Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone use contact paper to seal their cages? How well does it work? Do you get leaks?

Jake

If you look at the picture below you'll see a plastic storage tote attached to a wooden face frame.

I have experimented with using contact paper to line the back of the face frames but currently am just at the experimental stage. I really don't have any long term experience to suggest how well it will hold up.

I have used it extensively to line the underside of melamine and/or plywood rack shelves. I love it for that application.

It is very popular with the Green Tree Python crowd, and with good reason. That species is highly arboreal and does not spend much, if any, time on the floor of the cage pushing the substrate around. Also, it is not as likely as a terrestrial species to deposit it's feces/urates along the wall of a cage, meaning this area won't need as frequent scrubbing.

I do think it would hold up reasonably well for for many snake species provided rocks or other abrasive substrate is not used.

I would not recommend contact paper for many lizard, tortise, or semi-terrestrial turtle species.

A few other things to consider:

1) Contact paper varies in it's thickness and adhesiveness. Try to find something fairly thick... they tend to stick better.

2) For a cage interior you really need to apply it to the panels *before* the cage is assembled. Once the cage is assembled it is very difficult to replace the contact paper without bubbles, ridges, and gaps where leaks could occur.

If you even anticipate having to replace the contact paper there are probably better choices.

3) Large rolls are not always easy to find. With the smaller rolls it often ends up being as costly as some paints and polyurethanes, both of which can be replaced, recoated relatively easily.

4) Contact paper sticks to melamine very well. Melamine is non-paintable, more or less, so contact paper is an excellent choice for it.

Good luck and let us know if you use it.

Thanks Chris.
I am very used to polyurethane because I finish many products with it, but I hesitate to finish the inside of an enclosure with poly if there is going to be an animal in there because of offgassing and possible high moisture. Have you experienced problems with this?

Thanks again
Jake

Yes I have. I really try to avoid oil-based polyurethane whenever possible. It has it's places but I just don't like working with it and waiting for it to dry completely.

What species is your cage for?

If speed is the only thing I think I will do the oil poly. Have you seen any bad reactions with oil based poly and herps?
I am keeping balls.

Jake

I have never seen any reactions problems when using oil-based poly in a herp cage. I would not use a spar urethane or another exterior oil-based product.

Speed is the main problem with oil-based poly from my persepctive. However, speed is not only a problem when you first build a cage, it's also a problem when a cage needs to be re-coated due to long-term moisture exposure.

Ball pythons are strong animals. Water bowls being turned over are likely. If that does not happen, them crawling in and out of their water bowls will still put water directly on the floor. Feces and urates do a great job of softening up oil-based poly.

Because of that I would prefer not to use an oil-based poly on the cage floor of a ball python or any other reptile. I would either laminate down a sheet of plastic or use an acylic latex paint. The acylic latex paint is easy to use and dries quickly so re-coating it every few years would not be a big deal.

If you had to do the same thing with an oil-based poly you could count on your BP spending considerable time out of it's cage while the poly dried.

I would use oil-based poly on the cage walls of a cage that did not get a lot of direct moisture from misting systems, etc. But only if I desired a clear coat to show off wood grain.

If I desired a clear coat for the walls of a BP cage I might just use a water based poly. It may have to be recoated every year or so but the stuff is so easy to use and dries so quickly that it would not be a big deal.

Again, I would use a sheet of plastic or acylic latex paint to coat the floor and first few inches of the cage walls.

So in case you have not figured it out from my verbose response, I would only use an oil-based poly on the walls of a cage where I was reasonably sure it would hold up over a relatively long time.

Thanks Chris
Thats what I was looking for! Every post that I have read about using oil based poly skirts around whether people really liked it or thought it was ok in their herp cages.
I needed to know whether it was really ok or not.
Thanks I think I will try the acylic latex paint idea!

Jake

I have used this in acouple cages for snakes and bearded dragons and have never had a problem with it. The only downside I can see is if you plan to change the color after you have it on cause it is really a pain I tried it once and it didnt work.I used it in a cage that I had a gtp in and it was made with melamine and the contact paper and after a 1 1/2yrs it still is doing good even with the high humidty. Steve
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Thanks Steve
Owner of:
2.1. Bearded Dragons
www.home.wi.rr.com/stevesreptiles

What did you do with the joints or anywhere that water could possibly penetrate?
Where did you buy and what kind?

Thanks
Jake

For the joints I bought some clear caulk that they use for bathrooms. I bought the contact paper from Home Depo, and I have bought it from Menards. Here is a link to there website
http://contactbrand.com/
On there site it tells you were you can buy it,plus you can see what colors they make too. Steve
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Thanks Steve
Owner of:
2.1. Bearded Dragons
www.home.wi.rr.com/stevesreptiles

Other than the GTP cage what snake species have you used the contact paper with? How long have the cages held up?

Same with the Bearded Dragon, how long has the contact paper held up in those cages.

Chris, I have keep a Ball Python,2 Burmese Pythons,and a Retic in cages with contact paper. They have held up real good I have had them for alittle over a 1 1/2yrs now. I thoght the Bearded Dragons would have scratched them up but they never did. Steve
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Thanks Steve
Owner of:
2.1. Bearded Dragons
www.home.wi.rr.com/stevesreptiles