Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have the wood and the screen for the cage I am going to build. My question is, should I stain the wood? I would think you would have to with the moisture it is going to be around, but wouldn't staining it make it toxic?

Also, what would you recommend to put on the bottom of the cage?

Hey, ive never stained the wood for my enclosures and have never had a problem. I would think it may be toxic if they lick the condensation off the wood. Also the humidity shouldnt be that high as to cause your tank to mould. I use different substrates for different cham's, what kind are you going to be keeping?

I use stain and Helmsman sealer and there are no problems. If the chams licked it there wouldnt be any problem as well, they would hav eto eat paint chips and ingest it for complications. You had better seal that would very very well or its going to be a big waste of money. This is assuming you are misting often, as you should anyway.
There are great products out there, get one that is for outdoor use for like park benches or exterior dorrs ect. It is UV resistant and weather proof, all of which you will need for it to not look like hell in 5 months. The cham isnt going to lick a piece of vertical wood in the first place, but if he did and the stuff is dry there is no harm done.
After you sela it let the cage sit for about 3-4 days to air out, it will smell fresh so you need to get that smell out.

Thanks, I probably have some outdoor stain around my house somewhere. As for the bottom of the cage, I wasn't talking about substrate, I was talking about what is going to be the bottom of the cage (plywood? pvc?)

I used a fake tile sheet that looks like fossils in stone. Go look at a hardware store for shoer flooring, there is tons to choose from and it is all water proof. Be sure to silcone all the seems of the enitre inside of the cage.

i put in an aluminum sheet for the bottom of my veiled chameleon. it is so easy to clean.