DIY hide out of clay?

[peahennery]

Hey guys, long time watcher, but new subscriber of Aussie Pythons. I was just thinking, I know there are heaps of hides you can buy from pet stores and on ebay, but my Spotted has recently grown out of his favorite hidey rock and I wanted to make him something different that will fit into a theme I want to go with. I was wondering if I could make him something out of clay (preferably air drying)? I assume because it's porous it will need a sealant or lacquer coat both inside and out, but I was a bit unsure if there's any other issues with undergoing such a project.

Thanks!

 

[Ambush]

G'day Welcome.
Why not i say. It's natural. Then again depends where u get it from. I use clay pots.

 

[peahennery]

Thankee Ambush, I used to have a broken clay sculpture my dad made years ago in there recently, but the more I thought the more unsure I became whether or not it would hurt him, so I took it out. I might have a go though and make him something special. Not sure how to seal the inside, I suppose I could just dip it in a can of lacquer...

 

[=bECS=]

Seal it with a few coats of clear pond sealer. Pondite I think the one I use is called.

 

[Thyla]

Yeah I've used air drying clay for my gecko hides. I did have an issue when they get damp they tend to become soft again and snap. Pondite sounds like a good idea. Do you know if this stuff is toxic? Is it oil based?

 

[sd1981]

Pondtite is fine to use and is safe once it has cured (dried completely, usually takes 24hrs to go off completely)... As far as clay goes, go for it, as long as you dry it out and seal it properly it will be fine. If you use an air drying clay, you will need to ensure it is dried right out and well sealed otherwise you may get a few soft spots and could compromise the integrity of the hide itself... (Could possibly go mushy and collapse if too much water gets into it). Let us know how you get on with it, pics please.....

 

[bohdi13]

To make the hides somewhat stronger, before sealing with pondtite you could chuck on a few layers of grout starting from watery grout tto thick grout. Would be ininterested in doin this myself.

 

[saximus]

Yeah I've used air drying clay for my gecko hides. I did have an issue when they get damp they tend to become soft again and snap. Pondite sounds like a good idea. Do you know if this stuff is toxic? Is it oil based?

Pretty much everyone uses it to seal DIY hides, rockwalls etc. I'm pretty sure it's water based but it does give off a smell for quite a while so needs to be allowed to cure for at least a week or more. Once it's hard it isn't toxic though. If you get the coloured ones they also have a grit in them which gives you a cool texture as well.

To the OP, if you're going to use air drying clay, I would consider maybe reinforcing it just with some wire mesh. It might be a bit of overkill but will stop it from being so brittle, especially if it's only fairly thin.