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What wood is best for building a snake enclosure?

J

Juxtaposition109

New member
I want to build my corn snake a new snake enclosure so that she will have more room to roam around. I know from reading a lot of books that certain substrates like pine and cedar are bad for snakes. This is making me raise the question about which woods would be acceptable to build a snake enclosure for my corn snake. Any one have some good suggestions for me?
 
It's going to depend on the type of enclosure your building. If it's a rack, then you can use a variety of types. Most sweater boxes that are sold now don't fit snug up against the next shelf, so you have to use the lid. I built my Rack out of Melamine just because it looks so nice. It's heavy though!

If you are building a display type viv, I would suggest using something that is water proof. Like the paneling used on bathroom walls, like a splash guard. You can also polyurethane the wood or use plexiglass.

Avoid things like stains or toxic paints that might come in direct contact with the snake.

Good Luck

Wayne
 
I'd recommend birch plywood. Its what I used and worked very well. Just make sure that you seal it up silky smooth (use a water based sealant) and to make sure the sealant has fully cured.
 
Interesting answers.

It really doesn’t matter what kind of wood you use from the snake’s standpoint because the snake is not going to come into contact with the wood itself. Staining the wood is not a problem either because you will need to seal over the top of the stain.

If you are building a display type cage I agree that Birch plywood is a good choice. Of the hardwoods it will be the least expensive and it looks nice.

The most important step of the building process is going to be the finish. I guessing you don’t have spray equipment so you will be using a brush. Start with a good sealer, once it has dried sand it with 220 grit and then follow up with one or two good top coats. Polyurethane is a good choice. Go to a paint store (Not Home Depot) and talk to someone that knows what they are talking about. They will help you pick the right product.

None of the paints and varnishes are really a problem for your snake as long as you let them dry completely before you add the snake. With some finishes this may take as long as a week or two.
 
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