Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I plan on building a 6' by 4' by 4' cage using oak plywood on the top bottom and sides and pegboard on the back and plexi on sliding tracks. I'm going to tile the floor and was planning on fiberglassing the rest after staining the wood. I realize I might run into a problem with the fumes and was curious if anybody else had tried fiberglass before and what the final results were.

I have used fiberglass and just the straight polyester resin brushed onto the wood. I really don't think it's worth the trouble, except for maybe the most destructive species, like large monitors who can scratch through a lot.

What is going in this cage?
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

I was planning on using it for my female Brazilian Rainbow when shes gravid which won't happen for several years. I just like planning ahead because it takes me longer than most people to build things.

Polyester resin and/or fiberglass is definately a bit overkill for a Rainbow Boa, although your peace of mind is important. Seal the cage enough in advance and fumes won't be an issue.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

I figured it would be...I just want to waterproof the wood somehow because I decided to put a drain in to make it easier to clean. The last cage I put a drain in I ran it down through a cabinet and out through a hose. It made it easier to clean. The only difference is the last cage I made we used stucoo for the back and bottom and with the wood I'm afraid over time it would soon cause mold and rot..

Well if you don't mind the texture of stucco, then you might like Drylok, which I have posted about a lot recently.

Or is it the texture you are worried about?
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

The only thing I'm worried about it keeping the cage waterproof. The rougher texture doesn't bother me. It actually works better for my snakes because they always had trouble shedding in a smooth surface cage. I’ve actually already used Drylok because it was the only thing I could find that would stick to stucco. Unfortunately I didn’t wear gloves or have a tarp down and it literally sticks to everything. I didn’t get it off the floor for a week. Thanks for the advice I never thought of using Drylok on wood.

I never thought of using Drylok on wood.

Neither had I until I read a bunch of forum posts on a cichlid forum. Turns out guys/gals over there have used it directly on plywood and even melamine to make anywhere from 90 to 1100 gallon tanks, although in the case of the 1100 gallon tank it was not applied directly on the plywood. I believe the largest tank over there with drylok directly on plywood is 600 gallons.

And since you already know it sticks to everything you know you can paint it over most anything.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)