Fake rock background HELP

I've done quite a bit of reading on creating a fake rock background for my cage. It seems using foam, then covering it with a a mortar or something from herpinvert.com, and painting it with non toxic paint is the way to go. My question is, I have a large red (green) iguana. Can the foam background stand up to his nails? Currently he is in a glass and wood 8 ft long, 6 ft tall cage. I have shelves and climbing branches for him, but it just looks so plain. I would love to do the fake wall thing, but worry about his nails breaking it, or it not being able to support his weight. Any ideas?

Jenn Cornelius

wooden+ mesh wire+ cement.

very heavy but most durable.

Originally Posted by earthdragon23

My question is, I have a large red (green) iguana. Can the foam background stand up to his nails? I would love to do the fake wall thing, but worry about his nails breaking it, or it not being able to support his weight. Any ideas?

We had the same discussion on another forum and I was bored and my kid was asleep so I set up a test to see how strong foam is. This is a 2" thick and 24" long piece of extruded polystyrene insulation board. It is not one of the high density extruded polystyrenes, it is just the basic low density stuff available at any home improvement center. The pink insulation board is the same stuff.

Please excuse the mess in the background. We are remodeling our main level.

In this picture I had 76 pounds on the foam and it sat there for over an hour. It never broke. I think the foam sagged about 3/4" but that's it. I later put on another nine pounds and it still did not break. So a 2" thick by 24" long piece of low density polystyrene foam held 85 pounds without breaking.



The upshot is that these foams will hold your Iguana. Make sure to use either the Blue or Pink extruded polystyrene foams. Do not use the beaded white styrofoam and you'll be fine. If you can use the existing shelves in the cage that's even better.

If the foam is properly sealed the Iguana's nails won't be a problem. And even that it's repairable. Several choices for sealing the foam and the worst case scenario is that they are topcoated with epoxy or polyester. I don't think that will be necessary but you can make it work.