Building my own viv, have questions and need suggestions.

[aussiefreak101]

I'm wanting to get a bearded dragon, haven't had one since I was little and am getting a bit frustrated at the enclosure deal. Since I'm in the US there seems to be a lack of proper reptile enclosures available. Any that I've been able to find online want an arm and a leg or are in the UK. Argh the US for being so much further behind in pet enclosures. I've decided to build my own, or rather get the supplies then pay my friends dad the labor in making it for me. So far I've decided on the 4'x2'x2' due to my bedroom size (I'll no longer have a school desk once this is done). My questions are
1) What kind of wood?
2) Is there any pet-safe wood treatments I need to use to make the inside waterproof or at least not unsafe?
3) Same kinda Q as 2 but for the outside, would it be safe to paint the outside how I want or is there specific stuff I need to color it if the wood isn't a color I like?
4) What is a proper size and amount of vents and ideal locations for them?

That's all I can think of for now. Any and all ideas and suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[Jaxxnbeardie]

http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/
This is what i based my viv design off of and seems to be the standard for bearie vivs.

 

[MrWhite]

I built a 4x2x2 viv using 3/4" Melamine. Melamine is a bit of a pain to work with and requires special saw blades to cut it without chipping the surface.

as far as sealing the inside of a wooden viv, I would use a waterbased sealant. The outside you can do whatever you want with, it won't be in contact with your beardie.

I use three 3" vents in the back of my viv, it seems to be fine for me. The only time I had an issue was during a heat spell this summer, I don't have air conditioning in the house so the inside of my viv got rather warm. I solved the problem by just leaving the sliding glass doors of my viv open about an inch on each side.

 

[FoothillBeardie]

Where in the US are you? Email reptihuts@ gmail.com and let me know what specifics you are looking for in a cage. Thanks. Mike.

 

[aussiefreak101]

Thank you. I'm quite on my way to actually building it, just waiting for the $ now to get the supplies. I have the design pretty down pat, supplies and colors picked out, and am pretty happy with it. I had to deal with the fact of no large pieces of wood or even melamine with a different color other than white anywhere around here. I refuse to let that stop me from getting a dragon or having a neat enclosure. I will post more as it starts to come together!

 

[FoothillBeardie]

Make sure if your using glass you price it out first. It can get expensive if not buying in bulk. Thanks. Mike.