Ambient Vs. Surface temps heating question

[presspirate]

I'm working on a couple of enclosures, and I am debating how to best heat them. The cages are wood, so I am considering flexwatt under a plastic shelf liner. But my question is will that only raise the surface temp of the floor or wall, or will it boost the ambient temp as well?

I have 2 4'x2'x1' plastic cages that I heat with a uth and ceramic heater tied into a rheostat. The uth heats the wall, and the ceramic boosts the ambient temp. So the air temp on the warm side is around 88 but the surface temp on the wall is slightly higher.

I'm hesitant to use any kind of light inside the cages I am building, cause I don't want my snakes getting burned.
Thanks in advance!

Edit.( Maybe this should be in the housing/caging thread.)

[percey39]

Floor surface temps will definetely lift your ambient temp as heat rises. I find that the lights and ceramic heat emitters are far better at lifting ambient temps and creating hot spots than underfloor heating in lower cages. As the higher the tank the harder it is to heat the floor with lights and ceramics, they are ideal for arboreal species as you just place a perch under the light and then you have your hot spot. I use cages on all my lights as i too would hate for any of my snakes to burn themselves.

[presspirate]

Thanks Percy, I have a couple of ceramic fixtures for lights, maybe I'll check the local home store to see if they carry bulb cages. One of the enclosures I am working on is about 4' x 2 1/2' x about 3' high. So, might be beneficial to have lights in that one I am thinking. I am also painting the insides black. Should hold the heat better.

How are you going to heat that monster that you are working on?

[percey39]

No dramas. The big tank im using 2 x 150watt ceramic heaters and 2 x 100 watt lights. There will be 2 basking areas each will have a 100 watt globe and a 150 watt ceramic. This will give two hot spots of around 38 degrees celcius, one will be over a perch and the other will be closer to the floor so there is a floor basking area. The ambient temp for the tank will be around 26 degrees im thinking on previous attempts that are quite large which will be sweet. This will also give me around the 60-75% humidity im hoping for.

Also for good light cages you cant go past looking on ebay, they are under half the price as pet shops. I hope i haver helped.

[presspirate]

Once I finish converting Celsius to Fahrenheit I should be good.:freakedout:

[Feebo]

