"Foamariums"...

[hillie16]

These were being discussed in another thread. I went to a craft shop today and the only blocks of floral foam they had big enough to make one with were "dry" floral foam, meaning it does not allow water to pass through. Using this would allow water to collect in the burrow and become stagnant correct? What else would I be able to use?

 

[Pixie]

I have some foamariums of my own and absolutely love them. I wouldn't think that florist's foam would act in a similar way as it isn't flexible. That is the great advantage of this kind of setup, you can tear the foam to your needs, i.e. make a burrow hole bigger, add another burrow entrance, etc.

They are made from aquarium foam so you might want to look into sponges made to go in aquarium filters. Might be hard to get large sizes but you it should be better.

Good luck.

Pixie

Or you can always get a foamarium

 

[pelo]

If you go a florist instead of the craft shop you can get two different kinds of floral foam.One that absorbs water and one that is dry.I'd go with the dry.The oasis foam which absorbs water can take up an enormous amount of water..something you really don't want.With the dry you can always make a couple holes to allow the water to drain.Also if you get the foam from the florists,it's cheaper and comes in better sized blocks than most craft stores carry....peace..

 

[Buspirone]

You'll also see foamariums offered on ebay from time to time.

 

[Code Monkey]

Wal-Mart is a great source of the florist foam at much cheaper prices than you'll find it at an actual florist or garden-type center. I've never set up a foamarium of any sort but have been toying with trying it for slings.

 

[Pixie]

Checked around online and found some aquarium foam pieces up to 10" x 6" x 3" for 8.99$. Would be perfect for making foamarium type burrows. I'll get back with the link in a bit.

Pixie

 

[Pixie]

Even better, it's a bit larger that I first thought for 9.99$, other sizes are available. Here's the link

http://www.thehiddenreef.com/webpages/productspages/the_hidden_reef_sump_sponge_13_x_5_x3.5.htm

Pixie

(The advantages of aquarium foam are the very low toxicity levels, other sponges can offgas lots of fumes)

 

[atavuss]

I use foamariums in ten gallon reptile style sliding screen top enclosures. there are several different styles that were made by a vet. in southern california, when they first came out they were very pricey and I did not buy any. the vet eventually went bankrupt and a guy in oregon or washington state bought all the remaining stock and was selling them on ebay. I do not believe the foamariums are still being sold on ebay, I don't know if the guy sold all he had or what. I bought probably at least 100 of them and resold most of them but kept about 20 of them for myself. they are NOT florist foam but some kind of upholstery type foam that has been carved and hollowed out and painted with a non toxic paint. I can post pictures if you want to see a variety of them.
Ed

 

[atavuss]

Originally posted by Pixie
Even better, it's a bit larger that I first thought for 9.99$, other sizes are available. Here's the link

http://www.thehiddenreef.com/webpages/productspages/the_hidden_reef_sump_sponge_13_x_5_x3.5.htm

Pixie

(The advantages of aquarium foam are the very low toxicity levels, other sponges can offgas lots of fumes)

Pixie, did you tell me that the vet was selling the foamariums again somewhere?
Ed

 

[minax]

.........

I think the foamariums are awesome, but...............the foam hides I have carved myself, from florists foam, seem to work much better if you give them a way out, so to speak. I mean an exit, as well as a entrance. The slings and adults I have tried this with, always want a back door , to continue the burrowing/tunneling, in most species. If you do not give them one, they will make one themselves, by shredding the foam. You know T's..........they always want to do things their way! But it makes a great foundation for a hole, and you can usually always see the slings, so that is great. I use a a Rubbermaid container called "stain shield". It is clear plastic, unlike most rubbermaid containers, and comes in various sizes, though the size I use for slings is 1 cup, or 250ml. Kind of large for small slings, but perfect for medium sized ones. I have used it for small slings too, and though it takes up much more room than a vial, it gives them a lot of room to grow and dig around. Wal-mart has these containers. I have used it with many slings, and many have surprised me with how much they dig. And..........they calm down very fast if there is a ready made hole for them. My B vagans sling has 6 entry/exit holes, besides the one I made for it!!

 

[Pixie]

Yes, one can still order foamariums from the original maker, he still makes them.

The reason why they are so expensive is because they are made of aquarium grade foam and therefore non toxic to animals. Other types of foam, notably upholstery foam will offgas toxic fumes for quite some time. Some of these do not have odors so one can never tell when they are safe to use.

