heating/lighting for wood cage.

[Sm0k3d]

Looking to build my own cage in a few months and i've been drawing up designs and every thing, so far the measurements will be 5'x2'x2' and will be front opening with a vent on each side (does it need one in the back?) i'm making it out of red cherry and hand building it in my high-school class for a project. Only concerns I have is will stain and the laquor be toxic to the snake?

Last of all I need to heat/light the cage, it's a pacific gopher snake that usually needs 80-90 on the hot spot, 70-75 on the cold end and i'm not sure how to accomplish this, i've never built cages before but i'm pretty good in wood-working and drafting.

Here's a picture of a quick design i've done to get a feel for what I want.

http://g.myspace.com/00031/53/99/31509935_l.jpg

[Linds]

Firstly, welcome to the site! :D

I would scrap the lights and go with 11" heat tape or an undertank heater. Lights are very inefficient at heating, and are also an increased fire hazard. They are best left for basking lizards and chelonians. Just place it beneath the cage, set it up with a dimmer, and you're all set :)

You shouldn't require any additional vents, in many cases even just the space around the doors is enough.

As for finishing the cage, I'm a big fan of epoxy. I find it much easier to work with, you use much less of it, it doesn't offgas when cured, it is 100% safe when cured (can be used on food and medical surfaces), is tough as nails, and is totally waterpoof (unlike urethane). The kind I use works out to be less expensive than the cheapest polyurethane. Just locate your local place that specializes in protective surfaces, and they will best direct you to a product ;)

[Sm0k3d]

I heard it is more of a fire hazard to use heat tape or an undertank heater with a wood tank? I was thinking about using a Zoo-med slider 48" slider hood, that way I could have heat and light and I could also combine that with a Ranco thermostat to control the heat. It'd be realatively easy yet the slider hood is a little expensive.

The whole thing is I want to efficiantly heat the tank, without melting the laquor or causing a fire danger, and I've heard a under-tank heater might be unsafe. Is this true?

[Matt_K]

I think it's safe to say that 90% of the members here heat their cages with undertank heaters/heat tape and have no problems at all..

I know that all of my cages and racks are heated with heat tape, I have NEVER had a problem.. Provided that your heat tape is wired properly and put on a dimmer or rheostat, you should have no issues.. If you're still worried, you can also look into purchasing a Helix or Helix type temp controller for your cage..

If you wanna check out the Helix, have a look HERE (http://www.mattkameka.com/cages.htm) Just scroll down a bit..

-Matt

[Sm0k3d]

i have no problem using an undertank heater or wiring them, but I would think most people use them with either glass, plastic, or malemine wood cages. I'm going to be using red-oak that is stained and have a protective coating over it, i'm worried about the under tank heater getting too hott and starting to melt the protective coating and release toxins to the snake and kill it. Never heard it happening but I don't want to be the first!

[Linds]

If your heating device is hot enough to melt anything, than there are bigger problems at hand :firestart Additionally, only non-toxic sealants should be used to seal your enclosure.

[peterm15]

http://www.herpo.com/cages/cages.html............ is a cool site i found... i dont know if it wll be any good to you im not dome reading it yet...