that when you touch it, it comes off on your fingers like a dust and that you can rub it off the styrofoam. We are wondering if you need to seal it after applying the hydraulic cement or if maybe we just made it too soupy when we applied it, and now it isn't waterproof. Any suggestions? We would really appreciate any!

[weiblen.c]

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work for you.  I would be frustrated.  :)  It sounds like you watered it down to the point where it has no cohesion. There is a chemical reaction that has to take place, in order for it to harden properly. When you mix it in the correct proportions, it is more like the consistency of play dough and it gets HOT if you hold onto it. (The heat is a byproduct of the chemical reaction.)

I posted an Instructable with some step-by-step photos of mixing the cement here: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-mix-hydraulic-cement-for-sculpting/

And here is one where I built some tank features using the cement:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Terrarium-vivarium-waterproof-rock-work-for-frog/

It should definitely not fall apart or come off in flakes if you get it mixed properly.  You can seal the final product if you want to, but you shouldn't have to.

Another thing that can happen if you apply it in a layer that is just too thin, it will crack.  It has to be structurally sound.  You could try creating some sample pieces in a few different thicknesses.  Then you can test the different pieces to see how thick it has to be in order to keep its strength for your project.

[smiles816]

Thank you so much! We'll have to let you know how it turns out!

[SLEDHEDONE]

why couldnt u use cement to cover it, like for aqauriums, is would be heavy enough and i dont think it would leach any chemicals into the water.

[martinaussieoioioi]

hi, i am doing a huge tank for my turtle around 6ft 20inch wide, with a caving and basking area on top, if i made something like this with a opening for turt to go under and swim around and still go on land, would it leak any chemicals into the water, is the anyway of doing it in water, would love to know thanks

[jacksteal4]

I have no idea about the chemicals and stuff and i know that this post is old but remember that styrofoam is inside so it would float.

[melissahu]

Thank you so much!  I have a rapidly growing rescue iguana with metabolic bone disease, and I've been wracking my brain trying to find ways to make the specialized structures that I need for his cages.  This was a top-notch instructable.

[Erik Lindemann]

Very nice instructable. I've been wanting to do something like this for my snake, but I wasn't really sure where to start.

[kevin71127]

pretty cool, how come you don"t put wood shavings or sand in his/her tank? i have wood shavings in mine.

[RedHandFilms]

Wood shavings or sand can be very bad for a bearded dragon. If ingested, sand (especially that horrible calcium reptile sand) can cause impaction. I've seen X-Rays with a dragon's digestive tract completely clogged with sand. This was not eaten all at once, it tends to stay in the system a long time. The same goes for wood chips, but these will also rip up your dragon's insides with their sharp edges. Also, particle substrates are unsanitary. They are a breeding ground for bacteria and need to be changed often. It's best to use a non-particle substrate such as paper towel, newspaper, non-adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpet, textured ceramic tiles (what I have) or natural slate tiles. These are all perfectly safe. easy to clean, and great for dragons.

[snaglefang]

Wat is impaction im hearing it alover the place when im look the the perfect gecko species?

[whtdouknow]

impaction is essentially a blockage in the intestinal tract of the animal. It is usually caused from the reptile eating non-digestible materials, such as sand and wood. This is a very serious problem and can lead to death if not taken care of properly.

[kevin71127]

wow! i never new that...

[logangrows]

Could I use this in an aquarium?

[nakigara]

Hey - I used to use a similar process to make backdrops/waterfalls/ledges/etc. in aquariums and paludariums. I would recommend against using grout though, it may leach out chemicals into the water. When I did mine, I mixed up sand (silica play sand,or something similar) w/ epoxy resin, and coated the pieces with that, and it worked pretty well. Epoxy is generally pretty safe, and shouldn't leach anything into the water.

[snaglefang]

u could put something heavy on the bottom to make it sink but im not sure

[zleebme]

I'm pretty sure that it would float so i'm guessing no you couldn't

[guerrilla]

woot! I'm so making one this weekend! thx!

[stanicek]

I need to make a fake tree trunk for cats to climb on. How strong is this? would it work for that?

[RedHandFilms]

I'm really not sure how this would hold up for cats. It's great for dragons and other reptiles but cats are much stronger and can do more damage. Their claws would probably be very good at digging into the grout. If you try it, let me know how it works but I can't really offer any advice.

[stanicek]

Will do. I would probably put an acrylic coating over it. Thanks for the feedback

[lkjfdsa]

you could also use wood supporters or something like that

[mattnbrenda]

Great instructable. Can't wait to try this out.

[beauwalker23]

OKay i have a russian desert tortoises. He is relativity big. about as big as you can make a circle with your hands, any he will keep growing. Right now he is only 2 (baby!) Is this toxic to him? how should i design it? Make a cave? Right now he has one of the logs like cut in half, LAME. I really like you instructible! also..did you make your cage? wanna put up another instructible on how to make it?

[RedHandFilms]

I don't see why this wouldn't work for a tortoise. With making a cave you obviously have to make sure it's large enough, but if it is to be a basking spot to climb on, you need to make sure it has a very shallow sloped ramp. I don't believe tortoises are really the best climbers. This method is non-toxic, proven safe for reptiles.
Yes, I did make the cage. I thought about making an instructable, but decided not to simply because this is such a custom design (two sided, window, door, etc.). Most people make cages with only one glass side. There is a great site here,
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/
If you would like to see how I made mine, I have a few progress pictures on the Bearded Dragon Forum, here,
http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=85163

[beauwalker23]

Thank you, I really am looking forward to trying this (so is Scott my turtle!)I think that i am going to make a relatively large cave so he can grow into it, also have a ramp so that he can bask in the light! Scott and I thank you. cheers

[chaulkster]

Hi, I am curious about how water proof this would be... I've never built anything with foam or grout and was considering incorporating a water fall/pond. Do you think it would stand up to the water always sitting on it?

[bguitarist]

yeah u can but if you put a water fall in it make sure you use sealint around the pump so water wont leak out maby even more to make sure it will be bad to have a bbq pet =P

[bguitarist]

i have a cockatieal could i use this to make a tree in side her cage??

[bestbballrebounder1]

can i do this for my two baby frogs about an inch wide

[RedHandFilms]

I don't see why not. The grout, especially when sealed should hold up well to the moisture required for frogs. It's the same kind of stuff you'd use for bathroom or kitchen tiles which can be fairly moist environments. Good luck.

[bestbballrebounder1]

does it give off fumes or poisin