Building a wooden reptile enclosure

Discussion in 'Enclosures, Heating & Lighting' started by rinako, Oct 28, 2010.

  1. rinako

    rinako New Member

    Messages:
    194
    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?
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  3. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
    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.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  5. Derek Barboza

    Derek Barboza Embryo

    Messages:
    3
    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?
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  7. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

    Messages:
    3,899
    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!
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  9. Derek Barboza

    Derek Barboza Embryo

    Messages:
    3
    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.
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  11. supernova

    supernova Member

    Messages:
    179
    I used laminate in my tank show here--> LINK
     

Share This Page