Rock wall for 4'x2'x3' snake enclosure

Recently I scored a beautiful 6.5ft JCP off a guy on Craigslist (traded a spider!). Though I had been casually looking for another snake, I had convinced myself that I wasn't into constrictors and that I'd get another small colubrid. WRONG. Saw the JCP and (of course) instantly fell in love. Couldn't pass him up.

At the time, I only had a 40 gal for a temp enclosure. Until, that is, I purchased this beast from Reptile Revolt in Plainfield, IL:



It's a custom built Critter Condo: 4ft wide,2ft deep, and 3ft tall. Solid melamine with installed fluorescent and incandescent fixtures. A cheaper prospect than many of the alternatives, but I'm pleased with the quality.

Of course, every nice enclosure deserves a nice background, so I got to work. My goal was a simple rock wall. Obviously, an adult JCP has some heft, so I decided against making shelves out of the foam itself (he'll have plenty of branches eventually). Basically, all I wanted was a nice aesthetic.



I started with 2in extruded polystyrene stacked and adhered together with silicone. I decided to make a little recessed area to hold his water dish (why not?). Aside from this feature, the wall protrudes a maximum of 2.5in from the back wall.



After finishing with the foam, it's on to the grout. I contemplated using acrylic render after hearing about it on an aussie forum, but I had grout available at the time and have had success with it in the past.





It's hard to tell from the picture, but my first batch of grout (which I used on the left-most third) was mixed poorly -- or at least not as "goopy" as the second batch. I found that being more generous with the water led to an easier time trying to get it to adhere.

After a second coat of grout, I started to paint with acrylic. First a (terrible looking) base coat, then some detail.



In the next few days I hope to finish the painting and add some color/highlights...maybe some lichen (?). Who knows.

Wow that's stunning! May I ask what kind of grout you're using? I have a grey grout, premixed. Even after about a month of curing, it still has a faint chemical smell that I'm not comfortable with just yet. Also, I agree that watering down the mix is great for adhering to foam and the like. Great job all around!! I want to make a similar rock wall for a (possibly communal) Hadogenes troglodytes tank.
Thanks for sharing, and keeping us updated *hinthint*!!

edgeofthefreak said:

Wow that's stunning! May I ask what kind of grout you're using?

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Thank you! I'm using a grout I purchased in 25lbs bags from Lowes; Keracolor is the brand (that tan color is "harvest;" it comes in a large variety).

You should definitely do that communal

Update:

Finished painting this darn thing. All I need to do now is touch up some spots and then seal it. In retrospect, I should have skipped using the grout I had available and instead used a grey-colored grout (some of the base material is showing through in spots, as the surface is rough, porous, and difficult to completely cover with paint).

Well, here's the semi-final product (complete with snake!):



A few days ago I noticed that the animal was having issues in its temp enclosure; he developed a quickly deteriorating case of nose rub and I knew I had to put the pedal to the metal. Luckily I've had several days off from work this past week, and I managed to get his new enclosure semi-furnished. I'm happy to report that he loves it (and his nose is healing)!

There were a few notable obstacles in pulling everything together. Namely, the water dish I had didn't fit and the ceramic heat emitter I installed burned out immediately upon installation (Petco would not exchange it, as I was several days outside the 30 day limit). I also managed to set fire (no joke) to the foam background while attempting to melt a hole through a plastic grommet in the back with a soldering iron (to run the thermostat probe). Luckily, damage was minimal and I managed to fix it with a little silicone -- which I accidentally dripped on the carpet

A while back I was visiting a friend up in WI where I grabbed a nice ~7ft birch log (found it trimmed from a tree). I cleaned it off a bit and soaked it in bleach for 36 hours or so. I cut it down a bit and mounted it to the enclosure with ten screws (five on each branch. The bottom just rests on the floor). It turned out better than I expected: sturdy, clean, and visually awesome.

After throwing in some cypress mulch and the hide, the enclosure was more or less ready to go. I can't for the life of me find a bulb guard for sale in the US, so I had to order one from the UK. In the meantime, I juryrigged one out of a birdfeeder (not pictured above -- bulb was not on at the time). It's not pretty, but it works. I also need to add foliage. For the time being, though, it's functional and the snake loves it.

Trick with grout. Providing you can obtain a surface to work on. As example, laying the terrarium on it's back. When working with grout and strength is not an issue - you aren't resisting years of foot traffic as example, mix it very thin soupy and apply with a paint brush or even a roller. Snug an orbital sander up tightly against the surface as you go. The vibration makes the grout adhere better, gets the bubbles out and makes it self leveling. Moistening the surface to be covered with a mist sprayer also helps the grout spread and adhere better.

After a couple of years of practice, my friend who helps build habitats at a zoo has been able to create vast complex dioramas using only non toxic grout.

Just an update on this project:

A few months ago I decided that I wanted to replace the birch piece. It looked great for the first six months it was in this enclosure, but it began to disintegrate rapidly. Also, it failed to maximize the available space in the enclosure; my snake essentially couldn't access the upper left portion of the space.

I opted to go with the traditional dual-horizontal-perch setup to maximize space. I had trouble finding wood large enough. I certainly couldn't find it commercially, and I wasn't about to go the ultra-tacky scorched PVC route. Fortunately, my folks own a few acres of wooded land and I managed to find a nice sized snag that I cut apart and mounted with 3.5in screws. I think it looks great, and they are extremely sturdy.



Here's a terrible shot with the JCP for scale, albeit she's not actually on the perches (she does enjoy them at night, however):



I've toyed with adding vegetation to this enclosure - something which it sorely needs visually - and that will be one of my next concerns. The issue has been mounting plastic plants to the melamine, which is tough to affix things to without major work (construction staples won't penetrate beyond a few mm). It's likely that I'll find some nice synthetic vines at Hobby Lobby and screw them into the top so that they droop down. After this is accomplished, I plan on removing the bulb guard/CHE and replacing it with a radiant heat panel. I'm also contemplating removing the light, as well, and switching to an LED strip/bar. That, however, is a post for another day...

One small addendum: in retrospect, I would not have created the small outcropping for the water dish. This was a mistake made in ignorance, and one that I'll rectify in my next build, whenever that is. I'll either omit it entirely or extend it the full depth of the enclosure, allowing a far more larger tub for soaking.

that is one sweet set up. You're idea of extending the waterbowl outcropping would be awesome if you also painted the back wall over the outcropping to resemble a waterfall? or something of the sort. That would make a natural spot to put some vines and stuff alongside the "waterfall". Just a thought.

ratluvr76 said:

that is one sweet set up. You're idea of extending the waterbowl outcropping would be awesome if you also painted the back wall over the outcropping to resemble a waterfall? or something of the sort. That would make a natural spot to put some vines and stuff alongside the "waterfall". Just a thought.

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You know, that has me thinking about whether clear resin would hold up over time in a snake enclosure. I've seen some cool fake waterfalls on model train sets and such...could be worth investigating!

This project was a great learning experience, but in retrospect I would make lots of aesthetic changes to make it look more organic. Next time!