Reptile & Amphibian Forums

a steve and barry's(clothing store) near my house is going out of business. All of their fixtures are for sale. They use what appears to be melamine for cubbords i could modify into a rackand some wood tables that would make a fairly large cage. Do you think these would make suitable cages or is this melamine and painted wood harmful to snakes? thanks for any answers.

I have kept pythons in melamine cages that I have built for years and have had them grow up and breed in them. I have also used painted wood cages in the past with no problems.
Allen

quite a few custom cages use melamine as a material, i have 3 smaller ones i use for leopard geckos, its nice cause it cleans pretty easy due to its smooth surface. i also had a painted custom cage for a burm with no ill affects, however i painted it, so i know the paint was non-toxic. only thing id worry about the paint is if its toxic, and lets say the water bowl gets tipped making the paint wet (if its water soluble), might cause problems, most likely not, but just a thought.
-----
2.1.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

im considering getting either a reticulate or a burmese python at the upcoming atlanta repticon show. how long would a 8ft by 32 inch cages last for these individuals? They will not be placed in these caqes until 4-5 feet or so?

a male of either would most likely be fine in that forever, they dont get as large, females may outgrow that eventually, cause they can get pretty dang big, but it would be fine for a while.
-----
2.1.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

which do you guys think would be a better choice for your first large boid, the retic or the burm? Thanks for the previous responses.

having owned both, i like the retics a little better, burms aren't bad, but i had a bad experience with one, it wasnt raised right in its defense, it was a 9 footer, bit the heck outta me, heh. and the whole retics being mean misconception, thats really not true, mines so down to earth and calm, hes really curious, and sometimes i think hes to smart for his own good. also i personally think retics have an overall nicer look to them, just my 2 cents, but ultimately its just personal preference.
-----
2.1.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn