Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Making a uromastyx cage. They require very low humidity and very high heat - 100 ambient, 120 basking.

The cage is about 72 x 18 x 18", made of wood/sliding acrylic. I made a fake rock wall on the back and sides using styrofoam and I covered it with grout. Two layers so far, and will be adding at least one more (more if necessary) The bottom of the cage is vinyl tile, which I use in my current tank and deemed good enough to use again.

Is it necessary to use polyurethane to seal the grout? (I looked into grout sealer too, but I'm confused about its use and not sure what the difference would be between that vs polyurethane... except a big price difference. Its a very big area to cover!)

I'm just wondering if its worth the risk/trouble of fumes. I don't expect my uro to make any part of the rock wall a regular bathroom area, but I guess accidents can happen! Maybe just seal the surfaces she could actually walk (and poo) on, and leave the vertical walls alone?

Any suggestions? I really don't have very long to leave the tank for offgassing time. I lost quite a bit of tank-construction time thanks to emergency surgery

Thanks!
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~ Vamppire
Queens, New York City

Grout can sort of erode away over time and create a fine dust that may not be good for the Uro. One of the jobs of grout sealer is to hold grout together and prevent this. I think it's a good idea and a better shoice than polyurethane in this application.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Thanks for the suggestion! Does grout sealer let off fumes? Should I cover the entire surface? How many coats? :O Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I do it right!

If I remember correctly, the grout sealer I saw in home depot was in a little bottle (for like $7 :O) and felt like a thin liquid. How is it applied to a huge surface? Dump it in a bucket and paint it on? Wipe it on with a cloth? Spray it on? (I see pictures of some sealants that come in spray bottles)

Thanks!
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~ Vamppire
Queens, New York City

All grout sealers have at least a small amount of solvent. Since they are often designed to be used on countertops they should be safe.

You might go to a paint or tile specialty store and get a higher quality grout sealer. A guy I know builds high-end bathrooms, you know, the $40,000 types, and he says you really get what you pay for with grout sealers.

In fact maybe even get a sealer designed for real travertine stone showers.

Regarding how to apply it and how many coats, I'm not really sure. This is an unorthodox application we use here so it may very well vary from product to product.

Years ago I ordered a special sealer from Canada at the recommendation of the Toronto Zoo. For my rockwork I just dabbed it on with a brush and did two coats.

Wish I remembered the product. It was VERY nice. But I had to order gallons of it and paid a steep price.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

For what it's worth, i too am mostly finished my new big 'ol Uromastyx cage. I went 5' x 3' x 2.5'. I also used grout for a background but instead went with an abstract textured kind of rock by hand look with it rather than creating styrofoam rockwork. So far it looks great imo, i'm happy with it and was a bit pressed for time so i didn't attempt the rocks this time.

Anyways, i took the suggestion from Paul Kemes below and sealed the grout with several layers of a half white glue-half water mixture that i sprayed on. So far it seems very solid and from the testimonials should be fine with Uro temps and humidity. I'm also going with diggable soil substrate so i'll have more humidity below than anything but i don't anticipate any problems based on others' experiences with high humidity useage of this type of sealer.