Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK I bought some fake plants at a craft store.After cutting the excess stem off the bottom it had sharp wires sticking out.I was wondering if I could put dabs of hot glue on the end of these plants to keep the sharp wire from poking anything that might touch it.Also please don't recommend anything else I just wanna know if it is safe to have hot glue in the enclosure with a frog.

thanks for any info

"please don't recommend anything else I just wanna know if it is safe to have hot glue in the enclosure with a frog."

What is that about????

Ok, so apparently there is some unwarranted predejuice against silicone and that is not option, and since nobody here knows if hot glue is safe for amphibians, go ahead and use it at the risk of an animal's life.

If you can afford plastic plants and hot glue, why can't you afford silicone?
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

>Ok, so apparently there is some unwarranted predejuice against silicone and that is not option, and since nobody here knows if hot glue is safe for amphibians, go ahead and use it at the risk of an animal's life.

If you can afford plastic plants and hot glue, why can't you afford silicone?
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What is that about?Is there something wrong with me not wanting to use what I don't wanna use?Don't try and start and arguement.

thanks for all the info( thats not sarcastic either )

The issue I had with your post was this...
"please don't recommend anything else"

You asked the question before and were told to be safe, use only silicone because that IS what is used professionally. You asked for advice (that's good!) but didn't like the answer?

Hot glue COULD be perfectly safe for amphibians, but I don't know this for sure. All I know is that silicone is used professionally, and there HAS to be a reason for that. Deviating from a widely accepted norm (using silicone) is a risk (in my opinion), and thus an unnecessary risk when there are other suitable materials available.

I personally have experience using inorganic materials that were actually marketed for herp use. It directly resulted in the death of 8 red spotted newts before I caught on to what could be causing it. When it comes amphibians, I don’t trust materials that are marginal in compatibility. I prefer no risks. THUS the recommendation of silicone over hot glue.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

The issue I had with your post was "whats that all about?"I asked a question wondering if hot glue was safe because no one answered it in my last question.Notice in my last question I did not say anything about the recommendations or complain.I just wanted a simple question answered.Is it that big of a deal that you need to start an arguement over it?I think its stupid we are arguing about a hot glue!I asked people on another forum and and said THE SAME EXACT THING and no one said they had a problem with my post.They simply answered my question and said hot glue is ok to use because the factories use it on the fake cactus plants other things that are in my frogs enclosure and it is fine.And I thanked them I know silicone works I was wondering if hot glue did also.Also just because you haven't been on the forum for a while doesn't mean you don't know alot about amphibians/reptiles.

Just because factories use it doesn't mean much. Especially for amphibians. With most reptiles, and especially reptiles that a fake cactus would be used as decoration, the manufacturers are probably not thinking about the product getting wet. As I sad earlier as well, it does not hold half as well, especially if it comes in contact with water.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

Notice I said these people used them in their frog enclosures which I am making the guess that they were getting wet.Their frogs are fine.I dunno I highly doubt that little tiny dots of super glue is gonna harm anything.

I never said the frogs wouldn't be fine. Hot glue does not hold up well in moist conditions. Try it if you want. I have tried before, and it never worked well. Other posters have obviously had the same results (read below posts).
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

All I wanted to know was if anyone knew if hot glue was safe ok?Just to prevent you/anyone from arguing I will say that I am going to buy silicone.Here it goes "I am going to use silicone".
"

I used it to glue silk plants to logs in both my pacman & dwarf pixie terrariums w/ no ill effects. I think you're fine with either material.
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1.0 Reverse Okeetee Corn snake Fuzzy
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
3 Hermit crabs Cletus, Jethro & Bubba
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

I have used hot glue in vivs and I don't believe there is any toxicity issue with it. I can only speak about the brand I used (Loctite), and not about all the brands I have not tried.
However, the issue is that hot glue is rubbish in wet environments. Use aquarium-safe silicone (no fungicides) and let it cure properly, then rinse it off before adding it to the viv.
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Mike.
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http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/Amphibiary

I would worry about the glue re-melting and re-sotening if it somehow came in contact with heat from a heatlamp or other type of heater. I know that silicon will not do that, unless maybe you used a blowtorch.
To be safe, I'd go with the silly-cone. But that's just me.
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"One man's pet is another man's feeder."

..
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"One man's pet is another man's feeder."

It's gonna be under the subtrate.And I doubt I will be using an undertank heater which wouldn't get hot enough to melt it anyhow.

thanks for the help everyone