Pine

I was reading that pine is bad for snakes. I have been making an enclosure and I used pine for the majority of the cage. Is this a problem?

It's not as bad as cedar, but I'd still switch to aspen.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

It's not as bad as cedar, but I'd still switch to aspen.

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I think he meant he used it as building material - correct me if I am wrong.


Did you take any measures to seal the wood?

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Originally Posted by Smulkin

I think he meant he used it as building material - correct me if I am wrong.


Did you take any measures to seal the wood?

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:doh: I do think you are right sir. :colbert2:

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Originally Posted by Smulkin

I think he meant he used it as building material - correct me if I am wrong.


Did you take any measures to seal the wood?

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Correct. It is still not finished, so I have not sealed it, what would you recommend I use? And actually the floor and the back won't be pine. So that leaves the sides and the roof.

not to steal the thunder but I would suggest a water based sealant.

any specific suggestions?

Hi,


Not to disagree out of turn but I would have thought using a polyurathane (how the heck do you spell that) varnishg and letting it cure would be a more long term solution.

Over here I would ask for "ship" or "yaught" (nope cant spell that either tonight ) varnish. I realise it takes a long time to cure and stop giving off fumes but when its dry its about as well sealed as can be. But I'm sure other opinions are out there (hint hint).


dr del

all my custom enclosures are maple veneer plywood. the veneer is maple but the other layers may be pine i believe. the wood is all sealed with "bullseye" varnish. the can says its an all natural sealer but i dont know what exactly it is made of. i think its oil based. but it works great for me and im hoping that if my snakes could talk that they would tell me that they love it...


im thinking that maybe this could help...:oops:

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Originally Posted by bigballs

all my custom enclosures are maple veneer plywood. the veneer is maple but the other layers may be pine i believe. the wood is all sealed with "bullseye" varnish. the can says its an all natural sealer but i dont know what exactly it is made of. i think its oil based. but it works great for me and im hoping that if my snakes could talk that they would tell me that they love it...


im thinking that maybe this could help...:oops:

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Do you paint your cages or stain?

i dont paint or stain mine, i only seal it. i like the natural wood look and the not doing extra brush stokes. but i would think that you shouldnt have any problems if you decied to paint or stain.

I was actually thinking of painting the outside. I also like the look of natural wood, but it might look better in a finished room painted. Thoughts on painting the inside?

Hi again,


Not entirely certain but I suspect painting the inside will dictate what kinds of sealers/varnishes you could use and also wouldn't you also need to let the paint cure as well? That might not be important but that depends on the time scale you have b4 snakedown :) .

Basically you want to be able to seal all the edges (ok probably silicon) and have all the panels proof against snake pee.

If you are handy enough to convert the cabinet you might find it's easier to get the perfect look you want and the best conditions for your animal by just custom building from the ground up. But you know the look you are going for better than we do :) .

Intrested in seeing pics of the finished project though - it's common over here to convert wardrobes for larger arboreal species but thats mainly just for convenience.



dr del

This is custom from the ground up. It's getting close to done. I actually just need to find some kind of vent to use and figure out lighting. The floor will have a layer of plexi for easy snake pee clean up. As far as what type of paint and whatnot to use on the inside, is there any specific I should stay away from, or that I should use? I have plenty of time until snakedown, as of right now.