Wood sealant and belly heat?

[Sadieo]

Hey! So... I’m repurposing a set of old shelves as two leopard gecko enclosure, and another for my young ball python. And before I get started on making them, I’ve been doing lots of research on safest and best sealants and found butchers block food grade sealant and pond shield seem to be the best. Little bit hesitant on using pond shield because of the price and ratings seem to be low, people saying they have trouble with it hardening too quickly. On the other hand I’m worried about the butchers block not holding up in my pythons enclosure because of the humidity levels... Would it be a problem? Are there any sealants you’d recommend? Other people say house paint but I don’t feel like that’s the safest option. The other thing is belly heat... What is the safest way to do this? Needing to keep my pets warm but not burning them or causing fires? I know both questions have been asked a lot before, but I’m trying to find the absolute best for them. Thanks!

[plikay]

Hi! I own an AFT (which are quite similar to leopard geckos when it comes to care). I think that looking for sealant that is meant for aquariums and fish tanks will be your best bet, since they will definitely be resistant to humidity. There might be some different brands in your local pet store.


I give belly heat to my AFT with just a general heat mat (from a brand like Zoo Med or Exo-Terra and put it underneath the enclosure where the hot hide will go. I think it's very important to attach them to thermostats (which you can also get from Zoo Med or Exo-Terra) so that you can control how much heat it's giving off. I'm not exactly sure what your shelves are like, but you may have to adjust them in order to make room for the thermostats.


Sending good luck to you and your reptiles!