Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a burmese python that is a little over a year old and out growing its current enclosure. I am in the process of building a wood terrarium and have enough wood for the top, back, and bottom for a 6x2x2 enclosure. The front will be plexi-glass on a sliding track so I have to buy the 2x2 squares for the sides. The wood I was given is pine, however, and I know that may be lethal for some, if not all, reptiles. Is there a sealant that may make pine non-toxic for Maggie. Buying oak is a possibility, but I would prefer to use the materials I already have in the interest of saving a little bit of money.

Thank You.

John

Sand down the face of the wood to a very smooth texture and coat it with several layers of liquid "high gloss" polyurethane, the kind you apply with a paintbrush, not a spray can. I constructed a few small hide boxes and a divider out of raw wood a few years back and coated them with at least 3 layers of urethane and they have an almost glass like surface to this day. In your case of using pine, it should make the walls durable and protect the snake from the wood as well. Don't use it for the flooring, as it won't stand up to extended exposure to liquid, but for the walls it should be more than adequate. The fumes are quite noxious so give it ample drying time before you expose any animals to it. Hope this helps.
B

There's no danger in using pine for your cage. Protecting the wood from the elements can be as easy as painting it, covering with Contact Paper, vinyl flooring, and/or polyurethane. I think you'd get the most protection from fiberglass resin or other two-part epoxies.

The epoxies have a learning curve & can be a pain to install until you get it figured out.

If you can, I suggest making the cage size 6ft long X 2.5ft wide X 1.5ft high. In other words - take 6 inches off the height and add it to the width for a more useful size cage.

Have fun and be sure to post your results!

Later!
HH
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