What to use

[Nicky]

I'm currently planing out a cage for my soon to be boa. The cage measures 5' by 2' by 2' with a 3 foot long shelf 1 foot of the ground for basking and as a hide box. ( 2 additonal upside down littler boxes with holes will be used too) Also it will have a sliding glass front and mesh top. My question is what should i use to coat the wood to prevent Chad( the boa) from getting any splinters? MY step dad suggested we just put a thin layer of fiber glass on all wood areas? Would this work or is there something we can simply paint on that will do the job? Also would i have to worry about it gettting to warm for the wood and catching fire? The basking spot will be around 90 and the rest ranging from 82- 88.
Anyways thx alot
Kayla

[Linds]

Well, the enclosure should be properly sanded down so that splinters wouldn't be a problem. If it is a bit rough, that's fine (not as easy to clean however). The purpose of sealing an enclosure is to protect the wood from moisture, etc. and to aid in cleaning. I use epoxy to seal all my enclosures. It provides a waterproof seal (urethanes can also be used, but they just provide a degree of resistance to moisture and need to be refinished from time to time, depending on use), and is 100% safe when cured. It is used on food surfaces, pharmaceutical facilities, pools, etc. The kind I use is Epoxal 3:1 available from Niagara Protective Coatings. Your dad will likely be familiar with epoxy, as you would be using something similar to adhere the fiberglass. Polyester resin is used to do this, but it is not necessarily the best choice for reptile enclosrues. It isn't 100% safe, is fussy to work with, and isn't as resistant to water. It is also much more hazardous to work with.

[Nicky]

thx alot ended up going with malinmine(excuse my spelling) in the end should be done for the expo and then i'm getting my boa i'll post some pics when everythings done
Kayla