melamine cage?

[alex_33]

hello all, I am going to be building a large enclosure for my bearded dragon and need to know some of the basic things.

is melamine or plywood a better material to use?
do i need to seal the corners and edges inside the enclosure?
if so, what do i seal with?
Would an enclosure with a hinged wooden top with a screen for ventalation and framed glass doors be better then sliding glass door enclosure with a vented top? (sorry if i lost anyone lol)

any other advice would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks

alex

[Edwin]

Hi Alex,

1) Melamine or plywood is dependent on your preference. Melamine does not need sealing, except around the edges, but it is much heavier than plywood and can expand and crack if moisture seeps into it. For plywood, do not use outdoor treated plywood, as they have been treated with chemicals that will offgass and harm your herp. Use furniture grade wood if possible, and avoid aromatic woods like cedar. When using wood, you will need to seal it to make it water resistant. Most people I know use Minwax or Varathane Colours in Plastic. You will need to completely air the cage out for a few weeks before it is safe for your herps.

2) Most people seal the corners and edges with clear silicone, which is readily available at any home depot, or per store (much more expensive). Just make sure that it is 100% silicone.

3) That would depend on convenience and your personal preference. Framed doors that swing out means that you will need space in front of the cage in order to open and close properly. I like sliding glass because it does not have this problem. The key to good ventilation is adequate airflow, not too much that it removes too much heat and humidity from the tank, and not too little where the air stagnates. I like to place air vents at the sides of the cage; 1 high up vent at the hot part of the cage, and a lower vent at the cool part. For vents, I would just buy vent covers from Home Depot, but you could also use hardware cloth. Another option that is quite common is to use pegboard at the top back half of your cage.

Also, dont forget to add a substrate dam. Hope this helps.

[Edwin]

You should also check out the enclosure showcase creations section of the forums to see what other people have done.. there are a lot of creative ideas in there.

[alex_33]

Wow, thanks for all the info. That really helps me out becuase i was clue-less on most of this stuff, especially the sealing. thanks agian

[Edwin]

Glad to be of help!