Wood coatings (varnish etc)

Hello all.

I've helped build several melamine racks and cages for a friend of mine. He is currently housing and caring for my small but steadily growing boa collection in exchange for my labor and ability to fake wood working skills. I am getting ready to build a cage/rack for my home, and melamine just isn't going to cut it in the looks department.

I'm hoping to end up with a furniture style look when I'm done. Since the interior of the display cage needs to be water proof, my question is what kind of finishes are animal safe? I would hate to trap a snake inside a cage that slowly poisoned it or caused other health problems.

Also, what is the best way to get belly heat into a cage with a wooden floor?

Polyurethane is a good finish for wood. I have seen some good looking melamine cages, though.
There are other options: you can save up and get very attractive commercial plastic cages- eg Vision; or you could consider doing what I did and making all acrylic cages.
I can't locate the photo at the moment, but there is someone on the leopard gecko forum that got a wall system of beautiful cabinets (which you could make) and put her cages on that, the result is gorgeous.

Any pics of your cages? All acrylic would be interesting if I could figure out how.

Nathan-

Although I've not tried it personally, I suggested to a friend of ours that he use fiberglass resin to make a good strong finish to the interior of his self-made enclosures. Fiberglass is strong, is water-resistant and you can lick it after it's cured with no adverse effects.

I mean ive' juss coem fruuuuum is huose now end woroorked un hiz necluesures foureee a few huuuuuuouurs aaanndnddt it wsas just fin

okok..just kidding.

But after a year the inside of his enclosures are still all doing well with no smell or anything. I'm not recommending it, just telling you about an option that seems to have worked well.

If you want something that's a little different but a little more pricey, I can suggest that you try plexiglass if you have enclosures small enough where you won't be doubling the price of them just by adding the plexi. Just caulk the bottom and lay down plexi there. Then do the sides (up to...what, about 3" - 4") and drop a bead of caulking down in the joints and you should have a very water-resistant surface.

As to what we've used personally - polyurethane is used on the wooden enclosures and seems to have done well. We've also used simple plastic sheeting to cover the bottom and 3" up the sides on two large enclosures that we are 99% sure won't have any major water spillage.

Nathan, look at the thread 'more earned wisdom' on this forum, there is a link to the cage pics there.