Saving our viv

[zarozinia]

We have a shop bought viv which has only been in use for a few months. It holds a rainbow boa so has high humidity. In one corner the wood has started to swell on two edges. So we are waiting for the boa to slough, (due this week) then moving it out for a week to try to renovate the viv. All our home made vivs are covered with two coats of varnish to prevent this from happenning. So we thought we would do the same to this one. But Im wondering if it is salvageable. Its only swelled about 2 - 3mm, Im hoping it will be fine.
I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if they have been able to salvage their viv or if the wood just rots.
Angi

[James]

I haven't had this problem, my cresty viv is fine. I would think as long as you make sure the wood is dry before you seal it, it will be salvagable. If you seal it wet then it will probably get worse. Good luck

James

[JackieP]

My dad is currently salvaging our Tokays viv due to the same problem. Luckily for us it is only the base that is rotten - you could probably push your finger through it it's that bad. It's just a case of replacing the base, and silicone round the corners.

If you have damp travelling up the walls then it doesn't look too good. I would say bin it and make a new one. I'm probably going to have to do the same with my Cresteds viv.

[James]

To slow down the rotting in my cresty viv I put a couple of layers of tin foil down. It goes right under the moss and prevents a lot of water getting to the wood underneath. It has been up and running since November and when I cleaned it all out on Saturday there were no signs of rot at all. Do you put anything under the substrate or not?

James

[JackieP]

No I don't - mind you I've had my Cresteds in that viv for two years now so it hasn't done too badly. I'm going to put something in the bottom when my dad gets round to sorting it out. Tin foil is a good idea, but my females will probably dig under it to lay their eggs. The awkward things won't use a nest box!