°C °F °C °F °C °F °C °F °C °F
-99 -146.2 1 33.8 101 213.8 201 393.8 301 573.8
-98 -144.4 2 35.6 102 215.6 202 395.6 302 575.6
-97 -142.6 3 37.4 103 217.4 203 397.4 303 577.4
-96 -140.8 4 39.2 104 219.2 204 399.2 304 579.2
-95 -139.0 5 41.0 105 221.0 205 401.0 305 581.0
-94 -137.2 6 42.8 106 222.8 206 402.8 306 582.8
-93 -135.4 7 44.6 107 224.6 207 404.6 307 584.6
-92 -133.6 8 46.4 108 226.4 208 406.4 308 586.4
-91 -131.8 9 48.2 109 228.2 209 408.2 309 588.2
-90 -130.0 10 50.0 110 230.0 210 410.0 310 590.0
-89 -128.2 11 51.8 111 231.8 211 411.8 311 591.8
-88 -126.4 12 53.6 112 233.6 212 413.6 312 593.6
-87 -124.6 13 55.4 113 235.4 213 415.4 313 595.4
-86 -122.8 14 57.2 114 237.2 214 417.2 314 597.2
-85 -121.0 15 59.0 115 239.0 215 419.0 315 599.0
-84 -119.2 16 60.8 116 240.8 216 420.8 316 600.8
-83 -117.4 17 62.6 117 242.6 217 422.6 317 602.6
-82 -115.6 18 64.4 118 244.4 218 424.4 318 604.4
-81 -113.8 19 66.2 119 246.2 219 426.2 319 606.2
-80 -112.0 20 68.0 120 248.0 220 428.0 320 608.0
-79 -110.2 21 69.8 121 249.8 221 429.8 321 609.8
-78 -108.4 22 71.6 122 251.6 222 431.6 322 611.6
-77 -106.6 23 73.4 123 253.4 223 433.4 323 613.4
-76 -104.8 24 75.2 124 255.2 224 435.2 324 615.2
-75 -103.0 25 77.0 125 257.0 225 437.0 325 617.0
-74 -101.2 26 78.8 126 258.8 226 438.8 326 618.8
-73 -99.4 27 80.6 127 260.6 227 440.6 327 620.6
-72 -97.6 28 82.4 128 262.4 228 442.4 328 622.4
-71 -95.8 29 84.2 129 264.2 229 444.2 329 624.2
-70 -94.0 30 86.0 130 266.0 230 446.0 330 626.0
-69 -92.2 31 87.8 131 267.8 231 447.8 331 627.8
-68 -90.4 32 89.6 132 269.6 232 449.6 332 629.6
-67 -88.6 33 91.4 133 271.4 233 451.4 333 631.4
-66 -86.8 34 93.2 134 273.2 234 453.2 334 633.2
-65 -85.0 35 95.0 135 275.0 235 455.0 335 635.0
-64 -83.2 36 96.8 136 276.8 236 456.8 336 636.8
-63 -81.4 37 98.6 137 278.6 237 458.6 337 638.6
-62 -79.6 38 100.4 138 280.4 238 460.4 338 640.4
-61 -77.8 39 102.2 139 282.2 239 462.2 339 642.2
-60 -76.0 40 104.0 140 284.0 240 464.0 340 644.0
-59 -74.2 41 105.8 141 285.8 241 465.8 341 645.8
-58 -72.4 42 107.6 142 287.6 242 467.6 342 647.6
-57 -70.6 43 109.4 143 289.4 243 469.4 343 649.4
-56 -68.8 44 111.2 144 291.2 244 471.2 344 651.2
-55 -67.0 45 113.0 145 293.0 245 473.0 345 653.0
-54 -65.2 46 114.8 146 294.8 246 474.8 346 654.8
-53 -63.4 47 116.6 147 296.6 247 476.6 347 656.6
-52 -61.6 48 118.4 148 298.4 248 478.4 348 658.4
-51 -59.8 49 120.2 149 300.2 249 480.2 349 660.2
-50 -58.0 50 122.0 150 302.0 250 482.0 350 662.0
-49 -56.2 51 123.8 151 303.8 251 483.8 351 663.8
-48 -54.4 52 125.6 152 305.6 252 485.6 352 665.6
-47 -52.6 53 127.4 153 307.4 253 487.4 353 667.4
-46 -50.8 54 129.2 154 309.2 254 489.2 354 669.2
-45 -49.0 55 131.0 155 311.0 255 491.0 355 671.0
-44 -47.2 56 132.8 156 312.8 256 492.8 356 672.8
-43 -45.4 57 134.6 157 314.6 257 494.6 357 674.6
-42 -43.6 58 136.4 158 316.4 258 496.4 358 676.4
-41 -41.8 59 138.2 159 318.2 259 498.2 359 678.2
-40 -40.0 60 140.0 160 320.0 260 500.0 360 680.0
-39 -38.2 61 141.8 161 321.8 261 501.8 361 681.8
-38 -36.4 62 143.6 162 323.6 262 503.6 362 683.6
-37 -34.6 63 145.4 163 325.4 263 505.4 363 685.4
-36 -32.8 64 147.2 164 327.2 264 507.2 364 687.2
-35 -31.0 65 149.0 165 329.0 265 509.0 365 689.0
-34 -29.2 66 150.8 166 330.8 266 510.8 366 690.8
-33 -27.4 67 152.6 167 332.6 267 512.6 367 692.6
-32 -25.6 68 154.4 168 334.4 268 514.4 368 694.4
-31 -23.8 69 156.2 169 336.2 269 516.2 369 696.2
-30 -22.0 70 158.0 170 338.0 270 518.0 370 698.0
-29 -20.2 71 159.8 171 339.8 271 519.8 371 699.8
-28 -18.4 72 161.6 172 341.6 272 521.6 372 701.6
-27 -16.6 73 163.4 173 343.4 273 523.4 373 703.4
-26 -14.8 74 165.2 174 345.2 274 525.2 374 705.2
-25 -13.0 75 167 175 347 275 527 375 707
-24 -11.2 76 168.8 176 348.8 276 528.8 376 708.8
-23 -9.4 77 170.6 177 350.6 277 530.6 377 710.6
-22 -7.6 78 172.4 178 352.4 278 532.4 378 712.4
-21 -5.8 79 174.2 179 354.2 279 534.2 379 714.2
-20 -4.0 80 176 180 356 280 536 380 716
-19 -2.2 81 177.8 181 357.8 281 537.8 381 717.8
-18 -0.4 82 179.6 182 359.6 282 539.6 382 719.6
-17 1.4 83 181.4 183 361.4 283 541.4 383 721.4
-16 3.2 84 183.2 184 363.2 284 543.2 384 723.2
-15 5.0 85 185.0 185 365.0 285 545.0 385 725.0
-14 6.8 86 186.8 186 366.8 286 546.8 386 726.8
-13 8.6 87 188.6 187 368.6 287 548.6 387 728.6
-12 10.4 88 190.4 188 370.4 288 550.4 388 730.4
-11 12.2 89 192.2 189 372.2 289 552.2 389 732.2
-10 14.0 90 194.0 190 374.0 290 554.0 390 734.0
-9 15.8 91 195.8 191 375.8 291 555.8 391 735.8
-8 17.6 92 197.6 192 377.6 292 557.6 392 737.6
-7 19.4 93 199.4 193 379.4 293 559.4 393 739.4
-6 21.2 94 201.2 194 381.2 294 561.2 394 741.2
-5 23.0 95 203.0 195 383.0 295 563.0 395 743.0
-4 24.8 96 204.8 196 384.8 296 564.8 396 744.8
-3 26.6 97 206.6 197 386.6 297 566.6 397 746.6
-2 28.4 98 208.4 198 388.4 298 568.4 398 748.4
-1 30.2 99 210.2 199 390.2 299 570.2 399 750.2
0 32.0 100 212.0 200 392.0 300 572.0 400 752.0

Fahrenheit to Celsius chart :)

Yeah I agree :) If it`s warm, it`ll warm the ambient temperature in there. I have quite small wooden tanks with heat mats and those heat mats still warm the air quite sugnificantly because it`s a nice wooden vivarium :) Totally agree on the ceramic set up too, you cannot go wrong with them. They`re totally controlable, they heat the whole of the air space AND a hot spot directly around the safety cage. They`re fantstic at keep good humidity propergation too because the heat is so uniform. I get my rainforest guys really good and wet and they reliably dry up about a day and a half later when they`re due their next rainfall :)

[Feebo]

That looks a little confusing doesn`t it but look along the top line until you see a 1, that`s 1c opposite is the F for it, follow the 1 down as it counts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 etc and Robert`s your fathers brother :)

[Feebo]

Or you could just look at this, much simpler lol :) I`m having a funny five minutes here soz lol

Temperature conversion table (http://www.temperatureworld.com/ctable1.htm)

[percey39]

Haha it is a little confusing with your chart feebs, might be easier with the link or if all else fails use google lol. I keep forgetting you guys are all backwards in the states!

[shaunyboy]

i use ceramics fitted inside all but my diamonds tank.they all have good heat guards on them.i have had no problems with burns and found ceramic set ups to give good consistant heat.all mine shed 100% perfect and complete every time.its only carpets i keep and they can punish the guards something rotten but ive had no problems with the heavy steel guards i buy on line mate

cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

That looks a little confusing doesn`t it but look along the top line until you see a 1, that`s 1c opposite is the F for it, follow the 1 down as it counts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 etc and Robert`s your fathers brother :)


you having a too many med's day mate ??????

you not rember the last time we brought up

bob's your uncle

on here ???

the us folk didnt get it mate:yes::yes::yes:

must admit until you explained the look for a 1 in the top line part i was a tad confused mate

but then again im a tad confused most days

cheers shaun

[presspirate]

Allright, thanks guys I'm going to go with the ceramics. Probably still get some flexwatt as it is cheap and I can use it for my plastic cages.
Feebo, I'm gonna print that chart out and hang it next to my computer so next time you guys in the "Backwards" Part of the world start talking temps. I'll be able to follow along.;) (actually it was easy, and makes sense that water should freeze at 0 deg. and not 32 deg.)

