Homemade Feeding Ledge

[EmbraceCalamity]

So I wanted to get a ledge feeder for my mourning geckos because they're never on the ground where their food is. Like this:

http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/images/detailed/3/smWorm_Feeder_Ledg_.jpg

Problem is that the ones I could find were a bit too big and a good $20 - which is about all I have in my bank account. XD I have some nice thick styrofoam I can use and can just buy some magnets, but my only question is, what can I use to cover it? I'd like it to look semi-natural, but I want to make 100% certain that I don't use anything harmful. So what would y'all suggest?

~Maggot

[poison123]

you could always do something like this http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/JonnRichh/blue-5.jpg

use Velcro and a bigger but light weight cap. it doesnt look as good but im sure it will get the job done.

ps can i see pics of the geckos? i dont think ive seen them yet :)

[EmbraceCalamity]

you could always do something like this http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/JonnRichh/blue-5.jpg

use Velcro and a bigger but light weight cap. it doesnt look as good but im sure it will get the job done.

ps can i see pics of the geckos? i dont think ive seen them yet :)I'm not sure I'd want to pick velcro in their enclosure, but I guess I could use a small cap and attach it to the fake vine in there. Maybe. I'd want some other people's opinions about using velcro in the enclosure.

I don't have any non-**** pics, since I only have my phone. But I'm getting a camera for Christmas and will be posting lots of pictures then. Best pic is this one:
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/526941_3761161957160_400198938_n.jpg

~Maggot

[beardeds4life]

I am doing something very similar. The only difference with mine is that it is part of a background. What you do is first carve it out of the styrofoam to the shape of the above ledge making it 1/4 inch smaller on all sides than you want it. For the hole in the middle make sure you measure it out so the cups you will be using will fit perfectly when you are done. But make sure you make the hole 1/4 inch BIGGER than you want it on all sides to allow for the grout. Next you will cut out a 1/4 inch board to the size of the back and epoxy it on. Now on the back side of it that you put the board on you need to carve out a spot for the magnets and epoxy them in. Epoxy the magnets to the board also. As to the magnets make sure they are strong enough. I recommend neodynium magnets. You can get them at pangeareptile.com or on ebay. It is critical that you get strong enough magnets. I made that mistake. Next you will need to grout it. I would tape of the magnets that you epoxied in with blue painters tape. The grout it using sanded or non sanded grout it doesn't matter. Do a few coats. Then you can paint it with non toxic acrylic paints. After you need to seal it. I havent yet found a good sealer. I am looking into fiberglass resin but I am not positive if that will work yet.

I have all the materials for this minus the magnets so for me it would be almost free. If you don't have this stuff on hand it will probably be $20+ so it might be worth it to just buy one. Pangeareptile.com is the main ditributer for those so if you sign up for their email list under the specials link they frequently send out coupons and discounts for those among other things. They are a very popular item so they often have coupons for them. Good luck. Hopefully this will help you!

[EmbraceCalamity]

Not to be a smartass, but do I really need grout? Can't I just paint the styrofoam?

~Maggot

[beardeds4life]

I guess you could but it will be very weak and your merely dropping it would make pieces of styrofoam pop off so then you would have to repaint and reseal that area. It will be more expensive to grout it but trust me it will definitely be worth it.

[EmbraceCalamity]

I guess you could but it will be very weak and your merely dropping it would make pieces of styrofoam pop off so then you would have to repaint and reseal that area. It will be more expensive to grout it but trust me it will definitely be worth it.It's not regular styrofoam. It's the stuff you use for insulation:
http://img.archiexpo.com/images_ae/photo-g/rigid-extruded-polystyrene-insulation-panel-with-thermal-bridge-break-61705-2034929.jpg
But thicker, like this:
http://www.projectlink.com.au/media/images/product/large/dow-styrofoam-roofmate-sl-x-extruded-polystyrene-insulation--26318.jpg

It's very difficult to cut and definitely won't fall apart.

