Toxicity, no. But the paper won't last long once moisture gets underneath it.

I'm all for craftsmanship with wood, but the problem is that the cost of properly sealing it all can be significant, not to mention the time involved. The available plastic caging on the market eliminates the sealing issue. It should be considered if the animals being kept are especially messy or require lots of humidity. For animals like leopard geckos and bearded dragons where the substrate and feces are rather dry, wood with just a water-based poly coating or water based paint is fine. OK for cornsnakes too. But a big boa for example can eliminate so much liquid that a wood cage would need to be sealed with something more water-resistant.

Pour-on bar-top epoxy is the better option for the floors. Hard to tilt a big one-piece complex to do the sides, but that type of coating will be awesome for the floors. Can possibly use water-based polyurethane for the sides. Caulk all seams afterwards.

You can cover the floors with a plastic material like 1/8 inch expanded PVC or styrene sheet available from plastic suppliers, or a Formica product. The edges need to be sealed however or moisture will get under the plastic or formica as well. That is why I prefer a coating like epoxy.

Google Repti-Shield and see if that is still available. It is like painting with molasses but the end result is a super tough and waterproof coating. Also 100% safe once cured. Cures fast.

Two part epoxy paint is another option. Safe once cured. Cures fast and is essentially waterproof.

Water based polyurethane is better than nothing if you can't get or want to pay for the better options. Must cure completely however, and the cure time is longer than epoxy or repti-shield.
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Antaresia maculosa
Antaresia childreni

Mark G

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