Boamaster cages and my BRB

I have 2 - 48x24x19 cages on the way from Mark at boamaster.com.

I know there is mention about moisture on the bottom that can damage/ruin the cage. With my brb I am going to need to keep it someone moist, I use cypress mulch, so what can I do to prevent it from rotting out the floor?

I was thinking cutting a piece of plexiglass or some type of thin wood to place down and seal, but wouldn't that in the long run get ruined? I guess I could keep replacing that instead of the entire cage!

Anyway, thanks in advance.

Not sure which material this is made from but on some of my home-made wood cages, I laid down some water-proof paint to kind of seal it and keep from retaining any moisture.

Originally Posted by popey21

I know there is mention about moisture on the bottom that can damage/ruin the cage.

I was thinking cutting a piece of plexiglass or some type of thin wood to place down and seal, but wouldn't that in the long run get ruined? I guess I could keep replacing that instead of the entire cage!

Where is this mentioned? By Boamaster or other keepers?

I have never seen or used a Boamaster cage but I understand he used a much higher quality melamine than what you and I can buy at Home Depot or Lowes. Much of the poor reputation of melamine comes for all of us DIY types who built cages from the lower quality and less expensive melamine at these stores.

One thing a lot of people have used is self-adhesive shelf liner, like Contact Paper. Cheap and easy to replace. I would also put this on the first few inches of the cage walls if you try this. And also make sure you don't apply silicone to the edges until the shelf liner is down. If you ever have to replace it remove everything, including the silicone and start over with a bare cage.

I have heard of MDF cages sealed with Contact Paper that have held moist substrate for about ten years. And MDF is much more susceptible to moisture than melamine.

One step up from shelf liner is self adhesive vinyl film used in the sign industry. You might be able to find a sign or graphics company in your area that will sell you some. It is glossier and a bit harder to work with in some ways that shelf liner. If you use this I would practice the wet application method with a small squeegee.

With either product make sure to rub the melamine with rubbing alcohol and keep your hands off of it as the oils prevent the glue from bonding.

There are paint on choices but do understand that very few paints and epoxies stick to melamine.

And for a plastic floor, I would choose something like Sintra or another expanded PVC product over acrylic. Acrylic mars easily and can become very hard to clean over time. Higher quality acrylic would be okay but there are cheaper and better choices.

Thanks for the reply. I saw the user post that in an earlier forum here. Not sure where off the top of my head, but it was the first time I saw it.

I went back to visit boamasters page and see that the melamine he uses is "waterproof" so this tells me I don't need to worry about the moisture on the floor. Either way, I am going to monitor it regularly to see if there is any damage along it's life span. If I see anything I will use vinyl or something to protect it.

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by popey21

I went back to visit boamasters page and see that the melamine he uses is "waterproof" so this tells me I don't need to worry about the moisture on the floor. Either way, I am going to monitor it regularly to see if there is any damage along it's life span. If I see anything I will use vinyl or something to protect it.

If it were me I'd still line it with something. Probably vinyl film or contact paper and then if any moisture penetrated that I would etch the melamine surface and apply epoxy.

On the other hand, a recently met a snake keeper from another state whom I have exchanged emails with for over a decade. He has some custom melamine cages that are well over ten years old that are still in useable shape and he has housed nothing other than species with high humidity requirements and even uses a misting system on them. They have never been sealed except for silicone on the joints.

Don't get me wrong, the cages are far from perfect but even now the silicone could be scraped out and the cages sealed with something to make them as good as new. And these cages have seen as much or more neglect as your BRB will put on them.

I am in no way a fan of melamine but its poor reputation is almost entirely due to people's experience with the less expensive variety.