Shaun, welcome back How was your holiday? And since you guys brought it up, Fanny's your aunt and Bob's your uncle. What does it mean?:no:

[Feebo]

LOL Yes Shauny, looking back on it I was totally wiped out when I wrote that....
Bob`s your uncle... Well. It`s a phrase, a very old one I might add which over here means... Oh it`s hard to explain actually lol Ummm.... You say it when a plan comes together as Hannibal would say. If you are explaining to someone how to ummm..... tie a reef knot. You might say, " through there, over there and then back around and Bob`s your uncle! A reef knot" Or maybe telling someone how to start a car you might say "get the key, put it in the hole, turn it to the left and Bob`s your uncle! It sounds really stupid when written down actually but it`s been said for a very very long time. I think it probably originated with the Cockney rhyming slang except it doesn`t rhyme lol Does that make sense? Oh and you won`t be let down, ceramics are fantastic :)

[presspirate]

It's ok Feebo, I get it. We have the same pointless sayings over here. I'm going to go with the ceramics, and make my own bulb cages from hardware cloth. And as I said before, I'll be using flexwatt on my plastic cages. My only problem is this......When I get my two cages done, I'll have room for more snakes. :no:

[Feebo]

What`s hardware cloth? Sounds dodgy... You want a metal cage really....

[.: Laura :.]

Since we're on the subject of surface temps, anyone have the 40x40x60 tall exo terra viv? I'm finding it a real pain in the *** to get the floor temps right. I have a heat lamp with a ceramic bulb but can't get the heat to penetrate low enough :mad: was thinking either try a 100w bulb orrr get another lamp and use two orrrr put the heat mat in, problem with that being finding a way to run the cable up through the top without providing Lola with an escape route.

Any ideas?

[presspirate]

Could you put the heat mat underneath the bottom, or would it not penetrate?

[presspirate]

What`s hardware cloth? Sounds dodgy... You want a metal cage really....

Hardware cloth is metal, wire actually. pretty sturdy, 3/8" x 3/8" squares. To you all in backward land ;) that's 31 mm I think.:crazy2:

I was thinking something along the lines of this... http://www.centralmediaserver.com/WIXT/Engineering/hardwarecloth.jpg

To make something like this...

http://www.stevografix.com.au/brians_reptiles/images/light_cage_large.jpg

Do you think that would work?

[.: Laura :.]

Could you put the heat mat underneath the bottom, or would it not penetrate?

Nope the glass is too thick :( I've tried vertically mounting it on the side and yeah, barely does anything of use

[presspirate]

Is the lamp mounted atop the cage? If so could you find a way to mount it a little lower? I am not familiar with the tank you are using, but as far as the lamp I am thinking something like this.http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRtlQRsb_qR69hkKpc8Tv1GDLFUVrHl8 KhJWahvscI6ilp09Ic&t=1&usg=__uxCGYQsoqJ_GlfO-ltQO2ekaE4A=

[.: Laura :.]

The one I'm using just sits directly on top of the mesh lid

http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/img/shop/original/exo-terra_glow-clamp-lamp.jpg

[presspirate]

I'd have to suggest figure a way to use the pad. Garter snakes tend to be more terrestrial I believe. I use a uth for my corns, under a 55 gallon aquarium, (On a rheostat of course) and it heats just fine.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help....:no:

[marvelfreak]

I'd have to suggest figure a way to use the pad. Garter snakes tend to be more terrestrial I believe. I use a uth for my corns, under a 55 gallon aquarium, (On a rheostat of course) and it heats just fine.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help....:no:
Laura is your heat pad hooked up to a rhesotat? If so you should be able to just turn it up. Or you might need a bigger heat pad.

[infernalis]

Since we're on the subject of surface temps, anyone have the 40x40x60 tall exo terra viv? I'm finding it a real pain in the arse to get the floor temps right. I have a heat lamp with a ceramic bulb but can't get the heat to penetrate low enough :mad: was thinking either try a 100w bulb orrr get another lamp and use two orrrr put the heat mat in, problem with that being finding a way to run the cable up through the top without providing Lola with an escape route.

Any ideas?

For Lola??

No need to be so critical if it is. As long as the average temps in the viv are over 65 (F) Any garter snake will thrive just fine.

They are found way up north just short of the snow belts, So they are not at all like tropical animals that need constant heat. Heck You can let that snake go all the way down to just above freezing and it will just hibernate until you warm it back up.

