particle board vs plywood

[JohnMatthew]

So i'm tossing some ideas around for an indoor enclosure. I plan on keeping my extreme giant indoors for the first couple years, we have alot of wildlife out here in the country and what I plan for him when he's moved outside is just too big to topcover(planning addictional room for some down the road girlfriends :lol: ). I've run into a wall as far as what siding materials to use.

I've worked with fiberboard before(though not water sealed), and it seems to take humidity very poorly - eventually swelling and just falling apart. Any advice with people who've worked with fiberboard and/or plywood. Plywood is definitely longer lasting, but is there some drawback to housing tegus on it as opposed to fiberboard?

 

[tupinambis]

Fibreboard, like you are already aware of, is crap for animal enclosures. High humidity or dampness and the stuff just goes to pot. It's cheap for a reason.
Plywood is generally quite fine, but like any wood, will have to be sealed somehow against moisture and germ penetration. Some people advocate paint, I prefer arborite. I've used both, paint has a relatively short live span, but is far cheaper. Arborite (or some other plastic laminate) is more work, costs more, but if put down properly, is very resistent to scratches, water, etc.

 

[DaveDragon]

Plastic laminate is a great idea but it's very expensive.

I used sheet vinyl flooring on clearance. It cost me $18 for each 7ft x 3ft enclosure including running it 8" up the sides. After 8 months the 9 lb big Red hasn't scratched it.