Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!
I've been looking through this forum for a while, but this is my first post. I'm building a big cage system that has 3, 6'x2'x2' cages out of stained and sealed aspen ply. I've been thinking about using tile as a substrate for about 2/3 of the enclosure, and having a sandbox type thing with moist sphagnum moss to keep humidity up. I've been searching for days and cant find anything about how good tile would be for snakes. I use it in my dragon cages and its great, looks good, and easy to clean. Can anybody give me some input on this? I'd really appreciate it, Thanks!

Well I would stay away from tile. First snakes do not like smooth surfaces. They need traction. If you use tile, You should go with something with texture, like slate tile. I think the grout may give you trouble. Bacteria wll probaly thrive in the grout. I would use a textured Linolium. I would glue it down then run a silicone bead around all the sides. Yuo can even install a pvc drain with a plug in it. You could even Linolium all the walls, and seal all corners with silicone. This way you can wipe down the whole cage with a diluted leach solution first then plain water. I allways wanted to build a big custom cage. I would use a sliding window as the front, and mount large tree branches inside. The only thing that would confuse me is what I would want to keep in it. Cheers Greg

Thanks for the info! That was my main concern with using tile, mobility. But most people keep their snakes on newspaper, which has no texture at all. So Im thinking if I get a good textured tile they should have no problem. The concern I have with slate is that its not sealed, like ceramic tile is, so like you said with the grout it would be a breeding ground for bacteria. I didnt grout the tile thats is my dragon cages, instead I used clear waterproof silicone around the corners and in between the tiles in case someday they need to be removed. I'd probably do the same, heres what it looks like...

Any more info about this?
Thanks!

I use tile in our Leopard gecko's cage, and I can't imagine a better substrate, especially for undercage heating, but even for overhead heating as well.

I used glass-smooth ceramic tile. For a rougher surface, I just layed some upside-down tiles on top of some of the smooth tiles.

I like what you did with the silicon as opposed to grout. More mobility for sure. I don't even adhere the tile together. For one gecko it is not a problem.
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Mark

Great set up, and a great idea.

Thanks for the replies! Ill try the tile in one of the cages when I get it all set up and see how it works. I still have about a weeks worth of work ahead of me before Ill be able to get it in there, theres still about 3 more coats of sealant to do. Heres how it sits as of now

this is how it looked before I took it apart to stain

I'm worried that if I use tile that it will be too much weight for those front supports to handle, theyre only 1x3 poplar. Theres 2 L brackets per side per floor but im still worried that itll just be too much weight. Does anybody have any suggestions how I can make it a wee bit more rigid?

Have you considered linoleum?
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Diego