Animals at Home

I had a great chat with Richard over at The Exotic Pet Collective Podcast, check it out!

Another round of jaw-dropping enclosures! https://youtu.be/N5B45-3s7Pw

:: DIY ROCK WORK :: Late last year I did the rock work for the Rosy Boa enclosure I’ve posted about a fair bit recently but I never posted about how I made the ...rocks. A fair few people have asked so I have put this post together: 1. Using polystyrene take a hot wire cutter or knife and carve it up to form the rough rock shapers you want. I find it easier to make individual rocks/sections out of the viv rather than building it in situ. 2. Use a hot air gun and go over all of the surface of the rocks. Holding it longer in some places than others. This gets rid of any unnatural flat spots and sharpe angles. 3. Using a flexible tile adhesive (thin set mortar in the USA) do 2 or 3 thick layers over your rocks. After about 15-30 mins of it drying carve out some detail (cracks, little indents etc) 4. Take 3 colours of grout. For this one I used an almost black brown, chocolate brown and then a beige. Start with the darkest colour and cover the rocks completely. For the next 2 colours you want to mix the grout fairly liquid consistency (something like yogurt). Then using a similar dry brushing technique you’d use for acrylic paints do the next shade and then finally the last colour with an even lighter coating. This by now means creates the perfect rocks but is by far the easiest and most realistic method I have tried to date.

Tom Crutchfield is undoubtedly one of the most well-known names in American Herpetoculture. We had a great discussion about humane reptile keeping and the value of continuing to evolve both your care and your understanding of reptiles in captivity. https://youtu.be/03kh6HoHIZg