~Maggot

[DragonsEye]

You mentioned wanting a more "natural" look -- the roughness of grout will help achieve that. Also, IME, paints often do not adhere well to styrofoam.



http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz192/denistephenson/smileys/smiley%20Christmas/santapresent.gif

[Gungirl]

You can just paint it as it will be used for the little guy in the picture. Use a good spray primer to make sure the paint fully bonds. I had a few decoration pieces in a leo's viv that where just styro and paint. They lasted 2-3 yrs before I had to redo them.

[EmbraceCalamity]

You mentioned wanting a more "natural" look -- the roughness of grout will help achieve that. Also, IME, paints often do not adhere well to styrofoam.Well it doesn't have to be perfect or anything, but I just meant something that doesn't look like a hunk of blue styrofoam. XD Even if it's not ideal right now, I'd just like to have it in there while I make or find one that can be really nifty-looking.You can just paint it as it will be used for the little guy in the picture. Use a good spray primer to make sure the paint fully bonds. I had a few decoration pieces in a leo's viv that where just styro and paint. They lasted 2-3 yrs before I had to redo them.Well they get to be 2.5-3.5 inches, but that's it. It'll probably just be temporary anyway until I make something better. Would I be able to cover the styrofoam with Great Stuff and then paint it? And would I need to seal it if I did that? For the background in my croc gecko's viv, I used styrofoam covered with Great Stuff and sealant and then put coco fiber on it, but I'm not sure the little ones would be able to grip that. So could I just do that and use paint instead of coco fiber? Or will I need to seal it (I have clear aquarium sealant) after I paint it?

~Maggot

[beardeds4life]

The great stuff is pretty slick if not covered with cocofiber. If you carve it it falles apart very easily. And seeing that your using insulation I would say it would be fine without grout.

[EmbraceCalamity]

So I found a paint that's supposed to look like stone - which it doesn't really, but it's kind of grainy so I think they'll be able to grip it. My question is, do I need to seal it with aquarium sealant or just let it cure?

~Maggot

[Corey209]

There's the foam spray stuff you can mold yourself, forgot what it's called though.

[EmbraceCalamity]

There's the foam spray stuff you can mold yourself, forgot what it's called though.Great Stuff. We already discussed that. I already have it cut, painted, and ready to mount. Just don't know if it needs sealed or not.

~Maggot

[Gungirl]

what did you paint it with?

If it is just normal latex paint I would seal it with water base urethane.

[Corey209]

Great Stuff. We already discussed that. I already have it cut, painted, and ready to mount. Just don't know if it needs sealed or not.

~Maggot

Krylon® Matte Finish (http://www.michaels.com/Krylon%C2%AE-Matte-Finish/cp0429,default,pd.html)

This is for waterproofing

[EmbraceCalamity]

what did you paint it with?

If it is just normal latex paint I would seal it with water base urethane.At this point, I might just buy one of these:
http://pet-tech.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/PT-1430-2.jpg

It's bigger and deeper and more expensive than I wanted, but that way I don't have to worry about what kind of paint or what kind of sealant or anything like that.

~Maggot

[beardeds4life]

I would just buy one of those. In my opinion you would need to seal it. What is the humidity like in your tank?

Like I said before if yo sign up for pangeareptile.com's email list then you will get deals on those.

[EmbraceCalamity]

I would just buy one of those. In my opinion you would need to seal it. What is the humidity like in your tank?

Like I said before if yo sign up for pangeareptile.com's email list then you will get deals on those.I'm too lazy to check my email. XD Plus I found it $4 cheaper on a different site.

Humidity in the setup is 60% - 80%, usually about 70%.

~Maggot

[beardeds4life]

If you dont mind me asking where?

[EmbraceCalamity]

If you dont mind me asking where?Feed/Water Ledge - Granite - Small (http://www.pet-tech.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=ilvm_fly_easy_shopping_dark_green.tpl&product_id=18&category_id=26&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=80)

They have some cool stuff there actually.

~Maggot