What building materials keep humid?

[j_becwar]

I am building a few stackable boa cages soon and i wanted to know what i could use to build it to keep the humidity up. I know that the glass tanks are bad for that. I would love to buy some of Jeff's boaphile cages but when your 17 and only have a weekend job you can't even dream of it. ;)

I would like to build these without any flaws because i'm planning on keeping them for years to come, so if anyone has any helpfull tips i would really appreciate it.

Thanks Jamie

[polacan]

Hey J, i think i herd something about melamine being good for both heat and humidity. :'(

[denny_rimes]

Before there was Boaphile Plastics, even Jeff used melamine for a long time. Its cheap and works well, the biggest drawback is that it is quite heavy....hey, did I mention that its cheap! :(

Denny ;D

[sparky4601]

I have to say that you can't beat the quallity and light weight of jeffs tanks. I built my own tanks out of sheets of aspen very light weight wood and holds up humidity perfect!! it costed me about $100 for two tanks thats all the wood,plexiglass, and hardware.

[polacan]

Hey Sparky, nice cage!! what did you seal the bottom with?A freind of mine gave me a cage he wasn't going to be using,but it's not even sanded.I don't know what to use since theres some stuff that could harm snakes :(.

[j_becwar]

Thank guys, I have my snakes in glass tanks (one that i built myself and was quite proud of), but the boas keep having hard times shedding so I wanted to get them something new. And Sparky what did you seal the wood with?

Here is the tank that I made. Looks nice but doesn't function perfect. One more question. I bought one of those cheap thermometers, is the one in the pic good enough or do I need to get one of those nice digital ones?
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/j_becwar/169_6945.jpg

[sparky4601]

the inside of the cage is laminated and the outside is black house paint

[denny_rimes]

Get a good thermometer.....it just is not worth risking a malfunction and possibly exposing your boa to the risk of health issues. It is worth a few extra bucks to have the peace of mind. It takes several years to raise a boa to healthy adulthood and one bad RI to kill it in no time at all!

Denny

[j_becwar]

where a good place to pick up some nice thermostats?

[polacan]

I always thought that laminating the inside was a good idea,but wasn't sure enough :-/.thanks :'(!! Hey j, Jeff sells thermoststs too!

[denny_rimes]

where a good place to pick up some nice thermostats?

Jeff sells them! They are made by Ranco.

Denny

[SABOAMAN]

Hi Jamie.I found some great tips on building cages on this website ;D http://www.arbreptiles.com

The cages he build are detailed under his caging section and there is a link to buy a cage building manual.Hope this helps you