Enclosure building question

I may start building a 5 x 2 x 2 enclosure. Ball python is growing fast. Thinking of plywood with stain, coating epoxy within to help plywood deal with humidity and moisture. Want to put a glass floor, but want to know if silicone caulking would seal the glass to the epoxy walls - or if I'd have to try something else. Handcrafters have any ideas??

Make it out of PVC sheet and use cement to glue/join the edges. It will be cheaper and retain humidity better. Also a lot of stains are not critter-friendly.

This is why I wanted to go the lumber-route: I have a wall-sized shelf-unit that needs to be replaced. Kit it came in had pieces made of particle-board which has crumbled on the bottom, and the wall is holding it up. So I HAVE to build a new unit anyway.
My aim was to build the enclosure into the replacement unit as I was constructing it.
The reason for epoxy-coating on the interior walls was to keep wood-stain away from the reptile and make a humidity and moisture resistant surface inside the enclosure. The epoxy is used in aquaruim-decor as a critter-safe sealant for the grouting they use to make fake rocks and backgrounds. It's clear, so staining the plywood in back and sides would give color to the interior while the epoxy-coat would seal it and make it safe.
But I wanted to insert a glass panel into the floor of the enclosure to accomdate a UTH. I just would like to know if siliconing the glass floor to the lip of the bottom - would seal correctly between the glass and epoxy.

Depending on the height and size of the enclosure, you could just install a RHP for heat and not have to worry about making a spot for a heat mat. A 5x2x2 might be fine with a large RHP.

What does that acronim refer to?

RHP=Radiant Heat Panel.

If it were me, I would construct the shelf out of wood, and the enclosure out of PVC, and just size it so it nests in there just right. I can't imagine finding a pet-safe epoxy that does a good enough job that would be cheaper than PVC.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...pet-dream-cage
Could work if you have the time, space, tools, materials, expertise, and $$$ to do things correctly. I’m an incredibly handy dude with access to a full woodshop and still find it worthwhile to buy professionally built plastic enclosures. My 2cents.


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