Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting ready to build a 3' by 2' by 2' (LWH) BP cage. It is going to be made out of 3/4 inch thick plywood. I have a few more questions before i get started.
Here is what i want the sealant to do. I want it to be able to hold 60 % humidity without warping or swelling. I want it to be easy to clean. I want it to be safe for my BP. Also i am planning on letting it cure for 2 days after the smell goes away, is that overkill? or not enough curing time?

what sealant do you recomend?
how much does that sealant cost?
how many coats do you recomend?
Also do you recomend using metal or plastic door tracks?
How much will two pieces of 20" by 20" glass cost?
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

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Do you want a solid colored finish or a stained/clear coat finish?

I still think a PVCX floor combined with an oil-based finish on the walls is perfect for a BP.

I think waiting a few days after the odor has gone is a good idea. However, there are different ways to detect odor (I'll have to go into that in a different post) so the total cure time could still be weeks.

I have heard the plastic tracks are better than the aluminum tracks unless you are using rollers or gliders on the glass.

I don't remember what I paid for glass the size you need. I think less than $30.

np
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

In that case I think an oil-based polyurethane will work. The big downfall to these is that they take a very long time to dry. I once build an acoustic chamber for a research project at the University where I was a researcher. I sealed the interior with oil-based poly and it took several weeks before it stopped off-gassing.

A water-based poly will work but I think you'd want to cover the first few inches of the sides with plastic or something similar. Your snake will very likely defacate where the floor meets the wall and that are will take a lot of abuse.

Both oil and water based polys are inexpensive. Just find one with the finish you like and experiment on a scrap piece of wood before you apply it to your cage.

You can buy glass at Home Depot but I believe a glass shop will do a better job of prepping the edges for plastic glass track.

Good luck.

could i use linoleum for the plastic stuff?
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

Linoleum will work fine. In fact you could go ahead and use it in place of the PVCX floor if you have enough.

Linoleum would work with belly heat? if there are different thickness' what thickness should i get? what should i use to attach it to the cage?
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)