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wood enclosures
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by wvslayer on August 2, 2011
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I am getting ready to build an enclosure for a timber rattlesnake and seperate levels for my corn snakes I have heard that pine is harmfull to snakes I thought about plywood but it's glued together and the glue might put off fumes so i was wondering what the best material is to use. cost is an issue i'm on a limited budget for my snakes. I want to buils each cage about 36-24-24 and about 5 level's high with glass fold down fronts any help would be appreated
thanks from wv
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RE: wood enclosures
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by agkistrodude on August 2, 2011
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I've built countless numbers of cages out of 3/4 inch plywood with never a problem. (other than they're heavy) I house 4 timbers in plywood cages now.I put many layers of polyurethane and/or paint on the inside to protect against moisture,just make sure it airs out good. Cedar is the main wood that you want to stay away from. Take Care, Marty
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RE: wood enclosures
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by Crotalusssp on August 2, 2011
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Agreed Marty.. I used plywood back in the day and never had an issue. I did water base paint the entire enclosure and let it air out for many days prior to use. I used good old fashioned newspaper for substrate, but did also use linoleum from time to time. They are heavy, but double as furniture in time of need, LOL.
Charles
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RE: wood enclosures
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by Crotalusssp on August 2, 2011
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Agreed Marty.. I used plywood back in the day and never had an issue. I did water base paint the entire enclosure and let it air out for many days prior to use. I used good old fashioned newspaper for substrate, but did also use linoleum from time to time. They are heavy, but double as furniture in time of need, LOL.
Charles
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by LarryDFishel on August 2, 2011
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I like to coat the inside of mine with epoxy. I've only done a few, but the largest is 6'x3'x2' and they are MUCH easier to clean than painted ones. One is about 7 years old and has been flooded many times and the inside is still perfect.
The dreaded "white stuff" (uric acid) still sticks (not nearly as bad as to painted surfaces), but they stand up to being scrubbed.
Epoxy is, of course, more expensive and a bit more work...
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RE: wood enclosures
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by Crotalusssp on August 3, 2011
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Very cool idea. I never thought of using Epoxy. Thanks for tip. I have not built a wood enclosure in years, but would not rule it out in the future.
Charles
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RE: wood enclosures
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by wvslayer on August 3, 2011
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Thanks for the input also i was thinking about a drop down door rather than a sliding door which one would be the best for a young timber rattlesnake and a adult timber about 55 inch long The cage i have now opens from the top but i want to stack them to save space thanks
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RE: wood enclosures
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by theemojohnm on August 3, 2011
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As far as sliding vs. hinged cages, that really is more a matter of personal preference. As long as the gap between your sliding-glass panels is small enough, that young snakes can't escape from, I think that both options will be about the same in terms of space-saving advantages and security, if built correctly.
That being said, I used to greatly prefer the hinged, 'swing-open' style cages, that were hinged at the bottom, with the door opening outward. Over the past few years, I have started using more sliding-door cages, and I actually think that I now prefer them; especially for flighty Elapids! Being able to open only a small section of the cage at a time, I've learned, is a HUGE plus, with many species! However, I still own a few of my original hinged cages, and they work great for me as well. If we're talking about a timber or corn snake, I doubt it would make much difference.
As for the pinewood issues, I would be willing to bet, that even an unfinished (lacking sealant and/or paint) pine cage, would probably produce no issues in most cases. I think the real problem occurs when pine products are used as substrate. A pine substrate is going to absorb moisture, and will be in direct contact with the animals, all the time. (Most species.) In the case of pine rodent bedding, the wood is in finely chipped particles, which are going to absorb moisture much faster than say, a block of pine wood, or the bottom of a pine enclosure. It’s much easier for fine particles to leach tannins and oils, and if using pine rodent bedding, the snakes will be living on it. And, as a substrate, the snakes are going to be directly on top of, and in many cases underneath it. That movement, through the bedding, and the inhalation of dust and small particles, and the ingestion of small particles during feeding, are what I worry about most. If the cages are sealed with a good water-resistant sealant, or better yet, epoxy, as Larry mentioned, I don’t see there being much issue in using pinewood for a reptile enclosure. If sealed, I don’t see anything leaching from the wood itself, and using a good substrate in the cage (not pine) should prevent most of the animal’s direct contact with the cage floor anyways.
If you took some freshly chipped pine (the consistency of rodent bedding) and threw it into glass of water, within an hour, I bet the water would have a tint to it. If you took a large block of pine, and placed in into a glass of water, the water may have a slight tint to it. But, I’d be willing to bet that it wouldn’t be nearly as dark as the water that the chipped pine had soaked in. That’s just my thinking, but I may be wrong..
I also use small living pines in my largest, communal timber rattlesnake enclosure. These are tiny trees (the small type that is naturally found on the mountainsides, up north), and at most, the branches are probably as thick as my pinky. I’m sure some here are familiar with these trees. The don’t look like your typical pine, as they are more of a branching tree, and don’t have much of a central “trunk”.
I am sure that these are a different species from the pines used for wood. When I hear reptile-keepers speak of pine, they usually just lump all of the ‘pines’, together. I don’t think that anybody has ever experimented with different types of pine. I am sure there are probably differences, for their use in reptile enclosures.
Now, I am in no way advocating the use of pine in reptile enclosures, and I could be totally wrong. I do agree that high-quality plywood is a great choice. (Many of the standard plywood types just don’t hold up too well to moisture, and don’t last as long). I have no doubt that some pine is used in the construction of some of the plywood types that I have used, however, and as long as the wood is sealed, I don’t see an issue. I have never had a problem with the live pines that I use, in my enclosure(s).
I just think that it might be something worth looking into, in the future, as “pine” doesn’t refer to just a single species.
Take Care,
-John Mendrola
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by Cro on August 4, 2011
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Sliding glass on a cage is by far a better way to go, than "drop down" cage doors.
Like John stated, the sliding door lets you open the cage different amounts, which can really help from a safety aspect.
A drop down door is always fully open, which makes for a much more dangerous situation.
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RE: wood enclosures
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by Crotalusssp on August 4, 2011
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Definitely a sliding door because as John Z. stated, an all open or all closed will have additional safety concerns that a sliding door will not have.
Charles
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