Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi leo friends, i've decided to reintroduce meal worms into my young leopard's diet. He's only a few months old and would never eat them before. I'd like to make something out of clay to put the meal worms in. Is this ok for reptiles? I was planning on baking the clay and such to harden it, but i wondered if there are potentially toxic ingredients in normal kids clay (colored or otherwise). Any thoughts?

If you have access to a kiln, you can glaze your pot with a food safe glaze. Be sure it says "food safe" or "food grade" because some glazes contain lead. There is probly a pottery studio somewhere in your town where you can get things fired. Some clays do have bad chemicals, and others will be textured enough for the worms to climb out (like earthware or stoneware). Stay away from sculpey and fimo (oven-baked clays)...while studies show they don't leak polymer after baking, they aren't approved for food usage, and I wouldn't take the risk with your geckos.

If you have more questions about art materials, let me know...I'm overflowing with info. I do fine art paintings, but have worked in almost every medium out there at some point in time.

so no oven-baked clays are safe? I'm sick of those $ 3.99 fake looking dishes. I have the big exo-terra dishes for my 20L, but I was looking to improve the appearance of my 10 gallon and also to provide meal worms as mentioned in my last post. I'd rather make my own, but wouldn't jeoparidize my leo's health for my benefit. Thanks for your input.