Cages

[Jsnake]

First off, thought you guys would like to know Pets Inc is having an aquarium style cage sale going on. No, I dont work for them, was just in there buying feeders today and saw a ton of them at pretty good prices. Not everyone is in the Tempe area, so if you guys didn't know, there is the heads up.

Secondly, I am building a cage for a growing boa and was wondering the best way to make the insides water proof. I cut all the peices and before doing the coatings and finish would see what has worked best for you guys. I was thinking about 3 coats of polyurethane and use bathroom caulking around the cracks. I want this cage to last my little girls lifetime and not have any of the wood deteriorate with the substrate and daily spraying i do for my snakes. Anyone with experience in this area I'd love to hear from. Thanks.
-J

[Confederado]

The old fashioned wood cage I presume. Even though I am just getting back into the swing of things, it would appear that plastic is the way to go. There are a lot of people making these now specifically for reptiles and they are hard to beat for cleanliness as well as being lightweight and compact. I started using plastic sweater and shoe boxes in the 70's and cleared out all my terrariums and wood cages. The only problem was that they were too small for my boa/python breeders when I went in that direction so I had to go back to wood cages for those particular animals. This is no longer a problem, however. Take a look at Redtailboa.net, etc. for more on these plastic cages.

Getting back to waterproofing your wood cages, shellacking always worked fine or me, but you will need sometime for it to air out. Occassionally, I would even have to use very fine sandpaper and washing with soap and water to speed up the airing out process. I have also used wallpaper, but do not recommend it for obvious reasons. In addition, I have seen others lay tile in the floor and lower walls of the cage which did waterproof it, but added some weight to the finished project. One more thing I remember using, to seal up cracks in cages, that I was happy with was aquarium sealant (sic?). I also considered using this as a waterproof coating for the entire floor and lower few inches of the walls, but never actually tried it.

In any event, I hoped some of the above may prove useful.

Kevin

[K9Coach]

Is there anything wrong with putting down linoleum for the floor and caulking around the edges? It cleans up easy and would be super easy.

[Jsnake]

some good ideas flowing guys, appreciate it. After 8 hours finally got an appealing cage made (will post pics once i figure this digital camera) Still kind of debating the flooring. The aquarium sealant sounds good, can I find that at pet shops around here pretty easily? I'm also liking the linoleum idea, but unsure where to get such a small peice. I take my woodworking projects seriously and would just cry if the wood deteriorated or rotted :)

Well I still plan on getting a nice stain and polyurethane coat around the front, top, and sides, so still have some time, while that sets, to figure the flooring and heating system. Anyone here made some nice cages and have pics? This was my first homemade one and just want to see some other ideas you guys came up with.
-J

[MikeB]

I bought a cheap tub/shower surround kit from Home Depot/Lowe's. Not the ones that are in the shape of the tub already, but the kit basically consists of flat white plastic panels. Costs about $25. Just attach it to the wood with panel adhesive and hit the seams with caulk. It is easily cut with a utility knife to make it fit the cage.

Mike

[MRC]

Jsnake you can buy aquarium sealant at Home Depot. I just picked some up in the paint and supply section, it was next to the liquid nails, shower caulk etc.

[Jsnake]

cage is finished, just thought I'd show my craftsmanship :0 It's the bottom one in this stack. Thanks for the help and suggestions.
-J

[HERPSKEEPER]

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Looks good!


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