Zilla brown terrarium liner safe in hammy cage?

[kitty629]

I am working on building a new home for one of my boys and concerned about wetness from urine etc ruining the base of the ikea billy extension. Wondering if the zilla reptile terrarium liner would be safe to use under several inches of bedding. It says it cannot be ingested. But I don't know if they mean by reptiles only. I have read of people lining rat cages with it. Any input appreciated!

[AmityvilleHams]

It wouldn't be safe.Anything that isn't digestible when ingested must not be used in a hamster cage(with the safe exception of a plastic hamster wheel that is properly designed and appropriately sized).

[Drago]

I agree with amity, if it says it's not meant to be ingested, it's best left out of the cage. As for protecting the base, you could coat it in some sort of varnish- like plastikote. To help even further with that, you can layer the bottom with paper based cat litter pellets or perhaps wood shavings. Those will help to catch and absorb any urine that manages to trickle down. However, if you have the species appropriate bedding depth in this cage, it's highly unlikely to make it that far down

[kitty629]

In the united states I have not been able to find this plastikote, at least not in a clear. The liner does not say it should not be ingested, it says it cannot be ingested. I took that to mean they can't chew it apart. I will however err on the side of caution and leave it out. Thanks for the replies!

[Hamsterita]

I don't know for sure as I never had a billy myself, but I think that the billy is made from melamine, and melamine already has a layer (kinda plastic layer) that covers the wood, so it's already waterproofed. Anyway, as Drago said, if you put enough substrate it's unlikely that the urine is going to reach the bottom of the cage to the point to ruin it

[AmityvilleHams]

Melamine would be waterproof on its own,so Hamsterita is correct.The only extra step required is sealing the edges with aquarium sealant.