Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting ready to start a new cage for a mangrove snake . Is 3'W x 2'D x 4'T is this going to be big enough when he's full grown ?
I'd like to paint it inside & out . What paint will adhere well to melamine , stand up to the heat & humidity , and constant cleaning ? I'd also like to put a couple of live plants inside , any ideas ? Any help would be greatly appreciated . Thanx !

That sounds like an awesome size for an adulte mangrove. Have not kept them in years but don't recall them getting stressed by large enclosures.

To paint melamine, your best choice is melamine paint as not much else will adhere without hard to find and nasty primers. I can't tell you much about how moisture resistant it is. My limited experience with it is that it does improve the resistance of the cheaper melamine foil stuff you find at Home Depot and other home improvement centers.

On that note, I would recommend getting a higher quality melamine like you would find at a cabinet shop. The melamine foil stuff is not very good for much other than racks.

I would also recommend sealing the floor and the first several inches of the cages walls with something more durable than melamine paint. More on that later...
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

I'd planned on sealing all seams and glueing FRP to floor and a 6" lip around the bottom as this has been a lifesaver in my retic cage . Thanks for the help .

That will work great. My only warning would be to make very sure you have a tight seal between the upper part of the FRP and the melamine. I say that assuming you'll be misting the Mangrove to some degree which could lead to moisture getting between the FRP and the melamine, which could make the cage fall apart early rather than later. Exactly what you're trying to avoid with the FRP.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback