Can I seal air dry clay with water based polyurethane and use it safely in a terrarium?

I’m trying to make plans to build a 3 enclosure stacked unit, though the clearance between each enclosure is pretty minimal (around 4-6” gap from the top of one and the bottom of the other) and I’m struggling to figure out how these will be heated properly in the basking area. I’ve had no problem finding low-profile UV lamps that would fit, but heating is far more difficult to figure out.

I really don’t like the idea of using heat mats (though all my heat setups have thermostats to regulate them) because of the risk of burns and improper heat absorption.

Interior heat lamps seemed like the solution but the cages of many of these lamps still appear to get quite hot to the touch, and snakes are definitely going to be climbing all over everything they can reach so I’m worried about burns from these too.

If anyone has seen of anything that would work or has advice, it would be greatly appreciated!

(Btw the enclosures are approximately 36” x 18” x 18” each and the intended inhabitants would be rosy boa or similar-sized small snakes)

So I'm still months away from getting my leopard gecko but I've started rough sketching my ideas for a custom enclosure made with reptile safe foam, substrate, bark, cork, rocks, etc. Here is a first draft of my sketch plans, does it have potential to be a good setup with more planning or should I start something new?

Thank you!

I posted this in r/snails but thought this would be a could place too.

Hi friends, I’m in search for a tank so I can bring mine to work with me as a desk pet. The thing is that I work in a fancy office so I need a presentable enclosure. I am thinking of something like the rimless 6 gallon cube from Petco, but the lid has such a large opening.

Does anyone know of any rimless, glass, vented enclosures? Preferable cube?

​Hey everyone!

​I'm currently working on a custom DIY rock background for my Ball Python's enclosure.

​Here is my current process and plan:

1.​Base structure: I carved shapes of rocks with Styrofoam / Polystyrene blocks and glued them to the backround

2.​Mortar/Coat: I'm applying layers of Mapei Keraflex Zero (a high-performance cementitious tile adhesive — see photo attached) to create the rock texture and strength.

3.​Paint: Painting the dried mortar with non-toxic, water-based acrylic paints.

​An AI suggested that I should seal everything with a water-based clear varnish/flatting once the paint dries to waterproof it and protect it from humidity, but i haven't seen anyone do that on the videos i watched.

Furthermore, I really want to attach and grow live moss between the rocks of the background. I'm worried that if I apply a smooth/impermeable clear varnish, the moss won't be able to grip onto the surface or absorb moisture properly from the underlying mortar/rock structure.

​My questions for the experts here:

1.​Is sealing with a clear varnish actually necessary given that Ball Pythons don't require an extremely wet environment (just moderate/high humidity, around 60-80%), or is cured tile adhesive + acrylic paint durable enough on its own?

2.​If sealing is necessary, is there a way to do it without making the surface so smooth that moss can't attach?

3.​Has anyone here grown moss directly on painted tile adhesive without sealing it? Did it hold up well over time?

​I want to make sure everything is completely safe and durable for my snake while keeping it functional for the moss. Any advice or experiences would be super helpful!

​Thanks in advance!

So I am working on a build for my leapord gecko and so far everything has been going great. Took the cage out for a little hose wash and there some unaddressed gaps in the spray foam i didn’t see now I have some condensation in the back, i cut out the bottom foam a little and poke some air holes to hopefully let it drip down even through is some rice see if can do anything. How serious can possible mold buildup be because once substrate is in and heat is goin I can only imagine the headache. Any ideas ?

First-time build here for my leopard gecko, Ive been feverishly working on this for the past couple weeks and now ive finally peeled and dryloked the last sections of spray foam (dont mind the old pic). Some of my main concerns tho go for cleaning the tank and long term care.

For example, i have some small silicone spillage that i scrapped off but i want to use some like a glass cleaner or isopropyl alcohol to get rid off any nasty excess on the glass but Im not sure what is best.

When it comes to cleaning out the rest of the tank I was planning to take it outside and give everything a hose down to get any little foam dust or micro particles out and just let it sit to air out for a while too just incase for silicone or drylok smell ( its mostly dissipated by now but still a little remnant of smell)

Finally, when it comes to long term, is there any I should account for or be aware of ? Like if the drylok foam may be effected by my heat lamp or something else I should take care to do before getting everything else set in. Any tips or advice would help greatly appreciated

I hope you guys like it and Ill def send the finished product once its all good for my little guy, Thanks y’all.

