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DYI Hides.

Someone mentioned maybe the texture paint might be rough or flake off if a wet snake got on it. I might re-think that paint. I kinda threw these together thinking that texture paint would cover any flaws, but they do look kind of rocky and so regular paint would be ok.

I think Knox used the texture paint on a hide. I'm going to Hobby Lobby to see if I can find a different clay that might not even need paint.
 
You can take different colors of clay together to get a marbleized look or I've even mixed sand in with clay (not too much or it gets dry) for some texture. Colored sands can work also.
 
I didn't think of sand. I got some screen and another type of clay that's already terra cotta and a bunch of 2oz acrylic paints. gonna work on more after the snakes eat.
 
Here are my crayola air dry hides. I'm not the best painter! I need to seal them tomorrow. I used little bottles of acrylic paint. I think they should work fine. I have more that aren't quite ready to paint.

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These were easy, it was kinda fun. I need to figure out how to work with the other clay I got. It sticks to everything, I guess maybe wood and a wood rolling pin from what I've read. Have fun :) I need so many hides so this worked out great and cheap!
 
These probably look the same as the previous pics, but I got 11 hides (after I broke one) out one 5# bucket of crayola air dry clay. i think they turned out really well! If I do say so myself :) They look pretty rocky just b/c of they way I had to make them.


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I know! I got my vivs and have to finish getting everything together to move the snakes. I thought they turned out pretty realistic looking. Can't get much cheaper than that and I still have paint left for if I make more. I need to make some larger ones, I need some wire mesh to be able to form them though.
 
welp, what i do, is i get two paper bowls, one upright, and the other on top of it but upside down, so it makes like a cave, OFFTOPIC i use them for my bps OFFTOPIC OVER ok well, for my new corn thts coming this morning, im using the tp rolls, but its a really long "sheet" of it, but i think im going to go to the dollar tree and get some bowls for both of my snakes, and just cut a hole in each of them, they're simple, and cheap, and also add spunk to the viv.
 
Those look great! What are you using to seal them up?
Click to expand...

I used Tree House Studio Clear Acrylic Matte Coating - got it at Hobby Lobby for $6. I put 3-4 coats on at least.

So I get them all in the new vivs and guess what? the snakes don't use them! They like to burrow in the aspen or hide in the grapevine wood or under it. Oh well!
 
schnebbles said:
I used Tree House Studio Clear Acrylic Matte Coating - got it at Hobby Lobby for $6. I put 3-4 coats on at least.

So I get them all in the new vivs and guess what? the snakes don't use them! They like to burrow in the aspen or hide in the grapevine wood or under it. Oh well!
Click to expand...

Of course :p . Well, maybe they are just taking a while to get brave enough to try them? My hatchling spent about a day being indecisive about the silk tree he now spends most of his time in.

I'm thinking of ways to string up some cardboard tubes or something, so Sherlock can have more high places to hide in. Maybe seal them with that or a similar coating and/or paint them to look less ...thrifty, is a good word for it.
 
They love the vines! I have gone to take the vine out looking for the snake and I find the snake in the vines. I ordered some grapevine wood climbing things and they were all different of course, and I strung the vines up as high as I could, some of the grapevines just aren't tall enough.
 
The paint is the 2oz little bottles of acrylic from the hobby store, and I aired out the hides for over a week, probably closer to 2 before I put them in the vivs. They are using them now.

You could use Mod-podge to seal but it's not waterproof. The stuff I used is acrylic.
 
As well as I like these hides, I might use the Greatstuff - working on painting one right now.

The crayola air dry breaks very easily. I picked one up last night and I was kind of holding it up to get the snake out and it just broke! Fortunately it didn't land on the snake, I had her already but they seem very fragile. I will handle with care from now on!
 
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