water tight wood

[cash]

I am currently in the process of designing a new cage to build for my Red Blood pythons can anyone suggest a product to finish the interior with to aid in keeping the cage water tight as well as prevent dryrot of the wood and still not cause any harm to the snake. (fumes, toxic, off gasses) and still be affordable. epoxy is not an option. Thanks.

Cash

[Shane Tesser]

Melamine coated wood...with aquarium safe silicone to seal the edges.

[Boid_22]

Melemine actually isn't resistant to water or any liquids for that matter,
I use Minwax Polycrylic. It's $15 for a gallon and it dries faster and harder then any other products i have come across. I build custom enclosures and use the polycrylic faithfully without any ill affects on herps. Just e sure to let it dry totally for atleast 48hrs before placing your herp in the enclosure.

Ed

[jakejeff]

agree with Boid the polycrylic from minwax is great stuff it dries fast and it is a water based clear so no problems with herps

[BILLP]

Minwax polycrylic is a great product. I have several enclosures I use it on. It dries fast and leaves a nice finish it will take several coats of it though. I have a friend that uses a product called deft polycrylic I have never used it but I assume it is the same thing. all so like boid said let it air out for a couple of days with the lights on inside the enclousure. and for the seams I just use clear silicone to seal it up. one of my snakes knocked its water over and the cages did not leak. the water was only in there for a couple of hours so it don't know if it would eventually soak into the wood

[J_Riley]

You can also buy 3/16" masonite, the stuff they cover countertops with, in 4'x8' sheets and cut to fit the interior. But I dunno what's you'd used to glue it to the wood without it emitting toxic fumes.

I would choose several coats of the Miniwax stuff...It's probably something that would need to be reapplied once a year or every other if it gets scratched up...

[Linds]

Polyurethanes are great for certain applications in cage building, however they are not water-proof and won't hold up to the conditions you would keep a swamp snake in. Melamine (as forementioned by Ed) is not waterproof either. However it is probably more resistant to moisture than a polyurethane. Either way these cages will not stand long-term. I've been on a mission for quite some time now looking for a way to make cages waterproof, and epoxy is your best bet, but if that is out of the question, perhaps <a href="http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10357">this thread</a> will help you ;) Another thing I was considering was trying to line the interior with HDPE cut to size, or maybe using a pond liner. Hope this helped a little :)

[Boid_22]

Hi Lindsay, I wouldn't reccomend HDPE at all. I have been embarking on trying to have some poly cages made up. One plant i checked out only sed HDPE an told me that they only gauranteed it to withstand a 75F temp, Anything over 80F for a couple hours would melt it. On goes the search.......

Cheers......Ed

[BILLP]

I wonder if you could line the inside with glass and use aquarium glue to seal the corners. Never tried it but it might work.

[Shane Tesser]

There is also several specialized varnishes..epoxys, fibre glass coats that are all used in marine saltwater applications....yes..they do off gas..but it is totally gone within a couple of day...i built a half land half water terrium about ten years ago using this method. I keep extremely sensitive fish in the bottom of this tank and had zero casualties for years. If i recall correctly i believe that i let it stand for about two-three weeks before filling it with water. I know that alot of herps are sensitive..but trust me..aquatic species of animals are even more so when it comes to the water they live in. Im going to try and find out what kind i used..and i will post it here...ill have to find the old can if i can.

[BWSmith]

Marine Sealant, Baby! It is the waterproofing you use on boats. A few coats of that and about a week to dry and you could remove the wood and still have a cage! :eek: The time it takes to cure completely is the only downfall. Other than that, it is about bulletproof :D

[Gregg M]

You can also us FRP board....... Cut it to fit, glue it in, and use silicon to seal up the corners.......

[North]

I have always coated the bottoms and sides of my tanks with fiberglass resin, it is completely waterproof, it needs some time to degass but once the smell is gone and you give it a good scrub it seems to be fine. I have never had any problems with sensitive herps and have built a marine aquarium with wooden sides and a glass front with this method without any problems. you can add color to it and it is completely paintable and it isnt bothered by moderate heat sources. nothing we use is completely without chemical drawbacks but I have found this to be the best approach to date and it doesnt break down and need re-application.