Hamster Safe Paint?

[Rodent Fan]

I'm a crafty sort and always like to make things for my pets. I often make things out of popsicle sticks for my little critters, and sometimes make fleece hammocks, or things out of cardboard.

The other day I came across some plain wooden houses for hamsters/mice/etc and I thought it would be a neat idea to get something like that and then paint them a nice colour or pattern, and maybe even paint my pets' names on them. But I'm not sure what a pet safe paint would be. Any ideas?

I was thinking of possibly using watered down food colourings for the base colour, but for any detail, writing etc I guess I'd need something thicker. Would a child-safe, non-toxic acrylic paint be any good? I could then use a coat or two of clear plastikote to protect it.

Let me know what you guys think, or if you know of any safe paints I could use for a project like this. Cheers!

[AmityvilleHams]

Soy based paint would be the safest storebought option,as even with plastikote it would eventually get chewed off over time.

You could also use fruits to make dyes as well,and you could probably even attempt adding color to plain white soy paint if there isn't a color you want that way but I'm not entirely sure how well that would turn out.

In terms of details,soy paint would be best with a good detail brush or some sort of smaller brush.

[Fluffagrams]

Originally Posted by Rodent Fan

I'm a crafty sort and always like to make things for my pets. I often make things out of popsicle sticks for my little critters, and sometimes make fleece hammocks, or things out of cardboard.

The other day I came across some plain wooden houses for hamsters/mice/etc and I thought it would be a neat idea to get something like that and then paint them a nice colour or pattern, and maybe even paint my pets' names on them. But I'm not sure what a pet safe paint would be. Any ideas?

I was thinking of possibly using watered down food colourings for the base colour, but for any detail, writing etc I guess I'd need something thicker. Would a child-safe, non-toxic acrylic paint be any good? I could then use a coat or two of clear plastikote to protect it.

Let me know what you guys think, or if you know of any safe paints I could use for a project like this. Cheers!

I've seen Cuprinol's Garden Shades recommended for use on items for pets however I've not tried it myself. I think I've seen it in Wilkinsons for a fairly good price.

I don't know if you've seen Plastikote's range of coloured paints? They come in a range of colours but you might need several coats to get a vibrant colour.

There's also Rustoleum's Painters Touch which I remember reading about once however I've not seen it recommended as frequently as the other two so the Garden Shades or Plastikote may be a better option. If you did go for the Painters Touch it's best to check the tin to make sure that it's water based and is certified as being toy safe before you buy.

[Pebbles82]

I was going to say use Plastikote coloured paints as well. That's the only one I know about and I tend to stick to it because I know it's ok. That way you get colour and it's waterproof

There's a whole range of colours on here - it's the small pots of water based enamel you want.

Search results for: 'Plasti-kote water Based' - Fred Aldous

[Rodent Fan]

Ooh thanks guys. I didn't even realise plastikote did all those colours. I've only seen black, white and clear before.

I had looked for soy paints but it doesn't look like anywhere sells it in the uk. There were a couple of ebay but only in two shades of yellow, so not great for what I was thinking, which is a shame.

[AlfredHam]

The coloured plastikote is actually really pigmented I did two coats but mainly for extra water proofing, I only did one coat on the outside and the roof of his house and it's pretty solid

[Rodent Fan]

Very nice! Did you paint the inside for waterproofing too? I should have done that, Archie's taken to peeing in his house :P

[AlfredHam]

I did yeah, two coats inside one coat outside. I watered it down a little bit for the back because I was starting to run out of paint lol

[freyashamsters]

Nice reference there AlfredHam

Plastikote water based enamel paint or Cuprinol garden shades are the two most popular, ham-safe brands so those two are your best bets