pine for enclosures?

[XxRachxX]

i know pine is not good for substate but can you build you enclosures out of it? ive seen people who've done it.......im just a bit confused!

[V.hb]

if you build with pine just make sure to coat it with some sort of water proofing paint.

I use Latex based paint, everything comes out like plastic, completely waterproofed with no fumes. Just give it a good amount of time to dry.

[Alicewave]

I'd hate to go through all the effort of building with pine and then have a reaction from your herp. Not saying don't use it but I'd go with something safer like birch.

[eyespy]

V.hb, most latex paints give off volatile organic compounds for many years and heat makes the outgassing worse. Reptiles, with their smaller lungs and slower metabolisms, are more strongly affected by such airborne contaminants than people are. Water-based polyurethane sealant is a safer choice.

http://popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/smart_consumer/1997/5/cleaning_the_air/index2.phtml

[unBOAlievable]

I have built cages out of pine, oak, birch, walnut, cherry, maple and particle board. But one thing all of my cages have in common is that the insides of the cages are plastic laminate covered before I put them together.

All woods have toxins and not to mention formaldahydes and any wood sealers be it paint or urethanes need a long time to cure to allow the smells to dissipate. Not to mention bacteria will heavily grow because the sealed wood will still be porous unless you apply very many heavy coats and allow them to thoroughly dry between coats.