hide idea

[crzy_kevo]

ok so i just came up with this idea to make a cool hide for the babies when they get here and well i cut a toilet paper roll opened it up then got fake ivy vines from the dollar store (same ones i did to make the vines in the big tank) and i cut them into shorter lengths i poked holes along the sides of the now opened up tube and stuck the ends of each vine segment into the holes criss crossing them anyways here are pics
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3167/picture100dw9.jpg
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2731/picture099bc4.jpg
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/2584/picture102hc9.jpg
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9637/picture101ur4.jpg

ok i already know what some of you will ask
aren't those bits sticking out underneath sharp?
no they are not sharp i checked al of them with my fingers if any were the least bit sharp then i files them down with my mini files until they were smooth

[adamanteus]

I do similar stuff in my small (neonate) tanks.

[count dewclaw]

That's a neat idea. I'm sure the babies will love hiding in there.

[crzy_kevo]

ya i don't like the idea of having a plain tank with just a plain toilet paper tube
thats why i decied to do this ive also added another plant to the large tank and will do the same thing with the neonate tank
pic
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3554/picture103xt6.jpg

BTW that is george in the top right she has gone blue so she isn't that pretty right now

[Lori P]

Nice!!! Very innovative. And George's tank is looking good!! :-)

[crzy_kevo]

thanks im going to make one more hide and that should be pretty good for the 10 gal tank with that big plant in there too and a couple of climbing branches

[Garter_Gertie]

Kevin, I'd change my name if I were you. To like Einstein Kevin, or DaVinci Kevin, or Edison Kevin! YOU CRACK ME UP!!!

YOU GO, BOYFIEND! I love how you're always thinking and thinking and THINKING and doing with your snakes. Love how you were WAY prepared for the "Aren't those things sharp?"

You're not one bit crazy in MY eyes!

[GartersRock]

"Boyfiend". lol!! Kevin you FIEND. lol!!!

[crzy_kevo]

lol thanks gertie i dunno ever since i got george i my thoughts have just been snakes snakes snakes

[Garter_Gertie]

Kev, bet the GF is loving that. NOT!

Sweat not, Kiddo, I'm old enuff to be your grandmother.

I promise I will NOT pinch your face cheek and call you "cute."

I feel ya. Ever since I fell in love with Winnie, all I can think is snakes, snakes, snakes. I'm SO HAPPY to have my two silly boys, Peepers and Jeepers.

And, yeah, Stefan. I kiss them and hug then and call them their names!

Kevie, looking forward to the Hoggies. Just more to love and kiss and cuddle and feed and watch as they do what Hoggies do.

FACINATING anjamuls, these snakes.

[crzy_kevo]

lol gertie haven't you heard i like older women ;)

and secondly your crazy and i love it

[Garter_Gertie]

Kevie! The day you pant after your grandmother is the day folks in hell will get ice cream cones!

But, yeah. I'm a bit on the 'different' side. I refuse to go quietly into that nite called old age/death. I'm gonna kick and fight and scream and wear purple and red and be a kid until I've no breath in me.

Love you, too, kiddo.

[anji1971]

I see you've taken to the fake plants well.
I use a hot glue gun to stick them so all the sharp edges are covered. Never thought about doing it your way.
Where did you get the fern-like plant in the tank? It looks very nice. I want one, too.:p

[infernalis]

Very creative Kevin:D

[crzy_kevo]

that fernish thing i found at dollarama on the fake plant wall

i don't have a hot glue gun tho but the garden wire works really well to string the branches together and i just used pliers to tuck in the semi sharp point from the garden wire

[anji1971]

Hmmm..........they didn't have any ferns at the Dollarama I go to. How unfair.
I shall have to keep hunting...........;)

While were on the topic, I made a "playhouse" for the babies today. It's got a hide underneath, and a multi-tube climber on top, along with some driftwood and plants. I'll get pics of it later when the camera batteries recharge!

[crzy_kevo]

sounds fun maybe it will give me a new idea?!

[Stefan-A]

A project from a year and a half ago:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakesies08/hidey/Image1.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakesies08/hidey/Image2.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakesies08/hidey/Image3.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakesies08/hidey/Image4.jpg

Maybe somebody can get a couple of ideas from it.

[adamanteus]

I always liked that hide, Stefan. What are the coloured dots in the first picture?
Edit: Forget it... I sussed it, they're planting holes, right?

[crzy_kevo]

very cool stefan is it made of paper mache?

[Stefan-A]

James: Former drinking straws. :) Cut to about 5 cm length.

[Stefan-A]

very cool stefan is it made of paper mache?
Plaster bandages. Started laying them on a plastic box with balls of newspaper taped to it to give it a more random form. After the first couple of layers, I removed the box and started putting on layer after layer of small pieces of bandages and finally I poured plaster over it to get a smoother surface. When it was finished, it was about a centimeter thick and practically bullet proof. Then I painted it. Spray painted the base colour, and painted the texture with a brush. Then I coated the whole thing with a layer of polyurethane varnish. I've learned a lot about painting since I made it and there are a few things I'd do differently now.

