Do PVC terrariums need silicone?

[Raven01]

Jason, what are you referring to here? I'm slightly confused and please take no offense as I'm just trying to figure out what you are talking about.

The "assemble yourself" cages like AP, Pro-Line and some of the others recommend you seal the seems after you put the cage together.

Cages like Boaphile are assembled and shipped as a whole unit. They are welded, but you can't really compare them to a cage that is shipped "flat" and then assembled at your home.

Both have their pros and cons.

I just am not sure what you are talking about is all, so maybe I'm missing your point.

I know Aaron is a big advocate of AP and he's a pretty meticulous keeper. I'd consider AP high quality as far as caging goes based on his experiences.

I cannot speak for Jason(and I didn't read his comment as knocking AP) but, I have purchased his enclosures and one from Ricky's Reptile Enclosures and, both of these were well built items. There are other manufactures of PVC enclosures locally and some use silicone as a primary bonding agent instead of chemically welding components. A well done chemical weld is superior to a silicone used as glue from both a structural and an aesthetic standpoint.

The idea of the AP being available as RTA(ready to assemble) units strikes me as brilliant for shipping although, personally I would be inclined to use PVC solvent cement myself for assembly. But, my job required me to work in metals, plastics, wood and masonry so, I am pretty comfortable making or modifying components for enclosures and doing things a bit different than suggested.