# best way to fight wood rot



## akward_silence91 (Jun 11, 2008)

is epoxy good enough or do you need something else. apparently, at a nearby pet store, the owner says that epoxy isn't enough and will rot in a year and he says to use tarp or pond liner for the bottom and sides of the cage. I'm thinking "Thats going to look retarded." Any suggestions and is he right or wrong?


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## olympus (Jun 11, 2008)

The wood finish that I used had polyurathane inside of it and it worked pretty good...


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## akward_silence91 (Jun 12, 2008)

so you don't think epoxy is dangerous? because txrepgirl on the tegu.com said it's too dangerous, but i think she is talking about the epoxy unreacted. is this true or am I the fool that just put a layer of slow and painful death for my tegu in his cage (mind you I don't have a tegu yet, nxt week or so.)


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## Kazzy (Jun 12, 2008)

Use ceramic tiles. Seal them, and they'll hold the water off. Don't use lenolium, as it releases a fume when warm.


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## DaveDragon (Jun 12, 2008)

I used vinyl sheet flooring on clearance for $3 a linear foot. It cost me $18 each. How many Tegu's have a parquet floor?? 

http://tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=345

As far a it releasing any fumes, that's possible, but so do our Tegu's. The vinyl is covered by 6"-8" of substrate so I doubt it gets very warm down there.

Ceramic tile is OK but it is heavy and the installation must be done right or the grout might crack and leak. The grout should be sealed every year or so to maintain it's water tightness.

I think vinyl is the best option, it's water tight (with silicone sealed seams) and the Tegu's haven't scratched it yet.


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## akward_silence91 (Jun 12, 2008)

thanks, so yeah, i'll look into vinyl and also been hearing things about spraying a layer of plastic truck bed liner is good too, but I'd like to make sure first. but yeah, I'm just a first time cage builder who needs to be guided in the right direction so he doesn't harm his animals unsuspectingly.


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 12, 2008)

Kazzy said:


> Use ceramic tiles. Seal them, and they'll hold the water off. Don't use lenolium, as it releases a fume when warm.



Actually, not to pick a fight, but thats false... according to a 1999 study completed by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National
Institute of Standards and Technology

I use linoleum to line all my cages. When linoleum reaches around 350*F, it releases a gas in which will blind humans/animals and create a possible RI. Now, if your going to be lighting the cage on fire, then you should worry about the fumes. 

Same as PVC (so those who have PVC objects in their aboreal cages, you dont have to worry unless its on fire)


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 12, 2008)

akward_silence91 said:


> is epoxy good enough or do you need something else. apparently, at a nearby pet store, the owner says that epoxy isn't enough and will rot in a year and he says to use tarp or pond liner for the bottom and sides of the cage. I'm thinking "Thats going to look retarded." Any suggestions and is he right or wrong?



Just strip, and repaint your enclosures yearly.


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## akward_silence91 (Jun 12, 2008)

oh yeah, forgot to mention, unless this is obvious, I'm using marine epoxy, for like boats and stuff.


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## Toby_H (Jun 13, 2008)

Drylock can seal wood to be water tight...

I have a friend who has a Drylock sealed plywood fish tank that is over a year old and still holds water...

I have heard reports that Drylock can peel after extended periods (over one year) when used to seal a plywood fish tank, but I doubt it would, or it would take much longer, when not submerged.

I'll be using Drylock to seal my Tegu cage...


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## DaveDragon (Jun 13, 2008)

Toby_H said:


> I'll be using Drylock to seal my Tegu cage...


The only question is will it stand up to being scratched when they burrow. My arms don't, they bleed. :mrgreen:


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## Kazzy (Jun 13, 2008)

Thanks for the info, Rehab! I stand corrected


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## Toby_H (Jun 13, 2008)

DaveDragon said:


> Toby_H said:
> 
> 
> > I'll be using Drylock to seal my Tegu cage...
> ...



I would assume if the Tegu heavily clawed one spot it would cut through the Drylock pretty quickly...

With 6"+ of burrowable material in the bottom of the cage is it likely the Tegus will attempt to claw through the wood floor beneath the borrowable material?

For their indoor adult cage I've considered using HardiBoard (which is essentially concrete plywood) sealed with Drylock... This is probably overkill though and would add a lot of weight to the cage...

I'm going to guess that plywood painted with a thick coat of Drylock is a good bit tougher than skin... but as I've not put it to the test myself I cannot say if it's 'tough enough'...


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## DaveDragon (Jun 13, 2008)

Toby_H said:


> I would assume if the Tegu heavily clawed one spot it would cut through the Drylock pretty quickly...
> 
> With 6"+ of burrowable material in the bottom of the cage is it likely the Tegus will attempt to claw through the wood floor beneath the borrowable material?


The vinyl flooring I used very slick and doesn't have a scratch in it yet (6 months). Their cypress is 6"-8" deep. Ours seem to just want to get under the surface, not dig to China. Our big male Red is 8.5 lbs and has some pretty big claws!


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## RehabRalphy (Jun 13, 2008)

Kazzy said:


> Thanks for the info, Rehab! I stand corrected



I wasnt wanting to be mean or anything. No hard feelings. 8)


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## Kazzy (Jun 13, 2008)

I know


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