sealing along divider in ap cages

[zumTod076]

i just got my second t8 from ap and i was wondering on anyones thoughts about sealing the divider.
in my first one i realized something that kind of bothered me.
as i would clean the messes being made in there, some were along the divider and i felt like even with removing the wastes and soaking in f10 for a while, the bacteria could definately stay safely in the porous edge of the divider, squirming all up in there lol
i know the divider is meant to make the cage more versatile, to house one or two animals. but those who plan on keeping it a two animal cage.
so i was wondering if anyone else may have thought of this?? or am i being a little too paranoid?
im about to seal up the fresh cage but wanted to throw this post up hear to see what you guys might think....
thanks!!

[OsirisRa32]

I seal my divider right up!! Got 4 ap T8s and all dividers are sealed !!

[kitedemon]

I don't have anything alone these lines so no practice experience here just thoughts.

I can see two approaches one to seal the divider (silicone or perhaps solvent cement?) that other is to eliminate the track it fits in and bonding the divider it so it is not removable (solvent cement or maybe silicone)
The former keeps the flexibility but still costs lots of cleaning time (especially if it is low 12 inches or less)

The later loses flexibility but saves some cleaning time. I suppose it adds a touch better isolation in regards to quarnteen but likely not enough to matter. I can only assume that the animals housed have lived in close proximity for quite some time already.


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[Willie76]

I have a few T8s and don't seal along the divider. As long as my edges and up the corners are sealed, it's water tight. I just feel if you seal the divider and you need to remove the divider for any reason, you'll have to break that seal and re-seal it. Just gets messy. I just got one in for my Jungle Carpet and I have it split 50/50. As she grows, I can move the divider where ever I want giving her more room. Sealing it would just cause more aggravation down the road...

But, to each their own...

[OsirisRa32]

I don't have anything alone these lines so no practice experience here just thoughts.

I can see two approaches one to seal the divider (silicone or perhaps solvent cement?) that other is to eliminate the track it fits in and bonding the divider it so it is not removable (solvent cement or maybe silicone)
The former keeps the flexibility but still costs lots of cleaning time (especially if it is low 12 inches or less)

The later loses flexibility but saves some cleaning time. I suppose it adds a touch better isolation in regards to quarnteen but likely not enough to matter. I can only assume that the animals housed have lived in close proximity for quite some time already.


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be very very careful with something like solvent cement..many of them are strong enough to melt through most plastics....silicone and silicone like sealants (the one they send with the T8s) are really the only things I would EVER consider using on APs T series enclosures...also just a note...both the silicone ive used and the sealant they supplied me in my order are removable with some elbow work.

[zumTod076]

i dont think i would ever risk using anything with the term cement in it for my cages, just incase i would ever need to remove divider or even break them back down.
i just feel like that little unsealed crease between the floor and the divider would keep bacteria in there, even with a thorough spray down of f10.
i would probably just have to use a nice sharp scraper to get the leftover silicone off, yeah?
i think i shall follow what youve done and seal mine up as well osiris, thanks for the input everyone!

[kitedemon]

APs are made with solvent cement. All the slab construction types are, so with the exception of vision and neodeshia perhaps a couple of others they are all the same and all use solvent cement. PVC is very hard to glue with anything else. It is either solvent cement or mechanical fastners.

[OsirisRa32]

hmmm learn something new everyday then I guess...

[The Serpent Merchant]

APs are made with solvent cement. All the slab construction types are, so with the exception of vision and neodeshia perhaps a couple of others they are all the same and all use solvent cement. PVC is very hard to glue with anything else. It is either solvent cement or mechanical fastners.

No they aren't actually. AP cages are made from sheets of PVC that are screwed together then the edges are sealed with an aquarium safe type sealant.

To the OP, I have sealed a few of my dividers in the cage simply using the sealant that came with the cage. This works great and prevents cross contamination between the sides of the cage. So far I've been very happy with the decision.

[kitedemon]

Mine isn't at all, it is chemical welded (it is however a rack) I stand corrected AP are not most others are solvents dry out leaving just the orginal plastic they enclosure is made from.