Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what is the best paint to use? I see more people talking about waterproofing paint..but for a minimal impact bearded dragon or Uro - what could be used? Touch ups are easy to do...is water-based latex what i want? or does it hold up under the heat of these species? I also understand that latex paints take a long time to REALLY cure.

thank you

got it backwards. latex doesnt take long to cure at all, oil based takes a long time. looking at this from a scientific standpoint you may be thinking a latex polymer which is predominatly oil, but latex based paint is water based.

Are you talking about the wals or the floor? I don't know about using any paint on the floor... unless it was a 2 part epoxy paint (and talk about a LONG offgas time).

For the walls make sure to use a primer, then a satin paint. i'd recomend behr primer and behr satin. i know its good paint and thats what i've used. if you dont use a primer you arent going to get a consistent sheen along the wood you paint.

I'd probably do 2 coats...will take a longer time before you need to recoat.
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-Chris

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A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

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Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

do you think either of those species really needs any painting done to their cage? The lack of humidity and the fact that their feces and urates fall into over 2" of sand will keep the cage dry..even if I spill water..the sand will absorb more than enough...

I used Polycrylic, a water-based polyurethane for the interior of my bearded dragon cage. I've been very impressed with it. I'm sure any acrylic latex paint would offer even more protection.

One caveat. My dragon scratched the heck out of the floor as did the shifting substrate, cage furnishings, etc. After a few months I decided to insulate the floor and covered that with a scrap piece of vinyl flooring. It has worked out very well.

So for species that love to dig and scratch but don't have high humidity requirements I don't think you need anything more than something like Polycrylic for a clear coat or a good quality acrylic latex for a solid color. Just make sure you put down something more durable for the floor.

I'm sure Toon already gave you good advice on what particular paints are good.

>>I also understand that latex paints take a long time to REALLY cure.

Nope, they dry very fast.
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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)