Ball Python Background #2

 Onto carving! So this was by far the most tedious and time consuming part of the entire process. I had a mini angled hand saw, a carpet cutter, a utility knife, and a scraper.

Cut off the top layer of the foam. Basically any shiny part of the foam needs to be cut off because the silicone won't stick to it.














*Four hours later*

 So, I picked up some caulk and rubber gloves (this stuff will get everywhere I promise) from the hardware store and loaded that in a caulk gun.

Squeeze some caulk in generous amounts and then rub it in every crack and crevice. I'd start at the back because those spots are harder to reach.

Afterwards take a cup full of Zoo Med Eco Earth Coconut Substrate and pour more than you think you will need onto the silicone and let it sit.

In the end, you should end up with something that looks like this!

Make sure you get every part of the foam covered with silicone! I had to go back and redo a couple spots because I missed them.

Ball Python Enclosure Background Part #1

Today I started the make the background for my snake's enclosure. I have seen a couple of methods for this but I decided to go with the expanding foam method.

*Please keep in mind this is just a journal of how I am doing things not a how-to*

1.  I put my 20 gallon long on its side after taking off the lid and locking clips. The face its resting on will be the back wall.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. I got my two pieces of cork bark and cut them down to sizes that would fit my tank and my design.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. I then arranged the pieces to make a background. I figured that the large round piece wouldn't fit so I decided it'd serve better as a hide.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. 
   I cleaned the glass with rubbing alcohol. I put my rubber gloves on and got to work with Great Stuff expanding foam that I got from the local hardware store.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. About 10 minutes later, I was done. I foamed all the areas around the cork bark and all the glass. I have to wait 8 hours for it to cure before I can continue.

Next steps:

• Carving the foam
• Painting the foam with silicone
• Added Zoo Med Eco Earth substrate to the silicone.