Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,

Well I just got a boa a couple of weeks back and currently have a smaller temporary aquarium type setup for him. My goal was to eventually build him a new enclosure. I'm an industrial designer and have a lot of experience working with wood. I did have a couple of snake specific questions though.

My first one being, what type of wood and sealant should I use? Are there any types of woods that I should avoid when building an enclosure?

Also is it ok to use acrylic in the enclosure? I noticed that most enclosures use glass and was wondering if there is any reason for that? Was hoping to put a rather thick piece of acrylic on one side of the cage with a few holes drilled through it. That way I can put threaded rods through it that are then drilled and cemented into tree branches. Give my little guy something to climb on. He is a central american dwarf boa so he will probably not be getting so big as to really have to worry about weight. His dad is only 3.75 feet long.

Also any tips on something that would be good to use to seal seams on the bottom of the cage as to not leak any sort of moisture through it? Definitely do not want to have to worry about poisoning my little guy.

Thanks for the help!

Hi!
No reason not to use acrylic, there are plenty of custom acrylic and part acrylic cages out there. I personally prefer it because it cuts weight off of the final cage. Not much risk of scratches with no feet/claws.

A few sealants are mentioned in many threads on here, but I found that marine paint/sealant that is made for boats has worked well, I used it in an iguana cage that was high humidity and in a couple of snake cages. I can try and find the brand if you'd like.
It resists humidity and urates like crazy. I'm not sure about toxicity, but have let it cure very well in between coats and afterwards, and have never had any ill effects show themselves.

As far as wood goes, just don't use anything aromatic to be safe, it can cause some nasty respiratory stuff due to the aromatic oils it contains. Cedar, definitely not. I avoid pine, etc. as well.

Glass will stand up to scratches much better. Acrylic is lighter weight and can be drilled. They each have their pro's and con's.

As said previously, stay away from cedar and pine or any other wood that is aromatic or high in oil content. Regardless of what you use, a great sealer believe it or not, is shellac. It's easy to apply, and reapply. I use Zinser from HD or Lowes and cut it with denatured alcohol 91 part alcohol to 3 parts shellac; although that's not necessary. It dries fast, and is very safe. As long as you don't clean it with alcohol, it is also easy to clean. Just use water/vinegar mix and or soap and water.

Silicone is the best sealer for seems. Just make sure it's fully cured before introducing your boa.