"Making of...." an extruded polystyrene based terrarium
This is my first attempt of creating a reptile terrarium for my Rhacodactylus ciliatus (crested geckos), using extruded polystyrene
This is an extruded polystyrene plate as it is bought from a hardware shop.
Cutting it to the desired dimensions and gluing the pieces together using silicone or wood glue ( I used silicone first and then changed to wood glue cause it smells less and it glues faster)
Need to keep the pieces together?
Can't be more simple!
Use toothpicks.
I also used screws to make it more stable.
Making a foam background was not my initial plan so I started cutting with a razor the back plate in order to make it easier for climbing.
Before starting adding the layers of the tiles adhesive I made some brick-like structures using a soldering iron so that it sticks better.
As you can see I also glued some pieces of styrodur in order to make feeding and resting ledges.
When I completed the main box I found it a bit dark...
Using the soldering iron again I made 3 new windows (1 on the top and an other one on each side).
View of the top. The small opening is for ventilation and the bigger one is the window.
Side window view from the inside.
The top again as seen from the inside. You can see the screen I used to cover the ventilation opening.
Side window again. Under the first layer of the tile adhesive you can see the brick like structure I made using the soldering iron.
Regretfully I forgot to take photos when I was creating the background.....
Using styro foam I made a rough the structure of what I wanted to create (a stone wall of some sort...) and when the sryro foam dried out completely I used a razor and a knife to give it the shape I wanted and then it was time for the tile adhesive.
After 6-7 layers this is how it looks like.
Each layer was given 48 hours to dry out. The mix for the first layers was very thin in order to cover all the pores.
When the last tile adhesive layer dried out, I used water soluble varnish to make it water proof.
I made 2 layers of this stuff giving it 48 hours in between to let it dry out.
When I painted the last layer I "sprinkled" beach sand on top of it in order to make it climbable and give it a more natural look.
Here are some photos of the finished background.
Now all I need is to order the glass to make the door and to cover the windows.
I will add photos of the finished "product" in due time.
And to make it more "wife-friendly" I will wrap the outside with a wallpaper of her choice ;).
I'd like to repeat that this is my FIRST attempt so be gentle when judging :)
Hope this article will give you some ideas/hints so you can build your own terra.