The Hot Room

[BWSmith]

My hot room is in a constant state of evolution and there are many more changes/additions I would like to make. But here it is as it stands (the carpet is not my idea).


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Before entering, there is of course a door. This door has a keyed lock on it. There is also several hooks and a set of tongs there (in case there is something crawling on the floor when I open the door). There is a large warning sign. Then two more. One at half door and one 18" OFF (Off Finished Floor). The lowest one is there in case of a fire since often fireman are crawling so they are warned of the rooms contents. There is also a Smoke Detector. The bottom of the door is sealed so that nothing can crawl underneath. I find "door sweeps" work rather well.




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Once inside the door (looking back) you can see the Panic Button. This is strictly for the event of an envenomation. It is set up through an old X10 remote system to a receiver upstairs. If I hit the button a 120 Db "screamer" alarm sounds to alert my wife. She is well versed in pre-hospital care. I also keep 2 hooks (1 standard and 1 Ultralight) just inside the door. There is a smoke detector next to the door and a Fire Extinguisher behind it. And I have emergency backup lighting installed. These units will turn on in the event of a power failure (not a bad way to spend $15).


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Here is a better view of the Panic Button. It has an ON and OFF option, so we can cut it off when my wife gets down to the hot room. You can also see the HazMat Needle container for used needles when giving injections to snakes.



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Here is a closer view of the Emergency Backup Lighting (one of two).



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I found a smal foot pelel trash can that worked great for a Hook Sterilizer. The inside actually comes with a plastic hanging bucket sot here is no corrosion. I fill the bucket with Nolvasan and simply dip hooks between snakes to prevent cross contamination. (Sterilization became a high priority with the Roundup Rescues).




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Here you can see various hooks and hemos on the wall. Of course a pair of Gentle Giants. Permits are in plain view. The vent is sealed on the inside with wire mesh. My Envenomation Protocol kit is in plain view and easily accessible. It contains protocol for every venomous species native ot the U.S. (including Black Widow and Brown Recluse) and everything I need to pretreat on the way to the hospital. Above that is a nice thick notebook with Exotic Species protocols. The large box at the bottom was the locked transport container for the Roundup.



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These are my primary enclosures, all Precision Caging. I like them because they are VERY light (great for my programs), they are front downward opening (easy to open and close quickly with a hook), secure, the vent holes are on the back (no worries about someone placing their hands on a screen and catching a fang), and have hasps (custom) for padlocks for added security. Each cage is labeled "VENOMOUS" and has the species listed (common and latin).



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I put the Precisions on wooden bases that are 4x2 (the size of a large cage or 2 smalls). Then added 6" 4x4 risers and casters. All in all, they are about 9" off the ground. This serves a couple purposes. First, it makes it easier for maintenance by not having to bend over to far and losing mobility. Second, if a snake decides to leave the hook and go under the cages, it is much easier to hook them out with so much room.





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Here you can see my venomous Rack System and a few other odds and ends. There is an extra hook and more Emergency Backup Lighting. There is also a Push Light that is battery operated to offer me more light during an outage (a dark room with a rattler on the floor is not a good idea). I have a large trash can used for storing hots during cage cleaning etc. And a large sealed Work Surface used for med work etc. I simply put the surface on top of the trash can and instant table. There is also a dome light shining down over the rack so that I have more light when working with the animals in the rack. The rack has two keyed locks on each of the two doors. It has Plexi Fronts for spot checking that hit flush with each shelf so that nothing can crawl from one level to the next. And the rear is pegboard with fine mesh cover. This is all so that even if something does manage to get out of the container, it cannot get off the shelf, much less out of the locked rack.










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And here is a custom enclosure from UnBoa. They are 4x2x2 with 2 hinge to side doors aith bolts and keyed locks. Above each one, he made a separate chamber for lighting. In this area (keyed) is a mesh port for a dome light and an outlet attached to a dimmer switch on the front. This houses PK and my big female EDB (Snugglebutt). It is mounted on casters.

[jparker1167]

great pics amazing room what kinda snake is the shed from in the last pic

[thunder]

i am extremely impressed with the lengths you have gone to insure safety and the health of your animals. now here is one guy who nobody can say he is not responsible enough for hots!! i really wish there were more people out there who are as organized and responsible as you are. it is clear that you have put a lot of thought into the hobby. people like you are the ones who make the hobby look good!

[Dr. Bryan Fry]

Absolutely superb mate!!

[asphyxia]

Thats very professional, and kinda a bit scary actually.
I know for sure now I will never have any hots

Cheers
Brian

[Simon]

Awesome~!
It is nice to see that you're very professional and very prepared for anything. All those 'just incase' senarios~
It is always better to be save than to be sorry~

Awesome looking room!!!

[dr greenlove]

Thats a fantastic set-up you have there.

If i wasn't so aware of my own limitations i would not able to resist a hot (or dozen) in my collection.

Sadly Mrs Greenlove would sooner see me 6ft under than allow anything that had even so much as seen a venemous snake into our house.

Just a friendly warning though, in your second pic there appears to some sort of Coral Snake doing an impression of spiderman and climbing up the wall.:D

I hear those wallclimbers are nasty!

[Rikki]

Amazing......Simply amazing :)

[Matt]

very nice!
one thing that i have not thought about was the power failure lighting....that seems so important now that i think about it.
great room

[Vanan]

Damn man! You da man! I know a few hot keepers who could take a lesson or two about responsibility from you.

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

BW SMITH:

I am not into "HOTS", but if I was your set up does indeed look very professional and respectful to the hobby. You went well above the call of duty to show every aspect of providing the best care for your collection and providing safety and security to people that may see you collection and your own protection. I love all the extra care you took in warnings and precautions as well as alerts in case of power outages and any lethal situations as well.

Like I said I am not into "HOTS" but I can use your set up as great guide lines for others who love this part of the hobby.

You can never be to safe but you indeed went all out for your collection and the people involved with it.

Great work and keep it up.

Cya...

Tony

[reptilesalonica]

Very professional work. You and your ideas are very important information for 1st timers on hots. I have an idea too to add.
What about move detectors? I think it is very good when you are in another room and don't know what happenes in the hot room.
~Greg~

[Matt_K]

Great stuff Brian!!

[BWSmith]

Thank you for the compliments. There is still much lacking (like a glass pain in the door to see the floor before you go in, but a double entry is ideal). But soon i am building a venomous building separate from the house (gonna try for kids). Everything that I left out here will be incoprated there.

I will not have room in this building, but our next house, I will have a much larger building (the current one is an existing shed being drastically renovated). What I want at the next house in a viewing area, but allthe cages open from the rear with a large working area behind them. We will see what our next house looks like. But ut is amazing how much you can do with just a "room".

[Tim_Cranwill]

Awesome setup, Mr Smith... just awesome! :)

[Scales Zoo]

Wow, that is great, thanks for posting.

I really like the lower warning sticker for crawling firemen - I would have never thought about that.

If you build it with the viewing area, and back access caging - are you going to put little windows in the doors that open from the back?

I recently got to view a back opening venemous caging system - and thought I'd want windows in the doors I'm opening with hots being just on the other side.

Ryan