Hi, i am creating a diy enclosure for my leopard gecko with a rock like substrate and walls using expanding foam. I would like to use a substrate to stick to the foam such as calci sand, childs play sand or zoo meds excavator clay.Impaction shouldnt be an issue as the substrate will be 'stuck' to the foam.Has anyone got any ideas as to which would look the best in a desert set up and whether it sounds as safe as i imagine?Many thanks
maximum fabrics has a combustion warmth of over 2 hundred degrees, so until eventually your heater is more suitable than two times as warm because it meant to be (ensuing in an truly crispy gecko) you gained't have a difficulty with it. That stated, maximum fabrics will not be the right absorbency on your gecko, and it is going to initiate smelling very right now. i could recommend paper towels or reptile carpet. you may even flow with tile out of your community ironmongery shop when you're in search of for for some thing with a touch more suitable ornament. not in any respect use a loose substrate like bark or sand, because the gecko can devour it and grow to be very sick. wish this became effective!
I used expanding foam in a similar fashion in a 100 gallon custom setup I did for dart frogs, only I used it to create a background and didn't use it on the bottom. Substrate won't stick well to the foam, and what the terrarium builders do who are building custom setups like this is to let the foam dry really well, then get some tubes of silicon in a caulking gun, and get some rubber gloves. Flip the aquarium onto its back gently so the back is now the bottom, and squirt out a bunch of the silicon and smear it around carefully covering the entire surface. Then as quickly as you can while the silicon is still very fresh, throw your sand (I would suggest calci sand or another digestible sand) all over it. Throw on more than you think you need, so it is well covered. when you flip the tank right side up all the excess sand will fall onto the bottom glass and you can either vacuum it out or you can use a small hand brush and small dust pan to get it out. This method works perfectly, and yes it does look very cool when it is all done.