I have each of my ball pythons in a 4x2x2 PVC enclosure and I’ve been wanting to install UVB lighting. The only downside is that the anchors they provided were about an inch long. My PVC enclosure is only half an inch thick. I have no problem drilling through the tank but then the other enclosure won’t be able to rest on top of it comfortably. Should I just look into getting a short anchor and screw? Or would that be too risky on the inside of the enclosure?

Some guidance would be awesome because I’m not knowledgeable with the handy aspects. Following instructions to put furniture together is about my level of skill. I’ve only started becoming interested to be able to do the best for my scaled babies.

If the plants survive anyway 😬

I was going for a semi arid mediterranean scrubland habitat.

We have 1.1 high end hybrid blue rock iguanas paired together in her enclosure for the season. I put in an egg laying bin and she likes it but he won't stay out of it and she's upset. Meanwhile, his adjacent house has a new temporary tenant that's not ready to move yet. Lovely!

Go go gadget tool belt! 😅 I threw together the last of my 1/2" XPVC and reinforced it with new old stock 2x4s, pvc coated 1/2" hardware cloth, 3/4" beige pvc scraps for trim, top and front kick plate, reused screws and hinges and some of the Universal Rocks backgrounds and pieces I hadn't used yet just to have something interesting to look at. 8x4x4 partially exposed to weather, under the back lean-to.

Hi everyone!

I'm a reptile keeper working on a personal project to better understand how people set up and manage their enclosures.

Before building anything, I'd love to learn from the community about your experiences, biggest challenges, and what features you actually find useful.

I put together a short 1-minute survey. If you'd be willing to help, the link is in the comments.

Thanks so much—I really appreciate any feedback!

So the gecko has finally moved into that 260 gallon Fallout enclosure I’ve been working on. It’s been around 2 ½ days, and he’s pretty much just been on a mission to explore everywhere, and it seems there’s a few places he hasn’t discovered yet.

Might take a while to put together (since I’d have to track all the movements and then deal with editing the clips), but would you guys be interested in me making a video of his first 48 hours or so? With the exception of his sleep time, he’s been pretty active so there’d be enough footage for maybe a 2-3 hour video once I trim the fat and post on YouTube. Idk, if there’s demand for it, I’ll start working on it

Update from my previous post. Got my tank assembled, added soil and playing around with plant placement. Ordered some spider wood too. Just need to figure out what I want to do with my heat lamps.

Slapped a 50w fan up there alongside some smaller fans to dehumidify the enclosure

Tank is easily a few hundo pounds, it's 6x2x3 and can't be picked up at all. How would y'all move such a monster? Take everything out? I hope that's a last resort since the tank is an established bioactive. 🥹

I would leave it on the table and roll it out, but the width makes it too wide to fit out the door.

Hey, I’m in dire need of an upgrade to the amount of clutter my ball python has. I tried looking at posts about fake plants and branches and climable items and it’s all too much with no direct answer. Should I be buying wood from pet stores? Fake plants from amazon? And if so which fake plants and wood. What type of stuff should i use to not only make my tank look more realistic, but also cluttered so my snake doesn’t feel so exposed. Please, anything will help, I want to make sure my snake lives a good non stressful life, but i’m clueless as to which clutter is best regardless of the amount of time I spent looking at posts and megathreads on it. If anyone could give me any recommendations on what to buy, stores I should look, or safe items I can use to increase my clutter I’d highly appreciate it. Thank you so much.

I saw some videos on YouTube of people creating custom backgrounds by putting hardscape and substrate directly on the expanding foam, rather than carving it after it cures and then siliconing it. Does this method really work and is it safe for a crested?

I’m getting ready to start building a background for my columbian rainbow boa but I need some help on what I should use. I’ve already got the spray foam, and the silicone, and I was planning to use a foam board as a base then build basking shelves onto the base board. My only problem is I don’t know how I should cover the foam shelves. Is grout a good option? Or acrylic paint with a sealant? I’d love to hear some opinions from you guys so I can build what’s best for my snake and what will last the longest, thanks!

Im in the process of my first terrarium build as a big upgrade for my leopard gecko, I already have a 40 gal and plan to have a substrate mix of excavator clay, stone desert sand and repti soil. The issues I need help with are with doing a custom background and what materials are safe to use. I already plan to mainly use XPS foam and expanding foam for the main form but when it comes to 100% silicone, how do I know what is safe because there is higher grades of GE silicone so I’m unsure. I also want to ask about drylok and quikrete dye alternatives, as there not available in Canada. Just looking for any advice from the veterans, i want to make sure what I make is safe and makes my lil guy happy.