[infernalis]

Here in the USA the product is called "Pariscraft" and sold at art supply stores.

Very nice sculpting Stefan.:D

[adamanteus]

Here in the USA the product is called "Pariscraft"

In the UK it is 'Plaster of Paris'.:D

[infernalis]

I think the name was derived from plaster of Paris.

Pariscraft is gauze already treated with plaster, just like doctors use to make a cast.

I used to wrap all sorts of stuff with it.:rolleyes:

[jitami]

I think the name was derived from plaster of Paris.

Pariscraft is gauze already treated with plaster, just like doctors use to make a cast.

I used to wrap all sorts of stuff with it.:rolleyes:

Cool... something to go shopping for! Haven't been to Michael's in ages :D

(Michael's is a craft store chain in the western US, not sure if they're international?)

[Stefan-A]

Very nice sculpting Stefan.:D
I also do celebrity genitalia. Unfortunately, I haven't met any celebrities.

[Garter_Gertie]

Tami, we've Michael's here.

STEFAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please warn prior to the one-liners!!! I've now got to clean off the desk/monitor after spewing soda all over both. THAT WAS HILARIOUS!

Oh, Stefan? Really like your home-made log with the plants and all! Really VERY COOL!

[Stefan-A]

Thanks. I got rid of it a while back. It was a bit too big, I made the mistake of gluing peat moss to its surface, I painted it wrong and it was too shiny for my taste. I'm going to make a couple of hides for juveniles using the same technique, though.

I considered making backgrounds for my enclosures using the same materials, but I don't have enough of them left and they tend to chip when they hit something hard, which of course is a problem when they're painted.

Oh well, back to sleep. :D

[jitami]

Sweet dreams :)

[infernalis]

I also do celebrity genitalia. Unfortunately, I haven't met any celebrities.


http://pages.ripco.net/~economy/images/pcdvd.jpg

[Garter_Gertie]

Oh, Wayne. (sigh)

How boring it would be around here w/o your visual jokes. You are a love!

[crzy_kevo]

ok so i was bored today and remebered i had lots of stuff left over from what would have been put in the baby tank and decided to get rid of the rock hide on the left side of the big tank

so i went out got some small ivy vines that were starting get get all woody cut them into short lengths baked them andthen got to work i strung them together at the top with garden wire and made them into the shape of a tipi then using garden wire and more ivy vines i reinforced the shape by putting a cross piece on each side essentially making each side look like the letter "A"
then i wrapped the fake ivy plant all round the hide securing it with garden wire once again (would have worked better if i had a hot glue gun) and then i filled in the gaps by weaving more fake ivy through the holes
anyways enough talking time for pics

in the tank
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/9164/picture143rx3.jpg
close up
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5154/picture144ek2.jpg
on the floor
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/6983/picture145nd5.jpg
under the hide
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5969/picture147zm3.jpg
and one last shot
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/897/picture148ca6.jpg

as you can see the legs will go down into the substrate and they can burrow in or however they feel like getting in i caught george going in through one of the smal holes in the side and i have caught both of them in it a few times already so i guess they like it

[bubabi]

Dude, x) it looks great !

you are really creative =)

[jitami]

How Crafty! I like it Kev & I'm sure the snakes do too!

I put one of these upside down in Sly's tank the other day... thought they'd be awesome for babies... not near as aesthetically pleasing as your ivy t-pee, tho :o

http://static.zoovy.com/img/espressoparts2/W145-H145-Bffffff/E/ep_ct832_2.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:zoom('http://static.zoovy.com/img/espressoparts2/-/E/ep_ct832_2.jpg'))

[infernalis]

Just made me think of the Styx song...

"I got too much time on my hands"

Not really Kevin, Excellent hide. How long did it take to weave that all together?

[crzy_kevo]

it took me about an hour if you include baking the vines and sweeping up the bark afterwards

[infernalis]

George and checkers like it?

[crzy_kevo]

ya i have caught them in it a few times they don't like it as much as their leafy basking branches but they have gone into it a few times 75% of the time they are up on their leafy branches basking in the light

and actually the pic with it in the tank checkers is inside you can't tell tho cuz you can't see through all the leaves

[pittylova]

Those are some great hides. I know on another forum I'm a part of a lot of people use Great Stuff (waterproof for kitchens/baths) to create water features, and ledges, etc in their vivariums. That would probably be another option to making hides.

[Lori P]

Wow! Kevin, well done--- I love that, they can hide and peek and climb all over it!!!!! You've inspired me... once the hurricane leaves, I'm going out to gather branches and make one!!!!! You rock. :-)

"Great Stuff"?? Gotta go look that up!

