Input on fake rock background?

[Jasonmichaelborg]

I am interested in building a custom cage, and faux rock wall. I have watched both the foam chunks covered in grout and also the expansion foam methods and know I can do both. My question and also concern is, is it lizard safe? What paint or grout is safe or are they? Valspar has an awesome rock spray paint, but I'm worried about safety of my panther. Any links or suggestions would greatly be appreciated

 

[AngieL]

You could use a foam background but just make the back from mesh first and tack the background on from the outside?

 

[NorCalAnthony]

I just got done making a faux rock background for my diy cage and it turned out really nice. I used the styrofoam and then coated it with tub/tile caulking and painted it with the Valspar stone textured spray paint and then sealed it with an acrylic multi-surface sealant to water proof the surface. Just be sure to let it dry and air out for a week or two (some people say longer) to make sure it's not putting off any fumes that could affect your cham. Feel free to check out my thread if you want to see how I did it and what materials I used, I think it's a page our two back in this forum.

 

[Carlton]

I am interested in building a custom cage, and faux rock wall. I have watched both the foam chunks covered in grout and also the expansion foam methods and know I can do both. My question and also concern is, is it lizard safe? What paint or grout is safe or are they? Valspar has an awesome rock spray paint, but I'm worried about safety of my panther. Any links or suggestions would greatly be appreciated

This is just my own opinion and not a critique of your idea, but if I was going to cover a large part of my cham's cage with something I would prefer getting a large laminated background print of tropical foliage or forest instead of a rock wall. After all, chams are not terrestrial or rock dwellers, they are arboreal and the forest or plant backdrop would seem to suit them better. Also, the amount of cage space a fake rock background would fill could be better used with more foliage. I've done some searching around online for tropical forest images (there are LOTS!), downloaded a favorite, and emailed it to a copying service that can laminate prints to your desired size. Then I taped the image on the outside of my cage mesh so it didn't take up any interior space. I don't have a picture of one cage I did this for but it was really really great looking. I've also done this for my Malaysian leaf frog terrariums...giving them a leaf covered forest floor scene that also blocked disturbance.

Oh, and for my melleri room I bought one of those large wall sized photo posters of a forest and used it as background for the free range area. Looked fantastic and just changed the entire mood of the room. But one of the chams kept trying to reach the "trees" in the image and I'd find him perched on the very tip of a real tree as close to the wall as he could get. Some of my visitors gave me odd looks though, but being a cham addict I was used to all that.

 

[DanSB]

This is just my own opinion and not a critique of your idea, but if I was going to cover a large part of my cham's cage with something I would prefer getting a large laminated background print of tropical foliage or forest instead of a rock wall. After all, chams are not terrestrial or rock dwellers, they are arboreal and the forest or plant backdrop would seem to suit them better. Also, the amount of cage space a fake rock background would fill could be better used with more foliage. I've done some searching around online for tropical forest images (there are LOTS!), downloaded a favorite, and emailed it to a copying service that can laminate prints to your desired size. Then I taped the image on the outside of my cage mesh so it didn't take up any interior space. I don't have a picture of one cage I did this for but it was really really great looking. I've also done this for my Malaysian leaf frog terrariums...giving them a leaf covered forest floor scene that also blocked disturbance.

Oh, and for my melleri room I bought one of those large wall sized photo posters of a forest and used it as background for the free range area. Looked fantastic and just changed the entire mood of the room. But one of the chams kept trying to reach the "trees" in the image and I'd find him perched on the very tip of a real tree as close to the wall as he could get. Some of my visitors gave me odd looks though, but being a cham addict I was used to all that.

Leave it to you to point out the obvious that everyone else has overlooked!

I really like your idea about the forest theme background. We used to actually sell underwater and forest scene backgrounds specifically designed for terrariums and aquariums and I would guess they still do. I used to use them for my aquariums and while one may think it would look cheesy once you have it set up right it looks very nice.

Some other background suggestions if you want to keep the arboreal theme: Cork bark background, this will essentially look like the cage is against a tree trunk and I have seen them look very nice, you can even mount some select epiphytes to enhance the appearance. My personal favorite but not always practical is to nest the enclosure inside of a small indoor plant forest. I bought 3 of those long planters (Back and both sides) I intend to heavily plant and place around the enclosure.

I do think the rock walls look really cool though and Anthony's really does look awesome I checked it out.

 

[Carlton]

We used to actually sell underwater and forest scene backgrounds specifically designed for terrariums and aquariums and I would guess they still do.

That's where I got the original idea...from those old classic terrarium backgrounds. There aren't too many to choose from but the NatureZone website had a few different downloadable ones. I just couldn't find any large enough or biologically OK for my spoiled chams. Just couldn't go with the weird "Mayan temple ruin" type scenes or the desert sandstone vistas you know. And, since I was lucky enough to go to Madagascar one year, was hoping to find something a bit closer to their wild habitat. So, I started trying to find my own image and ended up on a silky sifaka research website showing rainforest habitat types, and it turned into a great project.

