custom cage, need input...lots of it

My setup as of now is doing good buy my bp chief will eventually need more room to stretch his legs....er.....well more room to stretch. It will be a little while before he needs this, he's still just a little guy 21" and a whopping 170 g. :D

Here is my current set up
http://www.ball-pythons.net/PNphpBB2...ic-t-7037.html

I am wanting to build an enclosure thats 3'x2'x *either 12" or 18"* which is my first question 12" or 18" tall? (by the way it's WxDxH)

I've read in a few places that plywood is good but sometimes has pine in it, and we all know pine isn't good for snakes. So after a few coats of Polyeurethane will it be safe?

Will the poly help prevent warping due to humidity and water spills?

How well will heat transfer through the plywood if I use undertank heat?

For the door, plexi or glass?

I'm planning on a pretty elaborate door. Bear with me it's kind of confusing to explain so it might be even harder to picture what i'm talking about.
I like the idea of sliding glass/plexi but then the whole front isn't open, but a swing down or up door might be in the way, so here is my idea. A door that swings up but is on some kind of arm so it doesn't just open via hinge connected to the top it actually slides up and rests on the top of the enclosure itself. I was also thinking of using wheel/track system kind of like they use on some computer desks that have the sliding keyboard shelf. (the kind that slides under the desk itself when not in use)

So did I confuse everyone with my explanation?? :?

Any help will be appreciated

--Troy

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

I am wanting to build an enclosure thats 3'x2'x *either 12" or 18"* which is my first question 12" or 18" tall? (by the way it's WxDxH)

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12" would be better. Ball pythons feel more secure with lower ceilings.

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

I've read in a few places that plywood is good but sometimes has pine in it, and we all know pine isn't good for snakes. So after a few coats of Polyeurethane will it be safe?

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Yes, as long as you let it air out for several days after the final coat. Melamine is better than plywood for beginner cage building.

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

Will the poly help prevent warping due to humidity and water spills?

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Yes, coupled with a quality caulk along the joints. Melamine works well also.

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

How well will heat transfer through the plywood if I use undertank heat?

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It won't. You should look into radiant heat panels for a wooden enclosure.

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

For the door, plexi or glass?

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Doesn't matter.

-adam

does melamine come in natural "wood look" or is it always the laminated looking stuff?

As for the radiant panels, isn't "belly heat" preferred? Which is why I wanted to use an UTH.

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

does melamine come in natural "wood look" or is it always the laminated looking stuff?

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Yes, laminated. Already sealed to prevent it from absorbing water and warping. Less sanding to do as well.

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Originally Posted by lucky8926

As for the radiant panels, isn't "belly heat" preferred? Which is why I wanted to use an UTH.

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What do you mean by "preferred"? There is no rule book for keeping bp's. If you get the temps, humidity, and cage size correct as well as practice good husbandry, your snake will thrive (no matter what you choose for heat).

Personally, I like belly heat better than heat lamps, but I've used radiant heat panels with success (heat panels are very different than using lamps). You need to figure out what works best for you and your snake.

If you'r building a wooden cage, belly heat is pretty much out of the questions (been there tried that). Wood is too dense to allow heat to pass into the cage effeciently. Some might recommend putting belly heat "inside" of the cage somehow, but IMO unsupervised electronics inside of a cage is an accident waiting to happen.

-adam

Could one not cut out a sction of the bottom and replace it with, say, plexi glass, where the undertank heat would be? That heat could radiate up and around the cage could it not?

One could, but it would only provide a concentrated area of heat. Ideally, a UTH uses the cage floor as a heat sink allowing the heat it genertates to disperse over a wide area and more evenly heat the enclosure.

Using a section of plexi as described above would not create an adequate thermal gradient.

-adam

How about replacing the floor with square or rectangular paving stones instead and sealing the edges with silicone?

There are ways to create a funstional thermal gradient by cutting out the bottom then. You could cut 2 sections out and put different temp heat pads under each. This plus the fact that heat rises and will dissapate that way should provide the right gradient with some experamentation. Wouldn't paving stones get too hot?

That's not what I meant about thermal gradient.

I was talking about the fact that cutting out sections would make spots with heat surrounded by cooler wood. Wether or not heat rises is not the point. Using a UTH under an entire floor made of glass, plastic, or some other heat conductive material allows the UTH to radiate the entire floor and spread a nice even heat throughout the enclosure. Cutting out sections would only serve to concentrate heat in small specific areas and leave the ball pythons with extrememly small (relative to the cage) areas in which he would feel comfortable.

You really want a smooth even heat dispursement throughout the cage.

-adam

Oh, ok, so basically the bottom should idealey be all conductive material