DIY hide and decor question

[Marty]

Hey guys, got another question, looking into making naturalistic props and was wondering what materials you recommend for a DIY hide/decor? I noticed Styrofoam is a no go since it releases toxins, but is there a replacement material for that? I was also looking into PVC pipes to sculpt logs.

[MaddyKay99]

I like using big pieces of cork bark/ cork rounds and pieces of manzinita wood or other reptile safe wook and arranging them o create caves/hides. If the cave openings are too big I will use fake and/or real plants and vines to cover them a little bit to give my boy good cover

[rixusaku]

You can use styrofoam so long as you seal it. A popular way to do backgrounds in expanding foam, sculpting that, covering it in reptile/aquatic safe silicon, and then while the silicone is still wet you cover it in peat and coconut fiber.

I know a lot of people also use styrofoam to make for their reptiles hides and fountains and they cover it in non-shrinked and non-cracking concrete or mortar, paint it, then seal the paint with clear reptile/aquatic safe silicon or an animal safe pond sealant like Pond Shield (sold online through Home Depot, they don't carry it in their stores).

Edit: Here's some tips someone gave me for making a background:
I grabbed regular styrofoam from the hardware store. They had a giant pack of 5 slabs for pretty cheap. Then came measuring the inside of the tank, taking into account the lip on the lid which would prevent me from actually getting the build into the tank. I almost went with the dimensions on ExoTerra's website and I'm so glad I didn't because the actual size of the inside is smaller.
I created the whole thing in two peices to easily fit in the tank, and had measured and designed rocks that will fit together in the middle to bring it together and cover any gap between the two sides.
Then came actually sculpting the rocks out of foam. I used a hot wire foam cutter to make clean cuts, and tried to make organic shapes that looked like rock. I glued everything on with hot glue, sometimes using toothpicks as well to give the bigger parts extra grip.
Once the sculpting was done, I covered everything in a non-sanded concrete grout that doesn't shrink. I used Quikrete Precision Grout (Non-Shrink.) To prevent cracking, I watered it down quite a bit and did multiple layers until the foam felt like rock.
Next came the paint! Mixing mod podge (a non-toxic sealant) and black paint for the base coat gave me a nice surface to paint on. Then came the actual painting, and then sealed again with mod podge which dries clear.
Add some fake/real plants and moss, and voila!

[Marty]

Thank you for the replies, great information and I will showcase my results when the times comes