Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all.. Well got both sides of my 10 footer done and time to go fill in some minor bruises.. I was wondering if there is a certain wood putty you guys would suggest I use that will in the end be safe for the animal. (Burmese python) Thanks! : )

Bondo is often used in artificial rockwork and in fish aquaria so I assume it's non-toxic once cured. It is used by woodworkers as a wood filler. And you might be able to borrow just a little bit from somebody you know who has done some body work on cars.

How much did you pay for your Russian Birch again? I just bought my first full sheet for $33 in 3/4". I'm impressed with the stuff. Previously I had only seen scraps or projects built from it. It is so much better than the birch-veneered plywood you find at Home Depot and places like that, not to mention cheaper per square foot (at least currently).
-----
Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale

I remember you saying you found 1/2" for about $29 so no need to answer that one

Another nice thing about Bondo is that you can use it to form a radius on the interior edges so the cage is easier to clean. I believe MarkG who frequents this forum did this himself with a plywood cage he built. Maybe he'll chime in.

It might take a bit of work in your case with the 2x2 interior frame but I think it can be done.
-----
Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale

That Bondo is great. There is also a 2-part wood filler (polyester) by Minwax that is very similar in the end result. I think they call it "High performance wood filler." You can polyurethane it, paint it, etc. Smells real bad while curing, but totally safe once completely dried. Epoxy putty will also work.

To the original poster - although it is a pain in the neck to do so, it is well worth making the interior corners of the cage floor rounded using Bondo or similar polyester filler. Makes cleaning way easier in a wood cage. The trick is to get the corner nice and rounded evenly. Mine didn't look so good. I used a big blob of the stuff and I'm no Leonardo Da Vinci (I shoulda practiced on some scrap wood first) but as far as function goes, the corners are impervious to water, and that is well worth it. I urge you to test it first on scrap wood to see how you like the outcome.

The adhesion to wood is pretty good. If the cage gets flexed severely at the base, I would guess that the filler could pull away from the wood just a bit. You can repair it though, so not that big of a deal. My cage is 1/2" plywood. I can poor water into the corners w/o damage. It is about 4-5 years old. Yeah, the corners have my fingerprints in them. Piling the substrate high enough was the answer to that

Another note: I saw a guy at a reptile show that had some epoxy filler used on movie sets. I asked him where he got it. "From work." He had a wood cage that the whole inside was covered in this putty and contured to look like hills and valleys. He then painted over the cured putty. I don't know what kind of paint he used, but it looked very thick and shiny, so it must have been epoxy. He poured a glass of water into the cage. The water just sat there. He left the water in there to show the potential buyers all day. The stuff conducts heat w/o cracking if the temps are kept below a certain temp (way above herp-related temps.)

Good luck.

The trick is to get the corner nice and rounded evenly. Mine didn't look so good.

Thanks for replying. I'm glad I was right about it being you

A tip for forming the bondo, or whatever polyester bodyfill you might use...

Cut a squeegee out of fairly rigid plastic. Use something like an extra lid from a rubbermaid. Cut the plastic to the same radius as you want in the corners and trowel it on that way.
-----
Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale

>>The trick is to get the corner nice and rounded evenly. Mine didn't look so good.
>>
>>Thanks for replying. I'm glad I was right about it being you
>>
>>A tip for forming the bondo, or whatever polyester bodyfill you might use...
>>
>>Cut a squeegee out of fairly rigid plastic. Use something like an extra lid from a rubbermaid. Cut the plastic to the same radius as you want in the corners and trowel it on that way.
>>-----
>>Current snakes:
>>
>>0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale
>>
>>2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale

Thanks for the replies mark, and chris. Will head to local hardware supply to get some things and I think I will try the bondo. My bud who is helping me with my project has been really busy lately and I recently had a death in the family so it's been tough to find a good time to work. We did get a bit of progress done the past weekend and I will post pics of the progress in a little while.