Sealents n Wood

[Heebeejeebies]

Hello! I was recently wanting to upgrade our beardies enclosure to a larger size and I found this hamster enclosure that seems perfect. I wanted to know if it is safe for her as it is made of fir wood. If the wood is not safe is there a way I can seal it to make it safe? And does the wood pose a fire risk with her heating lamp?

Here is the enclosure - PawHut 3 Tiers Wooden Hamster Cage Mice and Rat Habitat, Exercise Play House Pen with Opening Roof, Pull-Out Tray, Hut and Ramps https://a.co/d/9DwoLYZ

 

[KarrieRee]

Hello! I was recently wanting to upgrade our beardies enclosure to a larger size and I found this hamster enclosure that seems perfect. I wanted to know if it is safe for her as it is made of fir wood. If the wood is not safe is there a way I can seal it to make it safe? And does the wood pose a fire risk with her heating lamp?

Here is the enclosure - PawHut 3 Tiers Wooden Hamster Cage Mice and Rat Habitat, Exercise Play House Pen with Opening Roof, Pull-Out Tray, Hut and Ramps Amazon.com

I would not advise this -- the enclosure looks too small and the shelving is too close together - the basking bulbs need at least 6" above the decor ---- unless you use a 5.0 UVB bulb that needs to be distance of 6-8 inches w/ no screen --- I would not consider a dragon a small pet -- dragons need a 4x2x2 tank -- or a 120 gallon tank -- this one measures out to a 90 gallon tank - unless you can remedy the platforms to distance you need I suppose it a option --- that is my opinion - lets see if some others can weigh in on this and see what they say -- as far as the wood I am not sure so we need Liam CooperDragons op and Claudiusx op
@CooperDragon
@Claudiusx

 

[Claudiusx]

You would need to seal it anyways as it's raw wood and will get ruined quickly otherwise.

It could work with some modifications. Might be a good base to start out with if you were going to modify it so that it is more beardie suitable.

-Brandon

 

[Heebeejeebies]

I would not advise this -- the enclosure looks too small and the shelving is too close together - the basking bulbs need at least 6" above the decor ---- unless you use a 5.0 UVB bulb that needs to be distance of 6-8 inches w/ no screen --- I would not consider a dragon a small pet -- dragons need a 4x2x2 tank -- or a 120 gallon tank -- this one measures out to a 90 gallon tank - unless you can remedy the platforms to distance you need I suppose it a option --- that is my opinion - lets see if some others can weigh in on this and see what they say -- as far as the wood I am not sure so we need Liam CooperDragons op and Claudiusx op
@CooperDragon
@Claudiusx

I was not planning on keeping the platforms in as they are removable. This enclosure is 45 inches long which is only 3 inches short of a 4×2×2 enclosure. She has a heat emitter and a uvb tube light which I would attach below the screen. She would get a Basking platform I make or buy separately.

 

[Heebeejeebies]

You would need to seal it anyways as it's raw wood and will get ruined quickly otherwise.

It could work with some modifications. Might be a good base to start out with if you were going to modify it so that it is more beardie suitable.

-Brandon

I would be modifying it to make ot suitable for her. Do you recommend a certain sealant?

 

[KarrieRee]

I was not planning on keeping the platforms in as they are removable. This enclosure is 45 inches long which is only 3 inches short of a 4×2×2 enclosure. She has a heat emitter and a uvb tube light which I would attach below the screen. She would get a Basking platform I make or buy separately.

Do you have a solid clear bright white basking bulb -- a che is not a appropriate basking bulb-- Che's do not give off uva and you want to mimic the sun a che does not do that

 

[Claudiusx]

I would be modifying it to make ot suitable for her. Do you recommend a certain sealant?

Not really. Most anything will do, the key is to make sure the sealant has time to fully cure (for our purposes, this is typically much longer than the container states.)

If you're going to seal it with a traditional wood sealer, you might want to look for one that is rated for exterior use. The exterior use ones have UV protectants in them to help prevent yellowing from UV radiation.

-Brandon