# Wood??



## zack13 (Dec 1, 2012)

Hey guys I'm just about to start my first ever build and want it to look good. So I don't want to use melamine. I want to make it a display enclosure. I have done quite a bit of looking but can't really find any nice wood that isn't harmful to the snakes like pine or cedar. 

So I guess my question is what are some good types of wood that you guys have used?


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## sharky (Dec 1, 2012)

I haven't built one yet but I will be soon. I always wanted to use red gum until I foud out the eucalyptus smell would harm the snakes  The only one that comes to mind right now is ply wood....not very pretty to look at though! Hope someone else can answer this question for you as I would love to know myself!


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## Emilie (Dec 1, 2012)

Just wondering why one can't use pine? I suppose in order to make it nice it would be treated with something


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## Monitors_R_Us (Dec 1, 2012)

Black Melamine looks fantastic.


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## zack13 (Dec 1, 2012)

Emilie said:


> Just wondering why one can't use pine? I suppose in order to make it nice it would be treated with something


I read it can release odours that can be harmful to your snake.


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## Xeaal (Dec 1, 2012)

Have seen plenty of pine enclosures for sale - most restored tv cabinets which are used as snake enclosures are pine (can be painted or varnished/sealed). And I don't understand why Eucalyptus would harm a snake when the wild ones live in them....


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## sharky (Dec 1, 2012)

Xeaal said:


> Have seen plenty of pine enclosures for sale - most restored tv cabinets which are used as snake enclosures are pine (can be painted or varnished/sealed). And I don't understand why Eucalyptus would harm a snake when the wild ones live in them....



I thought the strong aroma would irritate them, if not I'm building some red-gum enclosures because the wood looks amazing!!!


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## WillyInBris (Dec 1, 2012)

Xeaal said:


> Have seen plenty of pine enclosures for sale - most restored tv cabinets which are used as snake enclosures are pine (can be painted or varnished/sealed). And I don't understand why Eucalyptus would harm a snake when the wild ones live in them....



Yep that's got me as well where can we find the info on what we can use and what we cant.

lots of chipboard has some very bad glues used as well, everything has its negatives.

I am thinking about using marine ply it at least has A grade faces and looks nice not cheap though also been thinking about using merbau decking as well just to be a bit different, but I have all the tools to handle this so that wont be a problem either you could also use cladding I guess.


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## Bananapeel (Dec 1, 2012)

Treated pine has arsenic in and chemicals which are harmful but raw should be fine. don't know about redgum though sorry.


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## WillyInBris (Dec 1, 2012)

Bananapeel said:


> Treated pine has arsenic in and chemicals which are harmful but raw should be fine. don't know about redgum though sorry.



Yes wouldn't go near treated pine.


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## Stuart (Dec 1, 2012)

I'm almost done my raw pine and cypress enclosure. Though it looks great, the offset is that it's heavy as hell, around 140kg a cage.

Pics in this thread http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/family-pic-heavy-195414/


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## Gonemad (Dec 1, 2012)

If you look under "Building my enclosure" by JasonMini he used laminated wood looks great.


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## dragonlover1 (Dec 1, 2012)

normal timber is fine,don't use treated timber because of the poison involved in the treatment(another reason for avoiding pine board etc.).I have a couple of enclosures built of lacquered ship-lap pine.just make sure you air it properly before putting your reptiles in it


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## WillyInBris (Dec 1, 2012)

SniperCap said:


> I'm almost done my raw pine and cypress enclosure. Though it looks great, the offset is that it's heavy as hell, around 140kg a cage.
> 
> Pics in this thread http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/family-pic-heavy-195414/



They look fantastic Sniper good work.

You could always put some castors on with a removable skirt around the bottom to cover them up when in place then you could move them around at will.


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## Stuart (Dec 2, 2012)

WillyInBris said:


> They look fantastic Sniper good work.
> 
> You could always put some castors on with a removable skirt around the bottom to cover them up when in place then you could move them around at will.



Thanks mate, I can't take all the credit though. A couple of good friends did help out. 

I do like the idea of casters though!


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## sd1981 (Dec 2, 2012)

sharkyy1o5 said:


> I haven't built one yet but I will be soon. I always wanted to use red gum until I foud out the eucalyptus smell would harm the snakes  The only one that comes to mind right now is ply wood....not very pretty to look at though! Hope someone else can answer this question for you as I would love to know myself!



