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What paint is safe for snakes?

N

Nekoda

New member
I have a gorgeous hand made vivarium that I want to move my snake into. Its made of birch plywood, with sliding glass doors on the front, raised up off the floor about 2 feet. The person I purchased it from housed a python in it before his mother made him get that thing out of her house!
Anyway, its very well built, but I do need to put some kind of ventilation in the back as right now there is none at all. I also want to repaint the inside, as right now its black, and very dark. Is there any kind of paint that would be safer than another for this purpose?
Thanks in advance for your help.
I will add a pic of it when I can get one. The viv isn't at my home right now.
 
There's plastic paint like Varathane Colours in Plastic, but the off gassing would keep going for a few months in an enclosed area, and I don't think snakes would take VOC's too well. What about laminating it with Plexiglas/Lucite? If you sanded the paint off it would look rather pretty through the plastic, and you can caulk the corners.
 
I am not sure any paint is safe on the inside of a viv because of the above mentioned off gassing but.... you can maybe use the self sticking tiles like you put on floors. Just need to make sure that it has stuck down super well and that the snake can not come in any contact with the backing. (I did this for my burm and it worked great plus was super easy to keep clean :) )
 
My snake's viv is made out of a 75 gallon saltwater aquarium. It was handmade out of just 3/4" plywood. The inside is painted baby blue paint, hard like epoxy paint.
Maybe check the aquarium supply people?
 
Two ideas.

You could sand off the paint and leave it at that.

Cut to size a sheet of melamine or wood of choice and screw it right to the existing panel.

I have seem colorful vinyl/plastic panels somewhere you can have cut to size and screw in right over the existing panel...easy to clean too.

http://www.interstateplastics.com/detail.aspx?ID=acrylicmirror-SBr013

http://www.plasticproductsltd.com/products.htm

http://www.rplastics.com/plasticsheet.html

Or you could get the same cleanability and look by cutting a length of wallpaper or even the drawer liner material etc and put that between the existing panel and then just go to the hardware store and have a piece of plexiglass cut to size and screw it on over the colorful wallpaper etc of choice.

At The Home Depot there is Zero VOC paint. There are several great nature type colors. Never used it myself though. And I would still wait a week.

Good luck. Post a pic when it's done:)
 
Look for non-toxic paints intended for children's rooms and toys, natural paints are supposed to be the healthiest ones seeing as they have no synthetic chemicals or VOCs. Usually baby-safe paint contains a mother holding an child's hand on it.
 
Either or any but I would lean to safe like spourget but still use an air mover type house fan in for a few days to get the smell out!!

Other reptile tanks use like marine paint but I have no Idea how long they wait??
 
Oh yeah how long due you folks wait for silicone to clear? Contact cement, or even 3% bleach solution once well rinsed?
I know I know but will all use these sometime or another??
 
Thanks for the input! I don't want to sand off the inside, thats more work that I really think is necessary! I will see what is available in my area for natural paints, I really didn't know such things were available! I really need to get out more!
Also, on the same idea, I want to put lino or something on the bottom as it is also solid wood. Is the glue going to be safe? I know I will need to wait a while before moving Nekoda into her new home.
What is the best way to put a UTH into a solid wood viv like this one? i've read some poeple have attached the UTH to the bottom of a ceramic tile...I'm wondering if I could just get a piece of glass cut to the size of the bottom and attach the UTH to it?
Thoughts?
I spend most of my time just reading on this site...and love the information I find here.
Thanks again!
 
Most non VOC paints will work provided that you give a descent enough waiting period making sure that no smell is detectable before introducing your snake to the viv. I normally leave silicone sealer for 10 days after application before using the viv.
If the wood is not too thick just stick the UTH to the underside of the viv.

Ciao
 
I kind of wonder why most folks say like...plastic paint or marine paint or melamine.
I mean, it all good stuff but to me it's an over kill.
If you practice good husbandry, cleaning out any spill, spot clean poop. and change the bedding you shouldn't may a problem using a latex paint with
a few coat of a water base polyurethane. And the use of the water base polyurethane is more for the quick drying time than regular urethane.
The snake shouldn't be in a damp environment. And even with an excess of misting or watery poop or water spillage shouldn't be problem for what I recommend. And the bedding dose absorb most of this.

With the use of any product, silicone, paint or varnish, the main concern is it being totally dry.
At that time the fumes are gone. And to me, fumes in an enclosure creates the real problems.
 
Nekoda said:
What is the best way to put a UTH into a solid wood viv like this one
Click to expand...

I don't know if this is the best way, but this is what I did. The plywood is 3/4" thick and it didn't heat enough through the wood.
If your wood is thinner I would test it, you may not need to modify it.
 
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To be honest.. i do not know, other members do but i don't have a clue!!
If you cannot get much info then google some fact sheets, but be careful, not all information is true from the internet

My advice is you stick to what these lot are saying : ) good luck!
 
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