Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well, i got this dresser that all of the drawers are screwed up. whomever assembled it did a really crappy job and nothing lines up ( except for the frame of it) so what i want to do is make it into a lizard cage for my lineatus and sikorae. i used about 1/3 of a tube of clear silicone on the inside of one of the pieces and spread it on with a bondo card. looks extremely smooth and should waterproof it really well.
my question is, can anyone see any problems with sealing the entire cage with this? it's particle board on the inside and has the fake laminated wood pattern on the outside. i had one person specifically tell me to try to get a glass silicone that is anti mildew. any other suggestions? i'm going to use the fronts of the drawers to make a frame for plexiglass opening doors, have the dresser divided down the middle. and then put a framed screen section where the top drawer would normally go for ventilation.
any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated,
thanks
andrew

Ben (bsmith) has an enclosure that looks like it could have been a piece of furniture at one point. I can't remember what he sealed his w/...Ecoexpoxy or somethin along those lines.

only thing i can say is that i remember reading around somewhere when i was making my first long-to-tall transformation that most people recommend against using a silicone glue that has an anti-molds or mildews in it. i think it can be bad for your herps, but i also think thats the cheaper and more widely available kind. but since you're gonna have so much wood in the frame, i think it would hurt your overall structure of the old drawer skeleton with bends, bows, and warps from trying to maintain high humidity within. if you're gonna have that whole thing survive for long, im pretty sure you'll have to find something to treat the whole inside. i dunno, you might have already posted there, but i would say try to take this idea over to the "cage and habitat design" section under herp issues. probably some more experimental people over there.

thanks guys. i've also been tossing the idea around of tossing eco earth or something similar against the silicone while it's still wet to add more texture and change it so the entire interior is the same color.
i don't think the silicone is harmful after it dries, i licked it a couple of times and it didn't taste like anything..... haha

WOW you are hardcore!
Did you check out the www.blackjungle.com for that
coco fiber idea. I think that would be fine and it's easy to work with.

I can tell you that we NEVER use the mold/mildew resistant silicone in fish or amphib cages specifically because they contain toxins that leach out and can be a problem. Personally, I'd seal the wood with about 10 coats of Verathane (a polyurethane for floors). It will fill all of the litle gaps and cracks and seal it very well. After that you could cover it with silicone as a secondary barrier. There is a silicone called Dow Corning 795 that comes in black. We use it in the public aquariums all the time. It's not overly strong on initial application, but it seals very well and will cure underwater! You could throw coco fiber at it while wet and you wouldn't have to worry about the light wood showing through.
Good luck!

thank-you

It's called Envirotex Epoxy I talked to Ben about creating a waterfall in an enclosure. He was most helpfull and recomended this stuff to seal waterfalls. I'm sure it would work well to seal the wood inside the dresser.

Good luck andrew.
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ryan
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Uroplatus sikorae

....

The cage was built as a cage and although it was never a piece of furnature, it did become one after it was finished! Mine is sealed with a product called Envirotex Epoxy... It a great product, btu a little pricey ($50 bucks a gallon). One gallon may or may not be enough for your cage, and the product takes a lot of experience and know how to use... Whatver product you decide to use, make sure you allow plenty of time for it to "off gas." Lemme know if you are more interested in the Epoxy...
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Ben

eco earth being thrown directly at the silicone about 2 minutes after being spread doesn't look very good! very patchy and not much sticks.
so i siliconed sides that were turned so they were flat to the ground, poured eco earth on and spread it out. then pressed it in by hand. looks great! i'll post pictures when it's all finished but it was quite a pain in the butt and i could only do about half of each side at a time before i would have to apply the eco earth or the silicone would dry.