New Cage Treated - How long do I wait to put her in there?

scooby · #1 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 01:34 AM

So I bought a new cage and treated the inside so that it would be water resistant. I did this about a week and a half ago. I have been blowing a fan on it for the first few days...then I was gone for a week. Then for the past 2 days I was blowing a fan on it again! So last night I decided I would initiate Skylla (my BRB) into the cage. So I set it all up and then put her in. I kept checking on her to make sure she was ok...So when I open the cage door, it STILL smells like that treatment (polyurethane I think)...I left her in for the night and then this morning checked on her and she seems fine. It's just right when I open the door I get a whiff of that smell. Then as soon as the door is open it's fine. So me being paranoid, took her out again and then put her back in her tiny cage for now and currently I am fanning it AGAIN! How long do I have to keep this up for? Should I worry about that scent? I just don't want her to get sick.

Thanks!

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txgirl266 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 02:09 AM

Hi scooby! I am not answering your question because I don't know but I just wanted you to know someone is reading your post! I am sure an expert will be along to answer you shortly !
Good Luck [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]
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txgirl266 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 02:11 AM

I did want to ask you, did you use this polyurethane on the inside of the cage, also what is the cage made of?
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LdyDrgn · #4 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 02:31 AM

Just fanning it isn't going to help. You need to use heat lamps. What's happening is that with the snake in there, you are adding the heat pad and CHE or whatever you're using and the poly is getting hot. When hot, it releases fumes. You need to "bake" it for a while until the fumes are gone. Good luck!
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scooby · #5 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 04:25 AM

txgirl: yes, i used it on the whole inside of the cage. And I do notice that the smell is more noticeable when there is a heat source in the cage. The cage is made of plywood I think (or some type of sheet style wood).

lydrgn: thanks, I will go ahead and try this. When will I know that it's ok to put her back in the cage?

Will the fumes do any major damage to her? Or should I just heat it for a super long time until it all goes away?
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LdyDrgn · #6 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 10:18 AM

Don't know about damage....couldn't be a good thing, though. I know I wouldn't want to be a cage that smelled like that! Should only take a couple of days to "bake" out the smell, I think.....Maybe Toreador will come by and tell you about her similar experience.
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Toreador · #7 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 11:10 AM

Ok, I'm here but I don't know what good I can do. I used pre-treated shelving for mine. I still baked it for a couple of days. That cage is under constant improvement. A friend of mine loaned me a circular saw because mine fried and keeps asking if he can have it back. I keep telling him that he can have it but I may need a moments notice to steal it again. My thoughts are to let it bake until the smell is gone.
ldydrgn, why recommend me???
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LdyDrgn · #8 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 11:44 AM

Toreador, I recommended you because I remember you having problems with a bp. You had gotten some good replies in your thread about the treated wood releasing fumes (that was you, wasn't it?). I thought maybe you could help with this problem, that's all. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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eddie · #9 (**permalink**) 03-31-2002, 01:01 PM

Oohhh, treated wood of any kind is bad! Especially if it is pressure treated, noted on the store tag as PT.

Cooking the urathane should help the fumes, but use low heat to prevent any damage.
By low heat, I mean between 125 and 150 degrees F.
This is the same as if you were drying a paint job on a car with heat lamps. You don't want absolute heat, but a low steady heat to cure the finish.

Normally I use non-treated wood, including non-treated plywood, sealed with Poly-crylic from Minwax. It is a water based sealer that in a few days of the third coat, the fumes are gone and the cage is ready for inhabitation. For the corners and seams, I use acrylic caulking, also quick to cure and almost fume free from the start.

Since you already used urethane, then you almost have no alternative but to cure it with heat.
Do you have any friends that are auto body mechanics?
If not, you can call some where and they may let you bring it in there drying booth when they aren't using it.
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Toreador · #10 (**permalink**) 04-02-2002, 04:36 AM

Aaaahhhh.... I remember that now. Turns out the BP's problem was that he ate a rat that was slightly too big for him. He "wheezed" a little when he was held after that but not when he was down. A few days later, he stopped. Then we fed him another rat the same size and he did the same thing again. After that, we fed him smaller ones and no more problems. A couple people thought the new cage was to blame but I had baked it and none of the others in the same complex had any problems, so that must not have been it. Thanx for remembering me though, I feel SOOOOOO special. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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