I will dig up all the info I have on them and the contact info to the creator of this wonderful product.

Pixie

 

[Pixie]

I'm the originator of Foamarium and thought i might be of some help answering any questions about it's construction and uses. My interests include most species of animals and I have worked in the veterinary field for almost 30 years primarily with exotic animals in large veterinary teaching hospitals and wildlife rescue facilities in New York, California and Florida. I don't own any pet chimps but i do currently work with several facilities that house and maintain chimps and orangutans, as well as many other kinds of critters, when they retire.

I got the idea for Foamarium more then 10 years ago after a conversation with a marine life veterinarian at Marine World about trying to help prevent bacterial disease such as the dreaded red leg disease of captive amphibians. Around that same time I was trying to setup a saltwater aquarium quarantine tank using a small "sponge filter" as the source of essential biological filtration. One day the idea of modifying the tiny sponge filter into a large functional habitat just seemed to click! After several years of testing and modifications I tried to start a business to bring Foamariums to the public. We sold many thousands around the world.

Although I think my skills working with animals are very good, my business sense is less so and the company went under due to my lack of a good understanding about mass manufacturing/distributing business practices. Victor, the person selling Foamariums very successfully on Ebay for awhile, bought his from the Salvation Army at below the cost of the foam itself when my brother donated the few remaining unsold pieces to them when we went out of business. I believe Victor's sold out of them now and they're generally only available custom made through me at this time. He had great success but his pricing spoiled people somewhat in that you couldn't even buy the raw foam for the prices he was selling completed Foamariums for!

It's VERY IMPORTANT to know that the Foamariums are made from Aquarium Grade Filter Foam as many types of commercially available foam are made with toxic materials to inhibit fire and mold in most upholstry cushion and packaging foams.

Chris at Reptile Haven in Oceanside,Ca. has also been selling and using the custom Foamariums I make for him for several years now with great enthusiasm and success. Foamarium won the IRBA Vivarium Contest in San Diego in the year 2000 and was featured on the cover of "Vivarium Magazine". I've made hundreds of custom Foamariums for zoos, hobbyists and schools around the world and I believe I've pretty much perfected the design and function to assure a healthy, comfortable and beautiful home for your pets to live in and you and your family to enjoy.

They aren't as expensive as some think if you compare them to any other product available and they offer features not available any other way. The cost for a 10 gallon Foamarium that can be set up for geckos,colubrids,tarantulas and other critters is about $30 and if you contact me I can provide a link to pics of various set-ups. Foamarium is made of an open celled flexible foam material, the same stuff that the very common and useful aquarium sponge filters are made from. It's essentially a giant sponge filter and functions exactly the same when used with water in aquatic or semi aquatic environments. Sponge or foam filters have been a staple of the aquarium hobby for many years. Their simple and easy set up and maintenance and their excellent function as a biological filter is well know to provide the best conditions for keeping healthy fresh and saltwater fish. In the reptile and amphibian world Foamarium is unmatched for keeping any aquatic creatures such as frogs, water turtles, salmanders, newts and the like in the same way it works in an aquarium.

I know most reptile folks have been educated to hate bacteria and spend alot of their time and money on keeping their animal's homes as sterile and bacteria free as they can. The aquarium industry learned long ago that in order to maintain a balanced healthy environment for their pets they need to provide friendly place for beneficial bacteria to live and do their work. These very necessary and useful bacteria process the toxic wastes produced by the fish and convert them to harmless by-products readily removed during regular simple water changes. While this can be accomplished in a variety if ways it's safe to say that without this natural biological activity it's almost impossible to keep fish of any kind in a well balanced healthy environment. It takes several weeks for the beneficial bacteria to establish themselves but this process can be speeded up by the use of the new "bacterial seeding" products that are now being brought to the aquarium industry by several large aquarium product companies.

If you want to set up a dart frog habitat or any other aquatic or semiaquatic habitat you can't find a simpler or better way then to use a Foamarium. when used in a dry environment with small ground dwelling reptiles and invertebrates Foamarium doesn't function as a biological filter but it does provide a versatile matrix to build your pet a nice looking, functional and healthy home. Because Foamarium is made of a soft flexible material I can shape and color it to mimic almost any type of habitat. Foamarium's light weight and one piece open celled flexible foam construction means that I can make caves in cross section that allow you to see your pets actually living happily in their "burrows" from outside the cage, yet you have easy and simple access without having to tear down the cage to get at them if needed. it also allows better control of humidity levels "underground" very much as a animal's burrow is in nature.

