Heat cord/Light cages

[Fantazmic]

Hi everyone

I was hoping someone might be able to help me.

I am having an enclosure build the same as this one in the pic with a habistat repti radiator on a shelf etc.

The problem I have is winter. With being in Melbourne I find when the snakes move down on to the bottom of their enclosure sometimes they get too cold and they cant make it back up to the top. I come out in the morning to a very col snake I have to put back up on their shelf.

What we want to do is put some heat cord in the bottom of the enclosure by routing the wood from underneath and running the cord in the routing so that we can create a warm patch and some warmth. Just for use when the weather gets cold.

What we wanted to ask was is there a heat cord that people would recommend and do I need to attach a thermostat to it ? If I get a thermostat what sort should i get ?

Also I need to get a light cage for the UV fluro lights I have. I dont have them on too often but like to have them so I can put them on every now and then to give my snakes some UV. I know the general consensus is they don't need it but I still think it is a good idea. Are there light cages out there people would recommend.

Kind Regards and thanks

Elizabeth

 

[junglepython2]

Herp Shop should be able to do both for you. If you get a low wattage cord you should be able to get away with no thermostat depending on your cage dynamics.

 

[Fantazmic]

Thanks Adam

I thought so I just wanted to be sure. Hey how are you.....your little girl you sold me is a demon. I fed her a fuzzy at 9am yesterday....went out to get a parcel from the post office...got back...she still hadnt eaten it....took the dog to the vet....got back...she still hadnt eaten it.....by this stage I had tried twice to take the rat off her to reheat and every time the little minx grabbed it with her coils and said MINE !! So then I took my son to the orthodontist...got home as she was devouring the tail....so six hours of playing with her food......Love her to bits.....

 

[junglepython2]

Hahaha, I am well thanks how about you? She should settle down with some extra size, I sold the last pair this morning and both were dreams to handle unlike last years clutch but even my holdback from then is settling down now.

 

[Fantazmic]

Yep I am good. When she is old enough we will be ordering a lovely big enclosure for her like the one in the pic...she is too little yet. I cant beleive she will one day be 6 foot long.

She is looking relaly nice really clear markings I am really pleased with her...even if she does play with her food lol.

 

[Bluetongue1]

I would recommend routing a thin layer of particle board and placing a ceramic or slate tile on top of that. You can stick them together with Blutack or some thin wooden edging tacked and/or glued to the wood, with the tile dropped in on top.

Wood is an insulator while tiles are much better conductors. You have only step on tiles vs wood in a cold house. They are both the same temperature but the tiles conduct heat away from your feet and therefore feel colder. So the tile will spread the heat evenly from the cord. Tiles also have a high specific heat, which meanns they take a fair bit of heat to warm up but do not get cold in a hurry. So a cold reptile plonking itself on one can continue to draw warmth without greatly affecting the temperature.

A 15W cord will heat to around 35[SUP]o[/SUP]C with a 30 cm square tile. If you wish to reduce this temperature, simply route the cord so it is more widely spaced and a percentage of simply hangs out the back in the air. It is simply a matter of adjusting it your requirements. At these temperatures and wattages you do not a thermostat unless you don’t want any variation in the temperature as ambient temperature change. Even without the thermostat you should get very little variation. Try at see before forking out the extra dollars.

Blue

 

[Fantazmic]

That might work better than routing underneath....thanks Blue I can speak to my cage builder about it.

He can put a small hole in the back and pass the cord through so we can connect to power. I only need it for the coldest part of winter and really only overnight. We have been 'ok' in that it hasnt happened very often (i think the snakes are learning) but often enough not be be pleasant for me (I worry) or them (being cold). So when we get the new enclosure made for Jasper we will get the others 'fiixed' as well.