Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I’m building a typical plywood-sided-glass front cage for my carpet python. Is it safe to paint the cage? I've never built a snake cage before, and common sense tells me the fumes could be hazardous. However, I think it will make cleaning easier if the cage surfaces are a bit smoother.

If painting is a bad idea, what other materials do yall recommend other than plywood?

Thanks,
Andrew

The last cage I did out of wood I contact cemented Formica on the interior and put silicone the corners. I got the idea from The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Ray petting pool. It’s not hard to do, just look up how to do it on the web. It also comes in cool colors and patterns.

I am currently looking into alternative building materials myself; I am thinking of either PVC or ABS in ¼ to ½ thick dependent on how I plan to seem the joints.

Good luck

Old pics of my Carpets

wow, awesome snake/cage. Thanks for the info!

No, that’s not the cage I make, it’s just a little glass tank I had my JCP in when she was young. I did decorate it with Manzanita branches and dollar store fake vines; it was for show because it was in my living room. I’ll try to get a picture of the one I made.

How big are you making the cage? Carpets don’t need to climb, but they sure like to! Just try to make your whole snakes environment washable. I used to use wooden branches, but I don’t anymore. I want to be able to sanitize everything. Also if you get mites * it’s VERY hard to get rid of them with wood. My suggestion is Paint/ seal the outside and line the inside of your cage. All accessories should be washable.

* You can bring back mites from the pet shop, from handling other reptiles, from bringing home other reptiles, from reptile shows… I’ve only had them once but it took me months to get rid of them. They suck!