Staining the wood only offers a small degree of protection, even if you use an oil based stain. Any clear coat you might use over the stain is where the true water resistance comes into play.



I'm becoming more and more sold on contact paper, especially after reading a recent post where someone writes about using it in both a Water Dragon and Tegu enclosures. The post was about glass if you have not already seen it and can't find it.



So I'll vote contact paper. Make sure to apply it before the cage is assembled. And go ahead and apply it so that it extends into the joints. This is not so much for the extra protection as it allows you to take the cage apart and reapply it. If you had wood in contact with wood and used glue you'd have a hard time getting the cage apart.
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Current snakes:



0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)



3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)



2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)



3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

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