Making Home-made Hides and Water Dishes

[Jay_Bunny]

Would it be safe to make home-made water dishes and hides, say out of clay you'd find at a craft store? Would there be any specific kind of clay/molding material that should be used. What about painting it?

[JLC]

You could make hides out of stuff like that....but water bowls need to be specially made with food-safe glazes....not something you can find or do in a typical hobby store.

[littleindiangirl]

I know they sell food safe glazes if you go to a store that actually sells serious art supplies. At least around here there are a few stores... Even if you can't you should be able to order online.
And you want to make sure you get a high quality clay, something that will be less likely to break in the kiln at high temperatures for the actual water bowls. you want something that will be as UN porous as possible, even before you glaze. It would probably end up costing you a pretty penny for those supplies, alot more than just buying a bowl from the dollar store. BUT I do like the idea of making hides, I find that I have a few animals that are just too big for the ones I have now.
It's been a long time since I've made any sort of pottery, and I don't remember all the specs for clay and glaze... >.<

[JLC]

Yeah, there are shops where you can get the right glazes and have the pieces fired in a kiln. But you can't do that with the stuff you find at Hobby Lobby or whatnot.


I've seen some hides made from home-baked clays though....they're really neat, and it would be fun to get creative and personalize your snake's little caves.

[sweety314]

For homemade hides, I've used "I Can't Believe.." tubs, sour cream pint tubs for the Kenyan SB baby, heavier plastic tubs and lids from the horse aspirin (I had oodles of those...). I've even saved and used the salad containers from my Wendy's lunches. They're a little flimsier, but work for the smaller snakes. Just have to tape or seal the edges/ make the holes bigger. They can be a little sharp sometimes.

I buy the nukeable Gorton's shrimp bowls for work, and I've used them too for the yearlings/smaller snakes...they're the right size, black, and not as flimsy.

The little snakes got the sour cream pints cups for water bowls, etc. until they get so big they keep spilling the water. So I've waited until rabbit crocks are on clearance and then use those.

[littleindiangirl]

http://members.tripod.com/kengeorgepottery/id17.htm
It has a little description of what different clays do. I remember the word I was looking for "vitrifies" at a higher temperature, so it will be less porous, which cuts down on bacteria growth

[frankykeno]

For homemade hides, I've used "I Can't Believe.." tubs, sour cream pint tubs for the Kenyan SB baby, heavier plastic tubs and lids from the horse aspirin (I had oodles of those...). I've even saved and used the salad containers from my Wendy's lunches. They're a little flimsier, but work for the smaller snakes. Just have to tape or seal the edges/ make the holes bigger. They can be a little sharp sometimes.

I buy the nukeable Gorton's shrimp bowls for work, and I've used them too for the yearlings/smaller snakes...they're the right size, black, and not as flimsy.

The little snakes got the sour cream pints cups for water bowls, etc. until they get so big they keep spilling the water. So I've waited until rabbit crocks are on clearance and then use those.

You know you're a herper when you buy a product that you don't even want or like...JUST to get the container for a hide or water dish! LOL

[West Coast Jungle]

I would go to your local 99cents store and save a lotta time and $. I always worry about ceramics being heavy and if you ever drop it on your snake, he's dust. I'm a plastic hide/bowl man.

[frankykeno]

I'm a plastic hide/bowl man.

He's always been that way!

[ChroniclesofYarnia]

I see people with those small flower pots in their enclosures. Do you just crack a hole in the side and file it down to do that? I like how they look, and the kids would have a lot of fun painting them.

(I'll have to remember not to throw away our yogurt containers this week! Great idea!)