Foamarium is meant to be used as the base for your pets environment and particularly when used "dry" should include the use of regular substrate materials such as gravel, rocks, sand, leaves, wood, bark chips etc. These materials not only make the habitat look more natural, they make cleaning the Foamarium simple and easy. Because Foamarium is constructed of an open cell material it allows excellent ventilation and air circulation in much the same way as it allows optimal water circulation when used in water. This discourages any dead air areas and allows any waste products to dry out quickly and be readily removed. The coating on the surface of the Foamarium combined with the use of the above mentioned substrate materials also means that the waste can be easily removed leaving little to no residue. Any residue that does remain can then be removed by using a damp sponge to wipe the surface clean. Although it shouldn't be necessary very often, Foamarium can be taken out of the cage and washed or bleached readily without harming it.

Foamarium was never designed for large reptiles such as adult bearded dragons, boas or monitor lizards living in relatively small cages. It IS one of the best ways to keep geckos, small snakes, lizards, tortoises, tarantulas and the young of many other species in an enriched, healthy and easy to maintain home. Crickets will indeed "eat" the dry Foamarium in certain areas if there's nothing else for them to eat (they don't seem to eat it if it contains any moisture though). This is more an indication that your husbandry needs to be adjusted then a fault of the Foamarium since the crickets will also eat most anything else available and bother your pets if allowed to remain in the cages unfed and in large numbers. The Foamarium is nontoxic so it doesn't cause any apparent harm to the crickets but it isn't meant to be a substitute "gutload" and doesn't provide any nutritional value! Superworms will also burrow into the Foamarium and pupate if allowed to go unchecked.

Foamarium is unaffected by most commonly used cleaners and can be handled much like any sponge when it comes to cleaning. soaps, bleach, etc. can be used as needed as long as they're rinsed completely before being returned to the cage. It's also unaffected by most UV lighting although prolonged exposure to unfiltered sunlight will degrade it over a long period of time. I have and know of many Foamariums that have been in continual use for over 5 years with little evidence of wear and tear, but it depends greatly on how it's handled. Although the easily worked nature of Foamarium has led some people to modify theirs to fit enclosures they weren't specifically made for Foamariums function best when used as i designed them for. the versatility is endless so I can make habitats that include waterfalls, streams, caves, cliffs, nesting chambers and other features that enable you to enjoy a more natural appearing functional home for your pets. They're meant to fit the enclosure snuggly and inhibit the animals (and crickets) from gaining access to areas they weren't designed for.

I'll finish this by noting that in addition to all the features mentioned above, the decorations, plants (live or plastic) driftwood etc.. Can be firmly attached to the Foamarium to prevent constant disruption by the animals or fish and since there's no heavy rocks to move or fall on them is much safer too. all the commonly used equipment can be secured and hidden in the Foamarium protecting them from disturbence and shielding your pets from them. Foamarium can also be plumbed with air or water hoses for water or air bubble effects. And some of the new low wattage lighting can be used while keeping the wires and fixtures secured and hidden too! Hopefully this gives you a bit of an idea about the many and various ways a Foamarium can be used to provide you and your pets a healthy, beautiful habitat to enjoy. Please let me know any other questions you might have and I'll try and give you as honest an appraisal as i can for any uses you might want to consider.

Thanks,
Tom McDonnell
foamarium@hotmail.com

 

[Pixie]

Before there are any misunderstandings! I am not the creator of the foamariums. I couldn't fit any more into my above post so had to post another here.

This post was made earlier this year. It is the most information I have ever gotten on the foamariums and think it's pretty thorough!

Pixie

 

[Ultimate Instar]

Minax,

How are you putting in ventilation holes in the "stain shield" containers? I used a drill to put in about 50-100 holes per container, and it was a real hassle. I'm still not completely satisfied with the ventilation. I didn't try melting holes because the containers have such thick walls.

Karen N.

 

[hillie16]

WOW thanks for all the info everyone!

 

[arachnopunks]

We have used polyurethane foam before. It comes in cans and you can spray as little or as much as you want. It costs about $6 a can. All you have to do is spray a bit into a pile on a piece of plastic and allow it to expand and cure completely. Once cured you can cut the foam to fit whatever size enclosure you have. You can create neat areas in the foam with multiple opening. It is completely safe once it is dried. You can buy regular and triple expanding foam. We have made sling retreats this way. One can hold about 2 cubic feet of foam, plenty for alot of enclosures.