Pine Cage

kovub · 05-08-05, 10:24 PM

Hey guys, i have a cage that is made out of pine and i was wondering if this can be deadly or hazardous to any snake i put in it? I have kept my monitor in it for some time now, but i heard that pine, fir, and ceder can be deadly?

Thanks in advance

striko_69 · 05-09-05, 12:47 AM

I also have a viv made from pine, I was not aware at the time but the reptile speciality store said that it had been cured or somehting for some time. It did not smell so i tried it. My leos were fine in it.

Invictus · 05-09-05, 12:53 AM

Fir is hardwood, so it does not have the phenol resins that can harm a snake. Cedar is outright deadly, Pine is just risky. Pine dries out rather quickly, and once the resins dry out they are fine - this is why kiln-dried pine shavings are fine for substrate. If you have a cage made of pine, I'd recommend sealing it with something - my strongest recommendation would be indoor WATER-BASED polyeurethane.

knight45 · 05-09-05, 01:39 AM

fir is not a hardwood, it is a soft wood. any tree with needles is a soft wood.

knight45 · 05-09-05, 01:45 AM

i just read up on it. and it does not contain resin ducts. but it is a soft wood

Invictus · 05-09-05, 07:59 AM

Weird, at Home Depot they told me it was hardwood. I guess they were wrong.

peterm15 · 05-09-05, 05:25 PM

its home depo... lol..

knight45 · 05-09-05, 07:47 PM

one day the girl in the paint department told me that latex is much better then oil. from that point on i have never listened to any body at home depot.
major brands of soft wood:
pine, spruce, cedar, fir, and redwood.
there are many others but these are the main ones

Hardwood
oak, ash, maple, cherry, poplar, balsa, birch, beach, and basswood. also many others, but....

it is my opinion that any bare wood is not an acceptable material for an animal cage. even if it is a hardwood.
wood is very porous and bacteria love it. making for a very germ filled environment.
the wood should be very well sealed, regardless of the type, or if it has been cured.
i only use melamine. it is only slightly more then plywood and it is very easy to clean.
i also silicone all of the corners and the edges, making a very sterile environment

Kyle Barker · 05-12-05, 08:20 PM

hard wood does not mean it is a leafy tree. look at yew, its pretty much an arbutus with needles. hardwoods are juist that. wood that is hard. its an alright guidline but certainly not the rule.

i consider fir a soft wood too. it may be harder than many conifers but still fairly soft and easy to work.

home depot....its like getting varanid husbandry tips from pet cetera.

knight45 · 05-16-05, 09:11 PM

yeah... but yew is like 10$ per board foot, and you won't find it at home depot.
and many i shoould have said 99% of trees with needles are softwoods. it is a very good guide line.
it like saying any nut or fruit tree is hard wood. maybe not 100% right, but a good line. Personaly before i would go out and spend money on a hickory, walnut, mahogany,elm, or any other hardwood like that. i would rather buy an amazon basin ETB and put in a vision cage. Buts thats just me, and a little off topic, lol

Invictus · 05-17-05, 08:33 AM

With plywood it doesn't matter anyway, because the surface is a veneer. But, oak is the best ply to use anyway. Works well, stains well, looks good... I love the wild grain on Fir ply, but it splinters so easily, I won't be working with it again in the future.

Bartman · 05-17-05, 11:05 PM

Good ol' Melamine is the way to go...

SnakeyeZ · 05-18-05, 12:26 AM

I use pine for a few custom units. 2 coats latex paint..and 3 coats on polyurathane and all the edges sealed with aquarium sealant...works fine for me.