Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Should i just put arberite inside and silicone it or can i use a varathane or epoxy to sealinside of the cage?

Aberite... I've not heard that term in years. You must be from Europe?

Regardless, what species is this for and what is the cage made of?

I am from canada. What would you use for a diff term melamine? I am making it out of read oak and purple heart. Is there any type of epoxy or uerathane that i could use instead? It is for my leapord geckos. it will be their breeding tank.

I'm sure aberite is the same as what we call "formica" here in the states. It is a laminate that is glued to counter tops, etc.

If you're using red oak and purple heart for your cage by all means don't cover it up with anything other than stain and a clear coat. For a leopard gecko a couple of coats of stain and WATER-based polyurethane is all that is necessary. You could use oil-based but it would be more difficult to work with and take longer to release all of it's toxic solvents.

A huge advantage of water based polyurethane is that if the geckos managed to scratch the first inch or so of the cage walls it would be very quick and easy to touch up. Not so with an oil based.

You might consider covering the floor with something more durable, however. I've used scrap pieces of vinyl flooring or anything else I had lying around.

The more durable floor is desirable because of the substrate (sand is very brutal) and water when the geckos crawl in and out of it making a mess.

If you want to make the cage more durable for other species, in the event you put your geckos in another cage, you could use Envirotex Epoxy.

I'll post a picture of an oak cage sealed with envirotex. It's shiny but looks nice. Only the interior is coated with the epoxy. The exterior has water based polyurethane only.

Hey i changed the inhabitants of the cage it will be a blue tailed monitor... Where can i get this envirotex? home depot or something. what should i use since their claws are SUPER sharp? the cage size is 6'long 4'high 2'deep. i have no idea if i should use sliding door or cabinet style with locking hinges? Since it is so big should i build a frame? could you give me a little help with the designs of this with the false roof? I dont have much experience with planningso.... since it is sooo bigim probably going to make it out of some other wood. what would you reccomend? my e-mail is dan_dyer13@hotmail.com I asked for help on acage for a diamond python but tat didnt work out my buddy ended up keeping him. thx

Oh yeah, I thought your name sounded familiar.

For some reason my e-mail account is not allowing me to e-mail certain hotmail accounts, yours included. Even more ironic is the friend of mine who I build the large oak cage for also does not receive my e-mails. I don't know what's going on with that.

I have no idea how well the envirotex will work with a monitor. In that case I think you'd be better off going with one of the more durable epoxies or fiberglass resins. For that information I'd go to the monitor forum. There is a wealth of information about cage construction over there.

It sounds like most of your issues are whats appropriate for monitors (doors, sealent, etc.). Check over on the monitor forum regarding those issues and I'll see if I can get my e-mail problems sorted out. I'll probably have to talk you through the design on the board here rather than through e-mail. I hope that's okay with you.

Also, start a new thread the next time you're trying to get in touch with me. I probably won't scroll down this far to check.