Some python enclosure questions ?

[darkness]

Got a new enclosure and have a few questions..

Am wondering about heating, I have 1 75W infrared heat lamp in each section (1200x600x600) and it seems even on a warmish day the lights stay on for a long time compared to my old 1000x400x400 enclosure.. I guess this is normal due to the size difference, but they seem to be on most of the time, do I just need to go to 100W or 150W bulbs ?

Also, I'm using a probe thermo set at 32 deg and use it to run both lamps, the probe is in the bottom section (see pic) but the floor of the top section gets warm from the bulb in the bottom one, The enc was made with a gap between the sections to help avoid this but the floor of the top one still gets warm, not hot.. would that be a problem ?

Just worried that the temps are not high enough, as right now its a coolish night and the temp is 27 on the hot end and 24 on the cool end.

Or should I have like a 100W bulb in the bottom section and a 75 in the top due to the warmth going up ?

Also ive read some posts about using cat litter instead of news paper on the bottom of the enc, obviously this would look a lot better but what type/brand of cat litter, I read its a paper based one I think.. but not sure what its called ?

Thanks for any help or suggestions !

Cheers.

 

[MrBredli]

Looks ok to me. What species are you keeping in there? The current temps you mentioned seem fine for this time of night/year.

Depending on how the lights are wired to the thermostat you could have a problem if the bottom globe blows. The temp in that cage will drop and the thermostat will continue to send power to the top globe (if it's wired that way) and could cause the top cage to over heat- all the more reason to use lower wattage globes. I would leave it how you have it mate, except i would get a separate thermostat for the top cage. Depending on the species, low wattage heat pads might be a good idea also.

 

[MrBredli]

Oh yeah.. and the kitty litter you've probably heard mentioned is Breeders Choice. Some people love it, some hate it. Others, like me, are in between

 

[darkness]

Thanks for the info mate ! I never actually thought about what would happen if the bottom bulb blew.. a very good point, should get another probe thermo then

And I have a 1.5 year old coastal carpet in the bottom enc and an 8 month old jungle in the top enc.

I was thinking about a small heat pad to stick to the underneath of the bottom section just to help out a little with the floor temp on the warm end.. do you think one of those low 10W heat mats would warm through the wood ?

Cheers.

 

[MrBredli]

I don't know of the 10W heat pads you mention, but i wouldn't think that they could provide adequate heat from underneath the wood. The low wattage Pet Zone ones available from the Herp Shop are really good. I have them inside a few of my enclosure with either newspaper or breeders choice over the top of them. I have never had any problems with them being inside the enclosure.

 

[darkness]

Thanks, might give one a try

Cheers.

 

[OuZo]

There's also no real need for you to get a probe stat if you know someone that could wire an imit up for you. Probes are about $65 and Imit's are $32 or so from the Herp Shop so if you know someone who could do it for you then it'd be cheaper to get an Imit. If not, it's probably gonna be cheaper to go with the probe one cos an electrician's charges would probably end up making it around the same or more expensive

 

[herptrader]

With a coastal of that age it's behaviour will be a guide. If it is always in the hottest spot of the cage it is probably too cold. If it is up the cool end then it will be too hot. My guys tend to only go to the hot spot after dinner - once digested they tend to migrate to the cool end so I presume it is about right.

 

[BROWNS]

I would just use the bottom bulb which at that wattage should be fine to create a hot spot for the enclosure above.

Can't beat newspaper as far as substrate imo and i'd be putting the hides and water bowls at the cool end plus some more ventilation should give you a better gradient.

The ambient temp here"inside house" a few hours ago was 29.6 and i still leave my hot spot on which reads 32.If you already have the probe t/stat try a few different positions to place it to suit your needs,or simply put it on a dimmer so it's constant not on/off heat :wink:

 

[darkness]

Whats wrong with the cat litter ? it sure would look a lot better..

But if some people really hate it why ?

Cheers.

 

[Rossagon]

I've recently trialed that Eco Litter on some of my enclosures. I personally found that the pellets broke up very easily into a fine dusty sawdust after about a week. Had it under some of my BHP's which loved to dig under it, but i won't use it again as the amount of dust produced may have undesirable effects if breathed in. JMO, but i won't risk it on my snakes. Back to the old newspaper.

P.s the enclosures did look a lot tidier with the Eco Litter as substrate.

Cheers Rossco.

 

[darkness]

Ack, yea Id be worried about lots of fine powder in there as well.. was that just the Eco brand, or did you try the Breeders Choice that some people reckon is ok ?

 

[MrBredli]

You get a fair bit of dust with Breeders Choice aswell.

 

[darkness]

bugga.. dont think I'll try it then

 

[herptrader]

I have used breeders choice for a number of years with all out pythons and have never had an issue with it. It remains my substrate of choice.

 

[The Rock]

I wont even use breeders choice for my rats and mice,(and thats what its designed for), its absolute rubbish.

 

[herptrader]

I wont even use breeders choice for my rats and mice,(and thats what its designed for), its absolute rubbish.

It is actually sold as cat litter.

I definitely would not use it for rodents.

 

[The Rock]

even worst.

 

[OuZo]

I've recently trialed that Eco Litter on some of my enclosures. I personally found that the pellets broke up very easily into a fine dusty sawdust after about a week. Had it under some of my BHP's which loved to dig under it, but i won't use it again as the amount of dust produced may have undesirable effects if breathed in. JMO, but i won't risk it on my snakes. Back to the old newspaper.

I can't remember the name of it but going by the pics and description I think it must have been Eco Litter that we got some free samples of at the vet I worked at a few years ago to try with the boarding cats. It looked like Breeders Choice but was a kinda reddy colour and really hard and kinda almost has sharp edges, and when they pee on it it turns into a powder which I thought was just a mess! Couldn't imagine trying to scoop up a powder in my reptile enclosures!

We actually used breeders choice there for the cats and the only reason we did was cos it's cheap and we were always around to clean it up before it stank the whole place out. I wouldn't like to use it on reptiles either personally, don't like giving them anything that they could swallow and after hearing someone on the yahoo groups say they had seen a few dead reptiles due to it, I think I'll avoid it!

 

[BROWNS]

Never used it , loks like rat pellets and i reckon it's a bit of a "lazy" substrate as most ppl from what i gather spot clean but the bacteria etc would have to soak through a lot of the substrate,much quicker and eaier withnewspaper plus it's the best insulation.Have read a few horror stories on bc etc on here and if it's happened to others i'm sure it can happen to anyone else too imo