are command hooks safe for reptile cages? if not what else can I use because suction cups don't stick to my viv :(
I have never used these, either in my reptile enclosures or out of them! So I don’t feel confident in answering this question. I’m going to throw this out to reptiblr, and my followers, to see if they have any insight.
I have seen people using them, especially in PVC, ABS, and wooden vivs. Although tape isn’t safe in vivs, I don’t know how sturdy these are. If there’s a chance they could come down and get stuck to your reptile it would be dangerous. I don’t know if this is a risk, so maybe some other people know.
As for alternatives, this will all depend on what your viv is made of, what you’re hanging, and what animal you’re housing.I’m able to use magnets (such as Magnaturals or Pangea brand ledges) or zip-ties, for the most part.
The magnetic ledges and vines are advertised as being able to hold through material 1/4" thick. Careful of your fingers when mounting them... they’re very strong! They won’t work in wooden vivariums, the material is just too thick. Magnaturals has a line of “extra strong” magnetic ledges that will hold animals up to two pounds. (I’m not sure if the extra strong line works through thicker materials than the regular line or not.) The regular line will hold weight up to a pound.
You can also buy aquarium-safe magnets for use in vivariums to hold things that don’t come with magnets. Whether they are strong enough will depend on what animal you’re housing. I know people who have used these with their own home-made foam ledges, and they could hold things like hammocks and the like.
For zip-ties in my tubs, I simply use the holes I’ve melted for ventilation to thread zip-ties through. I use the zip-ties to secure hammocks, fake plants, and the like. I got tired of having to re-stick suction cups every day, as they don’t stick very well to the tubs I have.
I know someone who drilled holes in their PVC Animal Plastics enclosure to mount things using hardware, similar to how a bird perch is mounted on a cage. This would work for a wooden enclosure as well! I drilled a hole in mine to thread the probes for my thermostat and thermometers through, and it was quite easy to do. You just don’t have a lot of options for moving stuff around if you go that route.
In some enclosures you could also permanently mount things using animal safe adhesives, but again, you would have to commit to placement. This would be similar to how people make permanent backgrounds from foam and silicone or grout.
The adhesive and method used would depend on the materials you’re joining, as well as the weight it will need to support. Different adhesives have different strengths and bond to different surfaces better than others.
Some common adhesives used in reptile and amphibian enclosures include hot glue, silicone, epoxy resin, and expanding foam.
Keep in mind not every brand of these products will be safe! Silicone and expanding foam, for example, must be free of mildew- and mold-fighting additives.
Aquarium silicone is a good, easy choice, but there are less specialized brands labeled “100% silicone” that are safe.
I’ve used several brands, including Marineland, ASI Aquarium Sealant, and GE Silicone 1 Window and Door. There are others out there, check aquarium and reptile communities for further suggestions.
My favorite expanding foam brand is Great Stuff; I use Great Stuff Gaps and Cracks. Great Stuff Pond and Stone is also popular. Expanding foam is generally used to make backgrounds; it won’t simply join two pieces together as it needs quite a bit of volume before it holds things securely, but it works really well to hold protruding ledges and branches and the like to a background. I generally put down silicone, then Great Stuff, then a layer of silicone over that, but it’s going to depend on the surface whether you need that silicone first. Here’s some info on how to do such a background; it’s a real project though, not something you’d want to do if you were just gluing a single ledge to the side of an enclosure.
Safety note: Although a carefully chosen adhesive like these are safe when fully cured, they can be extremely toxic before curing! Many produce toxic fumes that are dangerous to all animals (including humans) but are even more dangerous for sensitive species like reptiles and birds. Be sure to use these products outside or in a separate building from your sensitive pets, with good ventilation (consider using a ventilator mask yourself), wear gloves, and allow them to cure completely before moving your pet into the enclosure. Some cure in 48 hours, while others can take seven days or more to be fully cured.
I hope someone can answer the Command Hook question for you!