I was under the impression that strong scented hardwoods such as red gum could screw around with the snakes ability to discern the direction of scent for hunting its prey item, but with captive bred reptiles who are fed by tongs under the nose, this shouldn't cause any issues. I'm not aware of any health issues which can arise from a natural non toxic hardwood... No expert, but I have built enclosures from various eucalypts with no negative impact on the reptiles health, physical or otherwise.... Anyone else got anything?


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## WillyInBris (Dec 2, 2012)

SniperCap said:


> Thanks mate, I can't take all the credit though. A couple of good friends did help out.
> 
> I do like the idea of casters though!



You would just need to make sure that the fame on the bottom can support the weight without sag but then from what I can see it looks very well build indeed.

Anything I build has castors some of my equipment my mill and table saw weigh about 150kg each and move around with castors with no ill affects.

keep going with the photos!


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## wokka (Dec 2, 2012)

Any wood needs to be sealed inside the enclosure, so that generally takes care of any smells. Melonite comes already sealed with a plastic covering. Most "real " wood is heavy and needs joining as it is not available in wide sheets.


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## pyalda (Jan 8, 2013)

i painted and varnished over my pine encolosure..inside and out. someone on this forum told me it would be alright as long as i give it at least a week to air out.


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## Wing_Nut (Jan 8, 2013)

Plywood with timber veneer might offer a solution, the veneers, while a little time consuming to apply, are not terrible expensive and can be used to cover large areas and create a very nice look. Once sealed and finished they look great. My two cents


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## AirCooled (Jan 8, 2013)

If you try a real timber place and avoid the commercial hardwares,you should be able to buy untreated wood.


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## Bluetongue1 (Jan 8, 2013)

Timber contains nature oils and resins, with a range of volatile chemicals, some hazardous and some not. The types of chemicals given off depend on the particular type of wood. The amount given off depends on the number of storage glands exposed to the air i.e. on the surface area. For example, fresh pine shavings have a much stronger smell than a freshly sawn shelf of pine. It also depends on the age of the wood as the storage of volatile materials is depleted over time. 

Pine is one of the less hazardous timbers and fresh pine shavings are often used in pet shops with puppies and kittens. However, all forms of saw dust are considered to be potentially cancer causing and should not be breathed in. So work outside if sawing wood or wear an effective mask.

“Treated pine” refers to pine that has been treated with chemicals so that it can be used outdoors. It can be used as retaining logs for landscaping, cubbies and free-standing pergolas and decking. The original chemical was copper chrome arsenate (CCA). Copper provides protection against fungal rot, arsenic against termites and other boring insects and the chromium hold these two chemicals together. Whilst not really proven, there were concerns about the arsenic possibly leaching into the ground, such as in vegie patches and from landfill sites (tips) into ground water. The only proven issue is that the arsenic becomes airborne if the wood is burned. Nowadays there are three or four more environmentally friendly alternative treatments.

Any wood you use in constructing a cage needs to be coated so that it is waterproof. This prevents liquid waste seeping the wood and allowing rot. It also allows you to use water-based cleaning agents when you need to so. A seal that keeps water out will also keep any volatile chemicals in. So you can use whatever wood you like. If you want to go with a natural wood grain, three or so coats of polyurethane will do the trick. This is what high quality timber floors are finished with to make them water and wear resistant. Two or three coats of acrylic paint will have the same effect. Too easy.

Blue


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## Hamalicious (Jan 10, 2013)

If you stain high quality ply wood, it can actually look very nice. I build Aquarium stands out of it and stain it with a dark colour and then varnish it in clear. Many people have commented on them and are surprised to hear it's just ply wood.


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## NTNed (Jan 10, 2013)

+1 with Mrherp.

I use plywood for my enclosures, one thing to remember is that if you go to a wood supply place you can get what's called "appearance" grade ply. I'd also recommend using water based varnish etc as the smell clears out heaps quicker, a mistake I made on my first build and it took about 6 weeks for the smell to clear from the oil based stuff.

My large one has been stained with Cabot's Aussie Jarrah and people can't beleive it's ply either


.


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## snakeyy (Feb 24, 2013)

Any timber is fine as long as it is sealed 
which you would want to do anyway so it does not get wet and rot


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