# Waterproofing Wood



## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

I bought the girls a nice wooden play castle but don't want it immediately ruined by them peeing all over it. What safe waterproofing agents would you all recommend, if any? One of my parents bought some spray and I read the warnings, which a few ended up being potential brain and nervous system damage, from long term exposure, and could be fatal. I hope not to run into this again. :|


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## Lilly (Nov 21, 2015)

Honestly I would just accept they're going to pee all over it, they're mice, they will likely chew and gnaw at it anyway so even if you did coat it, parts would end up being exposed.

You can often just soak the wood in hot water and then let it really dry to remove the odor when you come to clean it and then just put it back.


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

Agree with Lily.


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

I don't mind the chewing, as you both said it's to be expected but I'll take the advice to boil it instead. Thank you both.


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## Torin (May 18, 2016)

I find that if you just wipe the wood rather than soaking it it actually ends up smelling less over time. Because you're not removing all of their scentmarking, so they have no need to explicitly make it smell super strongly again. However I do mostly use natural branches or coffee wood (e.g. Java brand) rather than manufactured wooden toys, so the wood itself is often less porous.


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

I'm not even going to leave it in their cage that long, seeing as I've got two separate groups. Alternating is bothersome and I feel bad letting only some of the girls have it anyway, so I'm going to use the castle for their play time. What do you suggest wiping things down with though?


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## Viverrinae (Nov 22, 2016)

I'm looking into building a cage for my mice so I can make it fit to my and the mice needs. I want to use wood because it's cheap and easy to work with. My dad said to seal with polyurethane and let it sit and air out for a few days. Would that be safe and would I have to worry about them trying to eat the cage itself? It's gonna be a pretty decent sized cage though.


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

Personally, I'd worry about them chewing to some degree. I've been lucky enough to not have very avid chewers, even so they still do it to wear their teeth and stimulate themselves. If they'll chew their way out is dependent on your mice and whether they're kept entertained. Is polyurethane toxic? I was interested in using that and I've known some people to use it but not the whole cage where they could come into a lot of contact with the substance. Seems like a good idea with the concerns aside though.


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## Torin (May 18, 2016)

Viverrinae said:


> I'm looking into building a cage for my mice so I can make it fit to my and the mice needs. I want to use wood because it's cheap and easy to work with. My dad said to seal with polyurethane and let it sit and air out for a few days. Would that be safe and would I have to worry about them trying to eat the cage itself? It's gonna be a pretty decent sized cage though.


Polyurethane in what format? Solid sheets of plastic, foam, plasticky paint, or what?
I sealed my wooden hutch with yacht varnish if that helps (which is also what rat people do). It needed about a week for all the fumes to dissipate, although I would expect that to take longer in cold weather.


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## Torin (May 18, 2016)

Cheshire Gleam said:


> I'm not even going to leave it in their cage that long, seeing as I've got two separate groups. Alternating is bothersome and I feel bad letting only some of the girls have it anyway, so I'm going to use the castle for their play time. What do you suggest wiping things down with though?


Sorry, I missed this question. I wipe down with a flannel/ sponge and hot water, sometimes with the addition of white vinegar. I wouldn't advise moving it between two groups though as each group will scentmark it more to make it smell like their group and not the other group.


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

Yeah, I don't have it in with anybody right now. I just let them play on it whenever they have free range time. Thanks for answering though.


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