SGT Fish
Active Member
so ive been making these little caves/basking spots for my other reptiles and im about to start on a large one for Frank the tank, my 8yr old rescue sulcata. he is only about 11 inches right now so this should last him at least through the winter. I will post pictures as I go.
basically, you take a syrofoam cooler, or just sheets of styrofaom, and glue them in the rough shape of a cave. Use a hot glue gun to save time but ive been using elmers glue with good luck. Dont use superglue or any other toxic glue as it will eat through the styrofoam. I may even reinforce this next one with wood strips because it will be larger than any ive built so far. I also plan to mold in a cheap ficture for a CHE and my temp probe on my thermostat.
next you fill in all your voids and cracks with spray foam. it is called "great stuff" and comes in a can from walmart of home depot. After that dries you can carve your caves final shape with a serated knife. If you are making a large cave, try to design it so that it doesnt bend too much. Use a lot of glue so that it doesnt fall apart after the next step.
Buy some sanded grout from the flooring/tile department. I buy a decent size bag for 15 bucks. Youll mix it with water so that it is a soupy consistency. Paint it on the foam cave with a big brush, you want to try to put as thick of a coat as you can on it. take your time and do the inside and out to totally cover the foam. Ill be doing at least three coats to keep it strong so that Frank doesnt destroy it. After all the coats have been applied and it is dry you should have a gray concrete looking rock.
i have been using "stone texture" paint from home depot to give them a natural look. but it is better to use a concrete dye to mix in with your grout. that way you dont have to paint it, they sell terra cotta color dye. But ive had good luck with spray paint to make it look natural.
the last step is to seal the grout. try to find a good waterbased sealer to protect the grout. this will make your cave last a long time. seal everything to protect your critter.
pictures to come, stay tuned
basically, you take a syrofoam cooler, or just sheets of styrofaom, and glue them in the rough shape of a cave. Use a hot glue gun to save time but ive been using elmers glue with good luck. Dont use superglue or any other toxic glue as it will eat through the styrofoam. I may even reinforce this next one with wood strips because it will be larger than any ive built so far. I also plan to mold in a cheap ficture for a CHE and my temp probe on my thermostat.
next you fill in all your voids and cracks with spray foam. it is called "great stuff" and comes in a can from walmart of home depot. After that dries you can carve your caves final shape with a serated knife. If you are making a large cave, try to design it so that it doesnt bend too much. Use a lot of glue so that it doesnt fall apart after the next step.
Buy some sanded grout from the flooring/tile department. I buy a decent size bag for 15 bucks. Youll mix it with water so that it is a soupy consistency. Paint it on the foam cave with a big brush, you want to try to put as thick of a coat as you can on it. take your time and do the inside and out to totally cover the foam. Ill be doing at least three coats to keep it strong so that Frank doesnt destroy it. After all the coats have been applied and it is dry you should have a gray concrete looking rock.
i have been using "stone texture" paint from home depot to give them a natural look. but it is better to use a concrete dye to mix in with your grout. that way you dont have to paint it, they sell terra cotta color dye. But ive had good luck with spray paint to make it look natural.
the last step is to seal the grout. try to find a good waterbased sealer to protect the grout. this will make your cave last a long time. seal everything to protect your critter.
pictures to come, stay tuned