Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I have a friend named Annabella(uromasyx) and I've decided to build an inclosure for her.
I've made things befor I just decided that I should plan this one first.
I already made a frame for it to sit on out of an old bed that's been in the way for to long! This is my idea so far as to what idealy could come of this.
I made the frame 5'Lx3-1/2'Wx1'H. What I want to do now is make a 3' box on top of it that's 5' along the back 3' on the left side and 2' on the other, then have 2' along the front left side and a single window that can be lifted(undetermined yet how). The corner is a place to sit and be able to reach in with ease if I need to move things around or anything and such.
Anyways, what I'm concered with first off is do I need to seal the wood with pollyurithain or anything else? Can I just use the bare plywood? I tried looking for a post that answers this but to no avail. I had planed on putting a vinal or enamle sheet along the bottom and sealing the edges with silicon but it seems that won't even be that easy due to sticking. With the temps a uro needs their won't be much humidity at all so is their another reason? I read that birch is a good plywood to use so I'll probably use that but the floor is well if not over suported so I dont think I need to worry to much about warping. Basicly I don't care about asthetics to much I just want to make the cheapest safest and fastest thing I can Is their something maby I can lign the board with that will seal easier around the edges as I kind of think it would be better to seal the inside for cleaning purposes and are their types of wood I should stay away from? I read something about pine being bad.
Thanks alot!

I just found a window in the basement that's only an inch shorter then I was planning on using! I'm hoping I can use it. It's 34.5" by almost 19". It's not in a frame and it's double pained 3mm glass. It's a window for up here in canada where it gets realy cold so I figure it can stand extreem temps like uro heat but I don't know anything about glass. The writing is in french so I don't quite know what it meens. It sais Thermo Seul so I'm figuring it meens tempered or thermo... window as know seul meens window (I live on the border inside quebec where it's fairly bilingual but lot's of english people so I never realy learned) Anyways she's a mali and I doubt she could break it otherwise. Is their anything I should know about making a frame for it? I decided to just make a frame and put hinges to open it like a door.
Thanks in advance.

>>I made the frame 5'Lx3-1/2'Wx1'H. What I want to do now is make a 3' box on top of it that's 5' along the back 3' on the left side and 2' on the other, then have 2' along the front left side and a single window that can be lifted(undetermined yet how).

You lost me but I'll assume you have this all figured out.

>>Can I just use the bare plywood?

No.

>> ...do I need to seal the wood with pollyurithain or anything else?

A water based poly is fine for a Uromastyx. I used Polycrylic on my Bearded Dragon Cage and have been very impressed with it.

>>I had planed on putting a vinal or enamle sheet along the bottom and sealing the edges with silicon but it seems that won't even be that easy due to sticking. With the temps a uro needs their won't be much humidity at all so is their another reason?

Again, I don't understand what you're trying to ask.

Vinyl flooring is a very good idea. Attach it with liquid nails.

>>I read that birch is a good plywood to use so I'll probably use that but the floor is well if not over suported so I dont think I need to worry to much about warping. Basicly I don't care about asthetics to much I just want to make the cheapest safest and fastest thing I can

Birch is nice but not necessary for a quick, easy and cheap cage. You might try an AC plywood instead.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Thanks.
the first part is a frame I built cause I wanted it to be standing higher then the ground, I'm going to build the box on top so it can be removed when moving it(as altogether it's going to be 4' high). It was just easier to make the base a rectangle, plus I can sit on the corner if I'm reaching in. I didn't want to put a big huge window across the whole thing so I'm mking a box with the corner cut off and a door window that's on an angle and alows viewing from all angles! I have it all figured out now, the calculations, so don't worry.

"with uro temps theirs not going to be much humidity at all so is thier another reason"
I was refering back to my first question "do I have to seal it?" Just wondering why, is it the humidity, the high temps, the wood bad for uro?

My main problem is I have no where to let it dry where the I won't fumes. It's baicly winter now and to cold do it in the back yard in Canada.
"Is their anything else I could use?"
I was thinking of just covering the wood in vinal and sealing the edges but I read that I can't seal it with aquarium silicon.
If someone sugested something to seal it with I'd want to just do that but would I have to seal the wood with a water based polly...(sp) either way?
I have a latex based adhesive called "NO MORE NAILS" that I was told would work but I don't think I could seal the edges with it as it needs one surface to be porus.
Is no more nails good at least for sticking the vinal to the wood?
I geuss I should have said "I know nothing about sealing wood" insead of carpentry!
Thanks again.
Josh

>>My main problem is I have no where to let it dry where the I won't fumes. It's baicly winter now and to cold do it in the back yard in Canada.
>>"Is their anything else I could use?"
>>I was thinking of just covering the wood in vinal and sealing the edges but I read that I can't seal it with aquarium silicon.

Polycrylic and other water-based polyurethanes can be allowed to dry indoors. You could even seal a cage in a reptile room and not worry about the fumes.

You can use aquarium silicone once you have three or four coats of the polyurethane.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Is it the wood, moisture on the wood or heat on the wood that make us have to coat it? Just curious.
Also did you read the post about the window? I doubt that little Annabella could break it but will the heat?
I'll just write it here incace it wasn't read.
I found a window that is double pained 3mm glass. It's not in a frame but has a rubber and metal divider that sticks them together. All the sticker says is Thermo seul(french for window) but I know it's a window for here in canada.
Is it thick enough? I don't think little Annabella coud break it but could the heat?
Thanks.

>>Is it the wood, moisture on the wood or heat on the wood that make us have to coat it? Just curious.

For a uromastyx we seal the wood to keep bacterial and viral growth to a minimum - both grow very well on raw wood. Also, sealed wood will be easier to clean than raw wood.

It's also good to seal the wood so feces, urates, and small water spills don't rot the floor. You'll be solving this with a vinyl flooring, of course, so this issue is not as big of a deal.

>>Also did you read the post about the window? I doubt that little Annabella could break it but will the heat?

Well assuming that your heat source is not having to shine through the window you'll be fine. That would be a bad idea for a uromastyx so I assume that's not even an issue.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

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