 

[Carlton]

My personal favorite but not always practical is to nest the enclosure inside of a small indoor plant forest. I bought 3 of those long planters (Back and both sides) I intend to heavily plant and place around the enclosure.

Yes, if you have the space around the cage this can really look great and almost hide the cage itself! I set up my first couple of hatchling chams this way. Partly because I found fantastic large potted plants before the chams were ready to transfer to their larger adult setups and couldn't pass them up. They just became a leafy surround for the smaller cages until needed. Eventually I just removed the cage frame and let the chams roam the "clump".

 

[EvilLost]

I am interested in building a custom cage, and faux rock wall. I have watched both the foam chunks covered in grout and also the expansion foam methods and know I can do both. My question and also concern is, is it lizard safe? What paint or grout is safe or are they? Valspar has an awesome rock spray paint, but I'm worried about safety of my panther. Any links or suggestions would greatly be appreciated

It will be safe if you use the correct products/chemicals. This is a very indepth question and the answer varies depending on interior and exterior conditions of the enclosure as well as budget, etc.

I do recommend this method if you are willing to put in the time; it looks very good and also gives you additional places for planters at various heights throughout the wall, allowing much more depth to the plantlife in the enclosure. I am personally not a fan of anything fake as it tends to look....well, fake...but I am an extremist

I'd recommend checking out www.dendroboard.com for a lot of good info or feel free to PM me and I can try to answer any questions you may have.

If you wish to see some examples of the fake walls, here are some I have made:

Using the "false dirt wall" (foam+silicone+coir) technique for a chameleon free-range (also, in the lower right and left you can see the faux rock-foam+cement builds):
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...s/5647652851478928897?authkey=CJ-1sdnW0KCejAE

Using that same technique for open-air terrariums:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...ms/5647654053080166753?authkey=CKfwp9eWlPK9Jw

Lastly, you may hear of some users talk about using "clay" builds.It is VERY easy to do but it will NOT work for chameleons. Clay builds only work in 100% humidity and need to be kept just the right amount of wet for them to hold structure, they will not work well for cham setups at all.

 

[hpc1979]

Fake Wall

My Jackson loved his fake wall when I had him in his XXL Exo-Terra. He loved in so much that I ordered a new background, took it to Home Depot, and they cut into several different pieces for me (They don't normally do that). Now in the back of his fresh air cage he has a rake rock wall again.

 

[hpc1979]

Fake Wall

Dan and Carlton... I think you also forget the fact, that Chameleons are not native to the enclosures. So if one person really wants to put a fake rock in his cage, why not. You could always buy fake vines and put them on the wall for some foliage. I have a CB Jackson, I don't think he really knows what the wild really looks like. He has always been happy. Anyways....I watch many episodes of the show LOST. I always saw rock walls in the jungle. I say make your fake rock wall.

 

[Carlton]

Dan and Carlton... I think you also forget the fact, that Chameleons are not native to the enclosures. So if one person really wants to put a fake rock in his cage, why not. You could always buy fake vines and put them on the wall for some foliage. I have a CB Jackson, I don't think he really knows what the wild really looks like. He has always been happy. Anyways....I watch many episodes of the show LOST. I always saw rock walls in the jungle. I say make your fake rock wall.

As I said before, just throwing out an idea and my opinion, wasn't a criticism of the OP's plan! Do whatever you want.

 

[NorCalAnthony]

I actually like the idea of using the jungle print for a back drop (and it's definitely easier than making a fake rock background lol) but I've also heard of other people that have had chameleons that wind up having background confusion issues as well. Not that everyone with a printed background has that issue but it is something to consider. I prefer the rock background because it adds a three dimensional feel and you can incorporate plants into it to add to the realism like mrfixit and I did. The DIY fake rock background will only take up an inch (maybe less) depending on how you choose to make it, I think the background that I made varies from 3/4" to around 4" where the plants are. Good luck on whichever route you choose to take.

 

[Jasonmichaelborg]

I appreciate all your opinions, especially hpc1979, you made an awesome point that most chameleons are captive bread and dont know the difference. My plan is to make a deeper cage so the rock wall actually will leave more room than the reptibreeze hes in now. Besides those things are so cheaply made that im pissed I spent my money on such a flimsy cage that cost so much! Needless to say I'm willing to pay a little more $ and build one that is "rock" solid. Keep up the input please no advise is bad advice.

 

[DanSB]

I appreciate all your opinions, especially hpc1979, you made an awesome point that most chameleons are captive bread and dont know the difference. My plan is to make a deeper cage so the rock wall actually will leave more room than the reptibreeze hes in now. Besides those things are so cheaply made that im pissed I spent my money on such a flimsy cage that cost so much! Needless to say I'm willing to pay a little more $ and build one that is "rock" solid. Keep up the input please no advise is bad advice.

Just to be clear, I, (and I think Carlton), was not advocating that the rock walls were actually bad for the chameleon.

It would be a personal preference to keep things as natural as possible for aesthetic reasons.

I liken the rock wall to those little aquarium decorations that look like sunken ships, or temples or something. They can be very cool, the fish often like them, but they just don't look natural, I would rather put rock and live plants in a tank...