Hold back on enclosure

[beardie_love]

Due to weather changes, my new job, and barely any time, the enclosure I was in the process of building, has been held back. Moving forward, I'm trying to get this done before winter arrives. Now without further ado, some questions. Before that, I probably looked hilarious in Home Depot today, thinking I knew what I was doing/buying...... but I didn't. Much more homework on this enclosure than I expected. ANYway...........

I've decided not to paint the entire thing like I said I was. Found a way to work around painting it (because I love the color and the existing wood grain).

Okay, so, I'm going to be putting shelves and stuff for Baby to climb. Do I just use regular plywood and leave it bare?

I'm not going to grout tiles directly on the wood of the cabinet. I'm going to grout it to plywood. It is PINE and CEDAR that are toxic to reptiles, right? BUT, if I'm grouting tiles to some kind of wood, in the odd case, can I use pine or cedar? (won't necessarily be exposed to the animal). Spruce plywood was an okay price - can I use this??

I think those are all the questions I have for right now. No doubt I'll think of some later. So, if ALL these questions could be answered in detail, it would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[beardie_love]

Help, anyone? ???

 

[Beardie_Mommy3991]

Sorry. i am lost when it comes to carpentry stuff

 

[SoleSky]

I'm not sure what type of wood particle board is made out of but it would be good shelf material because of its durability and texture. No splintering and such as I'm afraid plywood would create.

 

[beardie_love]

I believe particle board is a combination of mixed scraps and sawdust of different kinds of wood.... I'd be afraid of toxic wood waste.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hard woods mostly are safe to use.. Birch, oak are good.

I have shelves in all my enclosures, just a length across upper middle of the enclosure, to offer a running space. Dragons do enjoy watching things..
In 3 of the 4 enclosures, I used a piece of ceramic tile as a high basking spot. I don't seal those to the wood, as the tiles are heavy enough to stay put.

What ever you use, just make sure to sand it down really well, so no splinters or loose particles are present.

Most soft woods, such as pines (evergreens) are a no no.. I'd stay well clear of those.
You can use plywood that has 100% of safe wood. Again, sand it down really well.

If you use Polyurethane, keep in mind that at temps 160*F the urethane will break down in around a year's time..

Hope this helps out.

 

[beardie_love]

Janie,
I saw some oak, it was beautiful, but the price is nuts. I'll probably be getting a big 4' x 8', and the cost of OAK is 75 bucks. Wow! Is spruce plywood okay to use?

Hey I think I like that idea of having a piece of tile where the basking spot is. Hmmmmmm. I probably won't seal that one.

So, I sand down the wood for the shelving, and I can immediately use like that?

I also might consider using melamine. And since it has a smooth surface, I'll put down thin little pieces of wood horizontally so that the dragon can get a good grip to go upward.

 

[Craiger]

Cabinet grade birch isn't all that expensive. It's what I made Sam's enclosure and stand out of. I think it was somewhere around $25 for a 4x8 sheet.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Janie, Is spruce plywood okay to use?
This is in the evergreen family, so a no no.

Hey I think I like that idea of having a piece of tile where the basking spot is. Hmmmmmm. I probably won't seal that one.

So, I sand down the wood for the shelving, and I can immediately use like that?
I have always sealed mine in with polyurethane, however this will need to be reapplied annually.

I also might consider using melamine. And since it has a smooth surface, I'll put down thin little pieces of wood horizontally so that the dragon can get a good grip to go upward.

Sure you can use that... But instead of the wood ... use smaller pieces of 4" tile instead...

Hope this helps.

 

[SoleSky]

I believe particle board is a combination of mixed scraps and sawdust of different kinds of wood.... I'd be afraid of toxic wood waste.

Good point, I'll look that up.

 

[beardie_love]

Janie, Is spruce plywood okay to use?
This is in the evergreen family, so a no no.

Hey I think I like that idea of having a piece of tile where the basking spot is. Hmmmmmm. I probably won't seal that one.

So, I sand down the wood for the shelving, and I can immediately use like that?
I have always sealed mine in with polyurethane, however this will need to be reapplied annually.

I also might consider using melamine. And since it has a smooth surface, I'll put down thin little pieces of wood horizontally so that the dragon can get a good grip to go upward.

Sure you can use that... But instead of the wood ... use smaller pieces of 4" tile instead...

Hope this helps.

I don't understand how that would work? ??? The shelves are going to be running the length of the viv. It's going to be like a whole nother level.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Well, first, see if the dragon has any difficulty traversing the length, without skidding.. If no issues, just ignore that... However if there are issues then just randomly place pieces across the length for purchase.
I will admit, I've never tried this myself... It was only an idea.
Hope this helps.