New Project.

[jamromhem]

I am working on a more permanent enclosure for my little checkered girl.

I am making her a large *box* It is about 26" tall 30" wide and will be about 24" deep. plenty of room for my little checkered to grow.

I am trying to think of what would be a good interior sealant for the wood to waterproof it to prevent her wastes from soaking into the wood and ruining it over time.

i was thinking some sort of exterior paint, but I don't want to poison her in the process..

and ideas?

The exterior will be wood finish stained, but The inside is what I am trying to decide what to use to line it.

I'll post pics as I can. It will have a front door that will fold down attached by a piano hinge and will have a desk drawer lock at the top to prevent meddling kids from getting into it.

I finished the front door today with it's clear lexan front in a wooden frame.

It is sitting in the garage letting the wood glue cure.

[Mommy2many]

Ooops, thought you said plants, not "paints" anyways :I use pothos plants. Nice big leaves, like the water dish and easy to keep. Heck, if I can keep one alive, anyone can!:D

[guidofatherof5]

They make some pretty tough latex paints out there. I don't think I've ever heard of a problem with it and reptiles. Might be something to look into.

[jamromhem]

KK I will see if I can get a phone consult with the local herp vet to see if there might be any ill effects in regards to latex paint and direct contact. Thanks for that much, i'll follow up if I find anything out.

What other kinds of surface covers do people use for wooden enclosures?

[guidofatherof5]

I'm trying a spray can water based Polyurethane today.It's called Varathane from Rust-Oleum. Looks like it should work pretty well.

[mtolypetsupply]

Marine epoxies work very well, as would a coat of silicone. Also, you could overlay the wood with tile board from HD or Lowes, caulk the seams and any staple/nail holes, and even change it out later if it gets nasty. Traditional tile could be done as well, and would help in the heat distribution/retention, as well. You can also use a shower pan liner on the bottom and up the sides, and epoxy that in.

As far as toxicity, so long as you let it off-gas until there is NO more smell left, most products are just fine. Marine expoxies and silicone are often used by frog keepers, and frogs seem to be more sensitive than our snakes. Since you're consulting your herp vet, I'm sure you'll get great advice, whatever product you choose.

Can't wait to see pics of it!

[jamromhem]

I have about 90% of the cuts done on the wood, just need to cut a couple of the side panels to size. I'll take some pics and give you some ideas of how it is looking. The front door is the only "finished" parts so far minus the exterior stain and the interior paint/water seal. other than that just some presetting holes for the screws to keep wood from cracking some screwing it together and hinges. a hole for the lock and it is about done.

[jamromhem]

ok I know that I was leaving you all in suspense (because none of you have seen an enclosure before) :P


http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj433/jamromhem/PIC-0129.jpg

ok that is me in the box putting it together. (it is finished now short of staining the outside and painting the inside.)

I am going to put breathing holes on the sides and gut the lighting system for my other tank and mount it at the top for lighting/heating. I may put a small fan for a computer in the side to promote air circulation. that still has to be decided, and designed since I would have to make a custom power adapter for it. I'll update you on that one.

To the right you can see the front door that folds down and has chains inside to keep it at a 90 degree from the box when opened.

(I'll put up another picture of it soon to show you the semi- finished product)

I made it so it is stack able should I get more snakes in the future and need to make another similar to this ;).

Only part left to fabricate is the small raise to set it on with the hinges being under the front of the bottom to allow the door to sit perfectly flush with the front of the box.

All that is left is some (alot) of sanding staining. painting the inside (probably a grey exterior paint or something . I have yet to try to contact the herp vet to verify that would be a safe option.)

There will be a little bit of wood putty put in to fill small gaps, and to install the lock at the top of the door. there are two hooks on the sides but I would like an actual lock due to my children being completely unable to understand not to touch things some times.

[jamromhem]

oh and if you look really hard you can tell what I do for a living and what brand I smoke :P LOLOL..

[guidofatherof5]

Just something from a forum friend. Stop smoking.:) We'd like you around for a good long time. It's also very unhealthy for the snake, heck, everyone.:)
Think of the money you would save and could spend on new enclosures and Thamnophis. I'm sure you've heard much of this before but I felt obligated to say something. I lost my Dad to smoking and 23 years after he died he killed my mother from it.
Hope I didn't upset you. That was not my intent.

[jamromhem]

no worries.. I hear it enough I am not sensitive to it at all. :P

The idea of this project is light weight. even with the size of the box it is still well less than 20 lbs. possibly less than 10. I haven't weighed it, but it feels very light to me.

[jamromhem]

ok sorry for my long absence :P Been busy.. my honey do list had "renovate the living room" shoved to the top of it.. I am hoping to have the new wood flooring down and trim done before x-mas. This is further along then the last picture i put up, but not finished :P.. I have an appt with the herp vet in the area this afternoon i'll ask her about the paint. :P

[ConcinusMan]

Just something from a forum friend. Stop smoking.:) We'd like you around for a good long time. It's also very unhealthy for the snake, heck, everyone.:)
Think of the money you would save and could spend on new enclosures and Thamnophis. I'm sure you've heard much of this before but I felt obligated to say something. I lost my Dad to smoking and 23 years after he died he killed my mother from it.
Hope I didn't upset you. That was not my intent.

oh shuddup! (just teasin' you) I smoke too, but not in my house! If it's stormin' really bad I'll smoke by the natural gas stove hood vent in my kitchen so the smoke gets sucked outside. My dad is 64 yrs old and he's smoked since he was 13. His next oldest brother never smoked a day in his life but he died in '94 of LUNG CANCER. go figure.

As far as the setup goes, I don't really like wood setups like that. I go for plexiglass or real glass setups with locking screen tops, homemade or not, and only 12 inches high for ground dwellers like garters. No higher. But, as far as "safe" paints go, I wouldn't use latex at all. Machine enamel. Now that's tough, hard, waterproof, and once completely cured, I'm sure it's safe. Even if I did use wood for an enclosure, plywood or particle board is out! no way. Still trying to figure out how proper lighting, heat, and ventilation can be provided in a box like that. Garters should NOT have any way they can get to the actual light fixtures or bulbs. Not only that, but you can only see them through that screen top. Bad setup IMHO.


I'm trying a spray can water based Polyurethane today.It's called Varathane from Rust-Oleum. Looks like it should work pretty well.

NO! BAD NEWS! an oil-based enamel would be a better choice.