New Cages

Hey I'm makeing cages for some of my snakes and they are made out of wood & I need something to seal the inside of the cage with, to keep the fecies and water from being absorbed into the wood. Any help will be greatly apprecated.

Thanks Darryl

[Doug]

Hi,
This is the one reason I don't build cages , almost all the materials you can use can be toxic to a snake.
Put several coats of a fast drying poly inside the cage don't forget the top of the cage or moisture may damage the wood. After you feel you have sealed the cage . I would take a silicon glue the clear stuff and re-seal all the corners of the floor and interior corners of the cage any spots you miss may cause problems Seal it like its gonna float on water like they seal fish tanks so the glass will not leak at the corners  . I saw this really sweet wood cage fall apart in a couple years from humidity and problems with the wood used due to soaking and swelling.
   There are numerous ideas  cwm15.gifon how to prevent this just be sure the materials you use completly dry out and are not from a varnish or tree sap origins poly is plastic and should dry completly.
  doug   good luck    

[threekids]

heya boss,
I too have had this prob. if you really would like to overcompensate you can use fiberglass resin, found at any marine store. this is very toxic when applied and only do this outside or the smell will be in your home for months. this coating is almost indestructsable. I once made a buddy of mine a half water tank 8 ft. long half water 12 inches with a filter with this stuff and cheap plywood. this is the most extreme way of seeling a tank I know of, but I completely agree about the seems being the most important area to seal and re seal.

mark

[Goob]

you could use lanolium thats what I have in my big cage

[chris_peterman]

When you seal the corners and seams go down to your local pet store and see if you can get some aqarium safe sealent. It's what I use in all my cages.You can even get it in a large tube and use it in a chulking gun.Just be sure to use it in a well ventillated area,stinks very much bad kind of like a strong vinegar,when it dries it's completely oderless.

[Panama_Red]

If you must use wood get some formica and glue it to the floor and buy paint that is non toxic when dry for the sides and top and then seal all of the corners with clear silicone I have used this with large pythons that are too big for manufactured cages it will last forever if you build it well and snake mess wipes right off formica.