Looking to build my own cage in a few months and i've been drawing up designs and every thing, so far the measurements will be 5'x2'x2' and will be front opening with a vent on each side (does it need one in the back?) i'm making it out of red cherry and hand building it in my high-school class for a project. Only concerns I have is will stain and the laquor be toxic to the snake?
Last of all I need to heat/light the cage, it's a pacific gopher snake that usually needs 80-90 on the hot spot, 70-75 on the cold end and i'm not sure how to accomplish this, i've never built cages before but i'm pretty good in wood-working and drafting.
Here's a picture of a quick design i've done to get a feel for what I want.
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