[pittylova]

Great Stuff is this insulation type of stuff. You can either use something like cardboard to shape it and spray the GS over it, or you can mold it while it's wet, or once its cured you can carve with a serated knife. For water features people will either add rocks/pebbles while the GS is still somewhat wet (enough for them to stick) and then silicone it, or they will cure the GS and stick rocks/pebbles in the silicone for a natural look. I've seen people put coco fiber and other materials into the GS or silicone as well. GS by itself won't work, but it's pretty hardy stuff and is fairly easy to make what you want out of it. Here's a picture of somebody's water feature they made with it.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/cashton12/WaterFall-1.jpg

[pittylova]

I came across this picture of a hide somebody made out of the Great Stuff I was talking about. Figured I'd post it here to show you.

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/3062/q3es9.jpg

[jitami]

Very cool... looks like fun stuff to play around with!

[Lori P]

Oh---- my----- heavens!!!!!!!!! SO, while I'm out in the garage last night ooogling the new enslosure.... I notice that Jamie has CASES and CASES of something on one of the shelves.... I look at it more closely....

It is GREAT STUFF!!!! LOLOL!!!! CASES of it, right there in my garage!!!!!! Who knew??!!! Apparently, he got it in with a whole pallet of electrical stuff he bought at an auction!!!!!

Now, I just have to figure out how to work it... Jamie got that hunted, "oh lord, I haven't even finished this project and now she's planning more for me" look so I assured him I'd play with this myself. SO--- anymore tips on how to use & prepare it??? And we KNOW it's safe, right??

[pittylova]

I haven't used it personally....yet. I just got all of my equipment to start building my first vivarium today. I'm starting tomorrow with the False bottom and the marine epoxy. I'll probably start some Great Stuff work as well.

This stuff is definitely safe. I know many many people who use it. It's almost a must for backgrounds, etc on the vivarium forum I'm a part of. Like I said I haven't yet used it myself. However, I'll share what I have learned from others so far. First of all, if you plan on using it for a water feature you should go with a type of GS that is water resistant (they don't come waterproof). I have the kitchen and bath type.

When using this stuff try to have an approximate plan as to what you want to make (size, etc). It does expand so you're best starting out with a single layer at a time until you're use to it (I'll probably be a lunatic and just go all in tomorrow knowing myself lol). You want to make sure it is 100% cured before you mess with it. The back of the bottle says to wait a certain amount of time for it to cure. However, that is for it's intended purpose and most people double the curing time as it is typically in a much thicker coat than somebody would use to fill a plumbing gap. If it is not fully cured before you mess with it you can end up with it warping what ever its on, oozing the inards (ew), etc. While none of that is harmful it's disappointing.

From what I understand you can use a template if you want a hole, or if you want a certain shape (such as a hollow "cave"). Let it cure for about half of the time and then remove the "template" and allow it to finish curing.

Once its cured you can sculpt it with a regular seraded kitchen knife. Shape it however you'd like. Then you want to use silicone (GEII is what has been recommended by others). You want the entire thing coated in teh silicone to make it waterproof. people use different methods to decorate the pieces. For instance, the waterfall I posted above has sand and little pebbles. I will be using gravel and river rocks for my GS pond, and I will be adding beak moss or coconut fiber (haven't decided yet) to my GS backgrounds. To do this, as soon as you apply the silicone stick the grave/sand/moss/etc into the silicone. When the silicone dries the materials will be glued in place. For the rocky hide I posted the person used JUST silicone to create that. Instead of using clear they used black and white silicone. They mixed the two colors in different amounts to get highlights, shadows, etc and "painted" the piece with the silicone.

When I start my vivarium I'm going to be taking pictures of the entire process. I'll share how the great stuff part goes! Once this vivarium is complete I'm going to do over the tank that the anoles and gray tree frogs are in with a FB/water feature/GS background etc. I'll also take pictures of that whole process and will post all of that on here as it is for my garter (already bought a nice piece of slate for basking).

Feel free to PM me if you want me to put you in touch with more experienced people on the matter :)

[NetBSD]

Oh---- my----- heavens!!!!!!!!! SO, while I'm out in the garage last night ooogling the new enslosure.... I notice that Jamie has CASES and CASES of something on one of the shelves.... I look at it more closely....

It is GREAT STUFF!!!! LOLOL!!!! CASES of it, right there in my garage!!!!!! Who knew??!!! Apparently, he got it in with a whole pallet of electrical stuff he bought at an auction!!!!!

Now, I just have to figure out how to work it... Jamie got that hunted, "oh lord, I haven't even finished this project and now she's planning more for me" look so I assured him I'd play with this myself. SO--- anymore tips on how to use & prepare it??? And we KNOW it's safe, right??


great stuff is easy to work with, before you start anythiong grab a can and spray a little into a papper towel and see how much it expands so you dont use more then you need. after that i guess you just slowly shape it with a file/knife/sand paper to how you like it