DIY Home-made "realistic" Hides

We are attempting this DIY as well. Definitely cheaper than buying 10 small hides!

About 10 minutes left in the oven!

Ohballs(sorry dont know your real name lol) it has been some time since you first made yours did you have any problems with yours like others have had? thanks I want to try this but not if they are goin to fall apart while my snakes are in them.

That is awesome! I may end up with one of these yet!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kylesreptiles

Ohballs(sorry dont know your real name lol) it has been some time since you first made yours did you have any problems with yours like others have had? thanks I want to try this but not if they are goin to fall apart while my snakes are in them.

---

Hi!

It's Kim :P

Yes, I did have some trouble with the first few hides I made. I used spray waterproofing and have since changed to shellac. I paint the shellac on a few layers, once dry, I actually dip the hide into the shellac and let dry. Shellac is made from secretions from the lac insect and denatured alcohol. Once the alcohol evaporates, the shell is very hard. I have not had any other problems. I've been using the new ones for about a month now and they're holding their own.

Hope this helps

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OhBalls

Hi!

It's Kim :P

Yes, I did have some trouble with the first few hides I made. I used spray waterproofing and have since changed to shellac. I paint the shellac on a few layers, once dry, I actually dip the hide into the shellac and let dry. Shellac is made from secretions from the lac insect and denatured alcohol. Once the alcohol evaporates, the shell is very hard. I have not had any other problems. I've been using the new ones for about a month now and they're holding their own.

Hope this helps

---

Isn't shellac really poisonous?
Does anyone else have any tips on how to make these completely waterproof? Mine are in the oven, but I don't want them to mush up on the snake.

Oh. My. Gosh. You have no idea how thankful I am!! I have been trying to "naturalize" my enclosures, and hides are so darned expensive!

This is going on my Bookmarks. I'm going to get spray paint today!!

Again, thank you so much!




Quick question - is the brand of spray paint you used 100% non-toxic for reptiles? Are there any other brand that anybody knows of that are non-toxic? (Just in case they don't have that specific brand in stock.)

They should have Krylon, it's one of the major brands. But, some people who have made this hide say they mush up after a while - it's why I stopped making mine. Plus, mine cracked haha.

Hi just had a question about the realistic hides... I have followed all the directions but i had a question i was wondering that when the finishing product should be done should it be very little flimsy.... Now i dont mean like flimsy like a rubber band but very very light flimsyness.

so tried it and it came out way to soft and sticky. did you add all the water???

I'm trying this out and so far the recipe worked fine, and they came out of the oven ok and just like I wanted them too. Next step is paint. I'll let you know how it turns and post some pics!