Using clay to make an aboreal hide

[voodoo chile]

Hi, This may seem a daft question but, I am setting up a new exo terra nano for a juvnile avic, avic. I was concidering making a fake air dry clay bark hide to span from top to bottom, I can put a hole in etc & make it more to suit my T. My main reason is that it will be more cleaner than real bark, & wont harbour mites etc. Also it wont rot in a humid enviroment so there for I wont have to disturb her as much changing her bark. I have mod podge to water resist it. My question is; will the maybe colder surface of the clay be not so nice for her feet? ie If a T has a choice of glass or plastic to perch, they chose plastic. I don't want to make something my T don't like to walk on. Thanks for reading.

 

[cnapple]

i have cork bark tubes in with many of my higher-humidity species and haven't had any problems with mold, or pests. Clay would probably be fine, but is unnecessary IMO.

 

[stewstew8282]

+1 on the CORK bark. it is used in the hobby for the same reason it is used in wine bottles..it and mold dont get along...i.e. you shouldnt have a mold problem using it unless your keeping a swamp..then maybe....but yea ull be fine with the bark

 

[skar]

It won't hurt, if you want to make something yourself and be custom for you -go for it !

 

[Hellion299]

I did this once and the only problem I ran into was the wet soil that touched the bottom of the hide made the clay get soggy. Just discolored the dirt a bit. You just kind of have to be careful when it comes to getting them wet. Other then that it was fun for awhile. Then instead of using cork bark (because I am cheap) I started ripping bark off dead trees, baking it at 375 for about 10 minutes to kill anything weird on it and hot glueing together my own hides. : ) Flower pots also make neat hides! : )