Can pine/cedar/spruce etc. be used to build the enclosure?

[littlelizard]

If it is sealed with varnish or something? I'm going to talk to a guy for a custom build tomorrow and he said hardwood would be a lot more $$$. What would be a good non-toxic thing to treat/waterproof the wood with?

Thanks!

 

[PinkPunisher]

I used Spruce for all my cage builds and I've had reptiles use unsealed Spruce as a basking spot with no problems. My tegu regularly walks on unsealed Spruce wood because I never sealed the outside of her cage. Like I said, no problems from me and I've never heard anything bad about Spruce.

Spencer

 

[Tux]

pinus and picea are in the Pinaceae family but they are different subfamilies, I have never heard picea was an issue, it does have similar oils but if dried/aged it may not be near as bad as pine and/or the oils maybe somewhat different, I don't personally know as I have limited experience with it. As SPF have no resistance to water naturally I would seal any of them no matter what, water based polyurethane is what I use as sealer.

 

[littlelizard]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[olympus]

I used pine to make mt cage with no problem.