Custom tank what should i use?...

[nicky]

Hey guys,
I'm planning on building my cornsnake a custom tank as soon as i get my new room so he can have more room to excersie and i won;t have to take him outside as much( i watch for birds and check him over once he comes inside for parasites which i have prevent a mite and tick medicine). Anyways I wanted to make it atleast 6 feet long so he can have at least a whole extra foot when hes streched out and exploring. I want it to be 3 feet wide because i really hate tank setups today its like living in a hallway so ya at least 3 feet wide and then around 3 feet tall because nicky loves to climb hes just a bit clumbsy so thats why i don't want it tall enough to hurt himself( 3 feet isn't to tall is it?) I wan it to be a sliding front so i guess the front will have to be all glass. Then the rest could be wook but i'm not sure what kind to use?(obviously not cedar) and then what kind of coatings do i have to put on the wood befor i put my corn in. How long should i let it air out befor putting nicky in it? and will the bulbs ( i'll be using a 100watt night bulb because it spreads the heat better with those flurecent tube bulbs for light plus uva and uvb help the colors.) when the heat the cage set the wood on fire because its to hot?( had it happen earlyer this year and deffently do not want a repeat, no animals were hurt btw)
Sorry it's my first time building a cage and i don't want to mess it up because its nicky that would pay the price.
Thx in advance
Kayla

 

[pcar]

I would say that the wood that you use could be anything that you want. except cedar, juniper, and probably pine. You would probably want to paint the inside with some kind of latex paint so that it will be easy to clean. I would allso put a fold out bottom on it so that you won't have to go though the front of the cage to clean it. As far as the light, get some kind of an electrical box (like the ones that you put in walls to hold the wire and switches) and use that to insulate the wood from the bulb.

 

[nicky]

Thx alot,
i'll post some pics when its done but that won;t be for ahwile as its a big project for me.
rock on
Kayla

 

[Darin]

First of all, holy crap, you are building the cornsnake mansion. I'm going to have to make sure my corns don't hear about this or they might revolt and refuse to live in their rubbermaids. Just one suggestion, you might consider using melamine. Either that or you will need to waterproof the enclosure somehow if you use a different kind of wood. There are times when you will need to spray for humidity, the waterbowl will spill, or the snake will leave you a lovely pool of urine. Not to mention the wetness associated with cleaning. Whatever material you use, make sure it is impermeable to water. If not, it will mildew and warp. Sounds like a great project though. Your snake will love it.

 

[pcar]

The Latex paint should help with keeping the wood from absorbing water and warping. but you may still have problems with mildew. You might want to go to your local hardware store and tell them what you want to build, and see what they suggest. they may have a lot of ideas on what to use so you don't have to worry about water proofing. the other thing that you can do is line the inside completely with plexy-glass. Depending on your monetary budget, this may not be good, but will give you good protection.