I was just searching the kingsnake forums for an old post from a friend of mine about Gonyosoma. Ironically I just found your old post about the hybrid varnish and just finished reading it. Weird.
Sorry to hear about the offgassing, but I'm not surprised.
Regarding the next cages, I am not a fan of using dimensional lumber for framing in plywood cages. They just don't need it and are too likely to warp and expand/contract.
But you should read some posts farther down about design ideas for large constrictors. And it has been a popular topic in the past months so you might also search the archives. In a nutshell, I would take advantage of the glut of 5'x5' panels of Baltic Birch ply in the country and make TWO 60"x30"x30" cages that bolt together. No internal framing needed, especially with the two piece design. And you end up with a 10'x30" cage which is great if it fits where you plan to put it.
I would like to know from the experts on what sealant to use on the inside (and out for that matter) I should use for housing retics, burms, and boas. The humidity will be relatively high. We have also thought about using Linolium (spelling??) to coat the entire interior.
I like the idea of using a linoleum floor. Even if you use a durable epoxy it won't be as dent resistant as linoleum. I would use linoleum for the floor regardless of what you might use on the visible parts of the cage.
For the rest of the cage, what look are you wanting? Solid color, clear coat over a stain, or what?
Here are some options for the interior:
1) Vinyl film - comes in clear or solid colors and can be laminated over just about anything. My understanding is that you could line a plywood box and fill it with water for fish if the edges were caulked well enough.
I have some excess in a glossy tan color if that appeals to you.
2) Water-based epoxy. If you live in the western US you should be able to find Envira Poxy from Kelly Moore. I understand it comes in clear but I have only found it in solid colors. It is flexible enough for use on wood. Said to be sensitive to improper mixing.
Rustoleum also makes a waterborne epoxy paint now. I don't know if it's flexible enough to use on a plywood cage. I think it would work. Only comes in solid colors. Also sensitive to improper mixing.
3) There are some new waterborne polyurethanes out that should be durable enough for a retic cage assuming you use a linoleum floor. The best of these Bonakemi Traffic, a two part system sold through flooring dealers. It cleans up with water while it's still wet but once cured you have to use acetone to clean it up. Only sold in bulk and is kind of expensive. But not as sensitive to improper mixing as other two part systemes.
There are other one-part WB polys that are very impressive but I just can't say they'll hold up to Retic poop that tends to get "deposited" along the edges of walls. Those first few inches of cage wall really take a beating in Retic cages.
But WB polys are so easy to use that touching up the cage as needed should be a quick and easy process.
4) Kleer Koat, Envirotex Lite and all the other bartop epoxies. A bit senstive to improper mixing but overall very easy to use. Just pour it on and use a torch (no kidding) to break the bubbles up. Very safe yet durable enough to coat wooden spear guns that spend hours under water in harsh marine environments.
Expensive due to how thick it needs to be applied and not the best choice when used around high heat. If you're using a RHP on the ceiling of the cage it should be no problem. Just coat the ceiling with WB poly instead of the epoxy. You need to put down a layer of WB poly as a pre-coat before the epoxy anyways.
I have recommended these epoxies to a lot of people. They tend to either love it or hate it. The hate it group has always been though who did not mix it well enough and/or used it around high heat sources. I have been careful to recommend them for this reason, even though a few people have absolutely loved them. Another poster on this forum has had a boa cage sealed with this stuff for 11 years or something like that. Says it still looks like a layer of glass over the wood.
I don't use it as much since it needs to be applied so thick. $50 worth of bar top epoxy just does not go very far compared to WB poly or WB epoxy.
5) Prefinished plwood. Both Columbia and Nova make laminated plywood that are prefinished with a UV cure epoxy. I'm not completely certain about just how durable they are, unfortunately. But they are said to be much cheaper than buying plywood and sealing it yourself. And you can't get any less toxic than a UV cure epoxy.
I suspect it would be durable enough, but I might take a precaution. Use linoleum on the floor but then take the extra step of laminating some clear vinyl film over the first few inches of the cage walls.
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Current snakes:
0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)
2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)
