Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We went to purchase the wood for Roan's cage last night; we were told that a hard wood like poplar or red oak is best; however none of the local hardware stores (we've checked them all) carry what we were looking for. Are we looking for the wrong type of wood? Or possibly the wrong size (we were told to use 2x2's)? Any suggestions on what type of wood and size pieces to use? Hardwood vs. soft?

Also, should we use some sort of sealant/procetant? I was advised against using pressure treated because it contains arsenic which could be harmful to Roan.
Thanks

The type of wood won't really matter, as you will have to coat it with some type of sealer anyway. I built a cage frame from redwood once to see if I could get away with no sealer, and it worked fine, but it was more expensive. Actually I am not sure the cost of redwood was that much more in the end, as I didn't have to paint or seal it. 2X2 are fine, as the cage sides would be some type of mesh or screen. Regardless of what you choose (except redwood or possibly non-aromatic cedar), you'll have to apply a sealer. You can use waterbased polyurethane, spar varnish, a latex bathroom paint, etc. You need to make sure the coating is completely dry before using the cage, and you may have to re seal it occasionally if you want the wood to look nice. Pressure treated wood can leach fairly nasty things including chromium and arsenic, so don't use it.

Wood! now that is something I know. (I own a picture framing shop and art gallery and I deal with wood all day long)
I have built several cages for my chams and have used several kinds of wood. I would not worry about hardwoods I just used 1x2's of a cheap white wood (home depots) or fir has worked well also. Stay away from cedar it gives off oils toxic to herps and it can give the person sawing it an allergic reaction to the sawdust (maybe I am part reptile) The 1x2's work great for all but the largest cages and actually I have used them for sections of those. The largest cage I built actully has 2x4's as the base.
It comes apart into 2 sections (the top detatches from the bottom for ease of moving the cage when necessary). It is 7 1/2 feet tall by 3feet wide by 2feet deep approx and the back is a panel of plywood for extra support. The whole thing is stained and painted with acrylic latex(in sections) and sealed with polyurethane. As long as you use a good sealer such as a polyurethane or clear acrylic(as long as it's waterproof) you can use a stain or paint under it or just the color of the wood. Salvador has been in that cage for almost two years and I have not had any problems. I can take a photo of it and post it here so you can copy the design but I need a battery for my camera so I will post it tomorrow.
Sonia

Thanks so much for the info. This site is the greatest. I am really looking forward to the pics

For info on stretching screen or wire or plastic on the sides of your cage go further up this page to my post for chimbakka titled: Stretching screen on wood cages with staple gun.