cocking to seal enclosure?

[Dan]

I have recently purchased a custom built wood framed cage. I have basically torn it apart and rebuilt it. I want to fill in the gaps between some of the pieces of wood with cocking before I paint it.

Is there any type of cocking you recommend to use or not to use? Are there any that are safe for chameleons?

Thanks!

 

[holmesese]

Caulking?

Caulking ?

 

[Chameleon24]

haha sorry that was funny

 

[klangford]

Caulking ?

Nah - he's just old school

 

[Dan]

OK sorry...I spelled caulking wrong. Ill admit, spelling is not one of my strong points. Anyway...does anyone have an answer to my question?

 

[BocaJan]

I think it was mentioned in another thread that you can use acrylic as long as you let it age well so all the fumes are gone. I hope someone who really knows chimes in.

 

[Argentra]

Hot Glue. It's cheap, non-toxic, easy to use, waterproof, and clear. I used it recently on my corn snake cage system, and also am using it to seal the floor of my new cham cage.

I got the idea off a DIY Cham cage site... can't remember which one though.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I use standard paintable caulking - which I let air out and dry before I paint with zero VOC paint.
Hot glue is no less toxic.
If you want to be extra safe, use Aqaurium safe silicon.

 

[Gaerei]

In my line of work we use silicone based. Assuming you dont need to paint. Inthe states, look for a product called geocel or OSI. I would not recomend a latex base, as its usually used for indoor projects ie windows doors and it's usually softer than silicone. The only real benefit to latex is it workability time after application is a bit longer than that of the silicone. And I forgot to mention it is oderless and comes in a number of colors, also unlike latex, the silicone is much more "weather" tolerant, I'd imagine over time it wouls significantly out live latex. Hope that helps

 

[Gaerei]

On a side note, did anyone ever see that show Crank Yankers? This thread reminded me.

 

[mattjillson]

IMO you should be careful with any of the products mentioned so far. All those materials are easily edible by Crickets, save for the most part Acrylic. Maybe not harmful to a Cham but I doubt anyone could say that they are for sure not harmful.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Aquarium safe silicon is safe to eat (though not recommended)
bugs dont last long enough in my cages to get to chew on anything, so I'm not concerned regardless.

 

[Gaerei]

And I also wanted to add that hot glue always fails me over time. Go with a quality. Brand caulk, hot glue works great if it's got gravity on it's side (like to hold a floor down in the cage). I had an old original canvas art piece hanging up once relying on a hot glued hook on the back, needles to say 3 months later it came crashing down, scared me half to death. For what it sounds like you have planned, the hot glue would not be the right stuff. Also after application it's hard to tool.

 

[Gaerei]

You could also try some kind of floor adhesive, now that stuff dries hard as rock, same with the 2 brands of sili I memtioned earlier. I mean, it not even likeyou're going to have a bunch of it exposed anyway.

 

[mattjillson]

"Aquarium safe silicon is safe to eat (though not recommended)
bugs dont last long enough in my cages to get to chew on anything, so I'm not concerned regardless. "

I think the key point in this statement is they don't get to chew on anything you are aware of. Crickets are little basteeches that never stop. It may or may not be worth the risk, however, taking it totally out of the equation is the best way to ensure no issues IMO. That stuff is just too easy for those guy to maw through and as we all know, even the slightest imbalance can send even the healthiest, robust Cham to the big perch in the sky early unfortunately. Again, this stuff may or may not be toxic to Chams but just because it is non toxic to us doesn't mean it won't ruin a kidney or two in an animal weighed in grams.

 

[Dan]

cool, thanks for the help and tips everyone!

 

[ScottChoc]

On a side note, did anyone ever see that show Crank Yankers? This thread reminded me.

Is there a taste to the caulk?

 

[sandrachameleon]

No, I meant what I said - I dont leave crickets running loose in my cages. Crickets and roaches are eaten immediately, or they're not left in the cage.

 

[yoza717]

Aquarium safe silicon is safe to eat (though not recommended)
bugs dont last long enough in my cages to get to chew on anything, so I'm not concerned regardless.

What about Chaulkroaches....