Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm about to build an enclosure for a young Brazilian rainbow boa. I've lurked these and other forums and have a good idea of what's required, but I have some questions about moisture sealing and venting.

I'm planning to use 1/2" or 3/4" plywood. I know some people like melamine, but I've worked with plywood for a long time and am much more comfortable with it. Since the snake needs ambient humidity of at least 70% I need to moisture-seal the wood, and I'm not sure what my best choice is. I'd rather not use any sort of urethane finish, so it seems like my best options are FRP or contact paper. No matter what moisture barrier I use I'm going to seal all edges with silicone.

I've never used FRP. From what I've read here it's a fine choice, but the plywood needs a light coating so it doesn't absorb the glue. Can I use a light water-based finish like polycrylic? Is that over- or under-kill? Will liquid nails adhere this to the FRP well enough?

Contact paper seems like an easier solution, but I've only heard of people using it on melamine. Is it a good choice for plywood? Would the plywood need to be coated first? I also have concerns about contact paper's durability.

I'm not sure about ventilation, either. Every reference I've seen says that the amount of venting depends on the unique cirumstances of the enclosure and its environment. This is reasonable and I want to build vents that can be adjusted, but I don't know where to start. The cage will be 36" x 24" x 18" high. I'm going to heat it with a radiant heat panel, and it'll be maybe 20 degrees warmer than the room it's in. (I've been talking with Bob at Pro Products to juggle these variables, so the cage might be smaller or the room warmer depending on what he says.)

Boaphile's 322 cage is of similar dimensions, and they say the space around the door provides an effective 5 square inches of ventilation. Is this a good place to start?

Thanks in advance,

Randall

>>I've never used FRP. From what I've read here it's a fine choice, but the plywood needs a light coating so it doesn't absorb the glue. Can I use a light water-based finish like polycrylic? Is that over- or under-kill? Will liquid nails adhere this to the FRP well enough?

It would not be absolutely necessary to seal the wood first to allow for proper glue adhesion. Liquid nails would work as would a variety of contact cements.

But I can't say I'd recommend FRP for this application. FRP is a pain to work with (fiberglass dust) and is not very attractive. I really don't recommend it unless it's scratch resistance properties are needed. So for monitors, tegus, and certain large Iguanids.

>>Contact paper seems like an easier solution, but I've only heard of people using it on melamine.

Actually it's mostly used over MDF. Sort of the ultimate in ease of construction, low cost, etc.

>>Is it a good choice for plywood? Would the plywood need to be coated first?

I used it on a rack constructed from birch laminated plywood. It stuck well and held up well. However, sealing the underside of a rack shelf is nothing compared to the floor and walls of a cage where the moist substrate will lay.

I don't believe it would stick as well to oak laminated plywood or AC plywood with are both rougher than birch laminated ply.

>>I also have concerns about contact paper's durability.

Contact paper is remarkably durable and makes for an inexpensive coating that provides more moisture resistance than melamine. However, it's easy to imagine it geting scratched through during cleaning, water bowls scraping, etc.

Also, it's not something that can easily be replaced in an already constructed cage. Well it could be provided the cage was NOT constructed with glue and could be taken apart, re-coated, and put back together.

In a nutshell, I think you should use something inbetween the extreme durability of FRP and the lower end contact paper. If I were building a plywood cage for a Rainbow Boa I'd coat the interior with Expanded PVC sheet (aka Sintra). The 1/8" product is easy to find at sign shops, is super easy to work with, and comes in a variety of colors.

Another nice thing about Sintra is that increases the thermal mass of a cage and allows for safe use of under tank heating.

Simply cut a few large squares out the bottom of the cage and them laminate the Sintra over that. Heat pads or tape can then be placed underneath the cage in these cutout areas.

Makes for a ligher, easier to clean and easier to heat cage. It's a good idea even if you only use a Radiant Heat Panel.

>>I'm not sure about ventilation, either.

There are adjustable register covers you could use. I believe there was a recent thread on this started by Crtoon.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Thanks for the reply, Chris.

>> Also, it's not something that can easily be replaced in an already constructed cage. Well it could be provided the cage was NOT constructed with glue and could be taken apart, re-coated, and put back together.

Yeah, I was worried about this, too. Nice to know I'm not the only one.

>> In a nutshell, I think you should use something inbetween the extreme durability of FRP and the lower end contact paper. If I were building a plywood cage for a Rainbow Boa I'd coat the interior with Expanded PVC sheet (aka Sintra). The 1/8" product is easy to find at sign shops, is super easy to work with, and comes in a variety of colors.

I've seen you pimping PVCX quite a bit My main reservation is I've read that PVC outgasses at a constant, low level and isn't very good for the animals. I've been conflating PVC and PVCX in my head, but perhaps that unjustified. Does PVCX outgas at all?

>> Makes for a ligher, easier to clean and easier to heat cage. It's a good idea even if you only use a Radiant Heat Panel.

Yes, it's a smart design. If I can alleviate my other concerns about PVCX I might do something similar.

>> There are adjustable register covers you could use. I believe there was a recent thread on this started by Crtoon.

Cool, thanks, I'll look again.

Randall

>>I've seen you pimping PVCX quite a bit My main reservation is I've read that PVC outgasses at a constant, low level and isn't very good for the animals. I've been conflating PVC and PVCX in my head, but perhaps that unjustified. Does PVCX outgas at all?

PVCX is made entirely from PVC, it just has a foamed interior.

I'm sure PVC does outgas to some degree as do many plastics and building materials.

Personally I would not hesitate to use PVC. I figure if sections of PVC pipe can be cut and used as individual resevoirs to raise Dendrobatid frog tadpoles then it can't be that bad. Certainly a larval amphibian kept in freshly cut PVC is more likely to suffer effects than a Rainbow Boa in a PVC cage. Maybe that's naive thinking, I don't know.

But ultimately it's your own peace of mind that matters. You need to feel comfortable with your choice.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)