New cham cage/mansion

[azgnoinc]

Here are a few pics of the new mansion, I mean cage I built for my males, the girls new digs will be built over the next couple of weeks. Only thing left is a handle for one door and hot gluing the funnels to the bottom for the drainage. All pressure treated lumber, so no need to paint or stain. Each side measures 24 wide x24 deep x48 tall - my boys are gonna be soooo happy!! Free link to the plans available if anyone is interested.

 

[brandon1]

Awesome cage!! Can't wait to see it filled with plants and chams . Be sure to post pics when it is .

 

[millsamus]

Awesome size!! Room for 2?? Male and female would be my guess

 

[armyrec1]

That is awesome. we would love to make our own like that one day. I am sure we will give it ago someday soon

Well done. Excellent cages!

 

[WOLVERINES135]

Whoever is going in there is gonna be beyond happy with all the room! Post more pics when it's furnished

 

[EvilLost]

I am (almost) certain that PRESSURE TREATED wood is coated with various anti-mold agents that are potentially FATAL to your animals.

I am not 100% positive, but I would REALLY REALLY REALLY recommend you following up on that more....I'm pretty certain pressure treated wood is TOXIC. I know as a contractor we are supposed to use gloves/safety materials whenever working with this stuff.


EDIT: I did some research....

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reclassified certain wood-preserving chemicals--creosote, pentachloropophenol and inorganic arsenicals--as restricted use pesticide materials. The designation means they are toxic or poisonous and potentially hazardous to humans and animals.

http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/pressure-treated_wood.html
Pressure Treated Wood is poisonous to insects, fungus, and bacteria. It is also poison to humans and other life forms. It is listed by the State of California (and most other states) as a carcinogen. Please note that not all types are necessarily hazardous, and ARSENIC based treatment has been discontinued. It is important to know the type of pressure treated lumber you have purchased!

http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/reregistration/cca/
TONS of official EPA information!

Cyproconazole, Propiconazole, and Borates are safe for above-ground, weather protected uses only, but ACQ and Copper Azole based treatments have been certified for use in freshwater/marine applications. Based on this I would *assume* that an ACQ or Copper-Azole base should be safe while the other 3 bases are likely unsafe. Personally though, I would not take the chance with any of them....especially if you aren't certain what the treatment agent is.


http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/chemwood.html
Pentachlorophenol and creosote treated wood should not be used where it may come in direct contact with drinking water for domestic animals and livestock.
Regulations prohibit use of pentachlorophenol and creosote treated wood in interiors of farm buildings where the wood may come into contact with domestic animals or livestock may bite, rub, scrape or lick the wood.

The cage is very nicely built, but unfortunately unless you know the specific type of pressure-treated wood you have and can ensure it is safe, it could be hazardous to your animals

 

[azgnoinc]

I am (almost) certain that PRESSURE TREATED wood is coated with various anti-mold agents that are potentially FATAL to your animals.

I am not 100% positive, but I would REALLY REALLY REALLY recommend you following up on that more....I'm pretty certain pressure treated wood is TOXIC. I know as a contractor we are supposed to use gloves/safety materials whenever working with this stuff.


EDIT: I did some research....

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reclassified certain wood-preserving chemicals--creosote, pentachloropophenol and inorganic arsenicals--as restricted use pesticide materials. The designation means they are toxic or poisonous and potentially hazardous to humans and animals.

http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/pressure-treated_wood.html
Pressure Treated Wood is poisonous to insects, fungus, and bacteria. It is also poison to humans and other life forms. It is listed by the State of California (and most other states) as a carcinogen. Please note that not all types are necessarily hazardous, and ARSENIC based treatment has been discontinued. It is important to know the type of pressure treated lumber you have purchased!

http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/reregistration/cca/
TONS of official EPA information!

Cyproconazole, Propiconazole, and Borates are safe for above-ground, weather protected uses only, but ACQ and Copper Azole based treatments have been certified for use in freshwater/marine applications. Based on this I would *assume* that an ACQ or Copper-Azole base should be safe while the other 3 bases are likely unsafe. Personally though, I would not take the chance with any of them....especially if you aren't certain what the treatment agent is.


http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/chemwood.html
Pentachlorophenol and creosote treated wood should not be used where it may come in direct contact with drinking water for domestic animals and livestock.
Regulations prohibit use of pentachlorophenol and creosote treated wood in interiors of farm buildings where the wood may come into contact with domestic animals or livestock may bite, rub, scrape or lick the wood.

The cage is very nicely built, but unfortunately unless you know the specific type of pressure-treated wood you have and can ensure it is safe, it could be hazardous to your animals

The plans came straight from Chameleons Online E-Zine, written by Christopher Anderson - "Chris Anderson is a herpetologist currently working on his Ph.D. at the University of South Florida after receiving his B.S. from Cornell University. He has spent time in the jungles of South East Asia, among other areas, aiding in research for publication. He has previously traveled throughout Madagascar in search of, and conducting personal research on, the chameleons of the region. He has traveled to over 35 countries, including chameleon habitat in 6. Currently, Chris is the Editor and Webmaster of the Chameleons! Online E-Zine and is studying the kinematics and morphological basis of ballistic tongue projection and tongue retraction in chameleons for his dissertation."
He addresses the confusion about pressure treated lumber in the article:
"There is a great deal of confusion about the toxicity of pressure treated wood. Previously, wood was treated with chromate copper arsenate (CCA) which is highly toxic chemical pesticide. Recently, however, the industry has moved away from CCA use in residential applications and the majority of available treated wood is treated with either alkaline copper quat (ACQ) or copper azole (CBA-A or CA-B). These treatments are far less toxic and are considered to be a much safer material. It should be noted that keepers have kept chameleons in CCA wood enclosures for years without ill effects and the same is true of ACQ and CA-B wood enclosures. At the same time, when using such wood for your enclosures, you should be sure to allow the wood ample time to dry out after you buy it and you might consider sealing the wood as an added precaution."
This article was written in 2006 by the way, and I allowed for approximately 45 days of additional drying time after I bought the wood.

 

[EvilLost]

Chris is very trusted on the topic and is correct about that. I realized that as I was doing my research to reply to you.


however, one mention he doesn't make in that article is that there are still some types of pressure treated wood that are NOT safe for water contact. The "old rule" that ALL pressure treated wood is toxic is gone, but there are still some that are toxic.



Honestly I don't have hands-on experience with the different types to be able to identify what applications they'd be found in....Also, as he says, it isn't guaranteed to be safe; we just don't know for certain that it is toxic. But 45 days is a very good safety window. If you have taken that kind of care in the drying, I'm sure the rest of the project is very well done