Thinking about making a reptile enclosure out of wood myself at some point. Is there a type of wood that is universally safe for reptiles?
A little late, I apologize - but this is a very good question. Most woods and plywood are going to be alright to use, I tend to favor the look of Oak so I used oak ply for the majority of my builds. Melamine is a common scene in reptile enclosures and racks but it is very heavy - how humid is the environment that the herp will be in? Really the only woods to avoid are some confiers and those that emit phenols - such as Pine and Cedar. These are not going to be acceptable for use inside reptile enclosures.
A lil late, but just discovered this thread. About the plywood, I've been thinking about building custom enclosures and I'm a lil skeptical about using plywood because they're treated with formaldehyde. I'm pretty much asking if that'll cause health concerns? And if so is there a way to negate that by say, sealing the plywood before assembling an enclosure?
Most people who build with plywood do not leave it as just plywood, they line it. Some people place thin plastic throughout the container, others use a strong sealant or polyurethane.... either way it isn't left as just treated wood. Good luck with the enclosure!
Okay awesome! I was thinking of covering the inside of the tank with those sheets of fiberglass thats mostly used for fabrication and using that as my sealant, then putting heat tape under the fiberglass so that the heat source will easily be able to heat the tank, but wont be in direct contact with my snakes. Then i want to take the tape and wire it to a set of switches and do the same with the lights. I have a tank that was built with that general idea in mind and it works great! Might be able to get some pictures up here.