[Feebo]

Those exoterra tanks just glass boxes, If you`ve got what I think you`ve got the glass will be the main problem I think. I`ve just given away ten or twelve of those I`ve been sitting on for years. The combination of glass sides and a glass bottom with a mesh top just allows the heat to piss out all over the place. I think the problem is that rather than the heat not penetrating deep enough, it`s not actually being held in by the tank at all. I would think your only hope of heating anything in that would be a heat mat on the inside of the tank for the creature (what are you keeping in it?) to directly warm itself on. As for getting wire through the top that`s the easy part! Get yourself a washer, no two washers. Put one on the inside of the mesh and one on the outside. Now glue them together. Then cut away/poke through the mesh inside the washer holes and hey presto! A safety "rip stop" mesh hole device whatsit thingy bob :)
@ Presspirate So it`s not actually cloth at all then! And you think WE`RE backward?! lol The onlt thing I`d say on that is check that that plastic coating can take the heat. It should be ok but I`d certainly test it first me `ol cocker :)

[Feebo]

Problem solved then :) Garters are really pretty aren`t they! I was looking at a load of pictures the other day and I can totally see the attraction :)

[infernalis]

I just keep the whole reptile room hot all the time. ;)

[.: Laura :.]

Thanks Feebs! I have no idea why I didn't think of using washers :)

Yeah I knew that heating them would be a problem when I bought it, but I got it very cheap so thought it would be worth the hassle. I think it'll be fine with a stronger bulb and the heat mat.

Wayne it is for Lola but she is still sick so I want to get it as warm as possible before moving her in

[Feebo]

Maybe you could line it (on the inside) with thin polystyrene. If you did that, mesh top and all, you`d keep loads more heat in...
I`d be happy to make you a wooden viv if you could get over to pick it up. How far is Hastings from Bath? Not too bad is it? I make dead smart vivariums :)

[.: Laura :.]

I would love to take you up on that offer but it's a 3hr drive :( and since i am unable to drive i very much doubt my other half would take me as he isn't exactly Lola's biggest fan :(

[Feebo]

Aaaw nooo.... lol he`s not a snake fan is he? lol Yeeeah I don`t drive either, not that I`d be allowed now anyway. Nice to see I`m not the only one :)

[.: Laura :.]

He's indifferent to snakes, he just fails to see how I can love a reptile lol, so much so that in his mind i can spend £35 on a vet consultation, and £15 thereafter every other week when collecting her injections when she only cost £30 in the first place and I leave myself with no money for the rest of the month after the costs.

He can be a bit insensitive in case you haven't already guessed :P

[percey39]

Hmm i think i must of read your cage dimensions wrong last time Laura. I read it in centimeters not inches lol Damn all you backwards people!! A 100 watt globe or you could buy an extension for your light and cut a hole in the mesh. Drop the light in cover it with a cage and seal around the hole.

[.: Laura :.]

Hey Aaron, it is in cm :) Still not strong enough tho

[Feebo]

Pah! Does he have no passions of his own you can easily make comparisons to?! You`d think he`d show a bit of interest! lol Or something... Even if he faked it out of politeness! Jeez my wife puts me in a trance with her architect stuff sometimes but I show interest! lol My fixated semi conscious gaze is an interested one lol :)

[Feebo]

One could get a little upset at all this backward talk.... YA BLOODY HOON! ! Hahahahahahahaha I`ve always wanted to call someone that ! LOL

[.: Laura :.]

Nope unfortunately not :( Lol sad to say but I cant recall any of my interests he's been remotely stimulated by... maybe I'm just extremely boring ;)

[percey39]

One could get a little upset at all this backward talk.... YA BLOODY HOON! ! Hahahahahahahaha I`ve always wanted to call someone that ! LOL

Hey dont call me a hoon :yes::yes:. Australia and New Zealand are the only countries doing things right lol we adopted the metric system and have never deviated from it.

I would of though with those dimensions Laura that your 60watt globe would of been heaps, but as feebo has said it may be the glass. Styrofoam on the floor could be a good option as well.

Also we men are a different species to you Laura, we can be quite confusing at times but thats just us!!

[.: Laura :.]

Yeah I'm going to try that too, coupled with the coconut husk should hopefully provide some better insulation :)

[.: Laura :.]

Ps. Hoon??

[percey39]

Hoons are what we call people speeding, doing burn outs and drifting their cars over here.
Lifting the floor up a little coupled with styroofam shoud help with heating.

[Feebo]

Aaah shat it ya flamin galaa ! LOL
Laura that`s really crap. Don`t tell anyone I told you this but when it comes down to it, you`re the boss! You`ve got something he can never do properly without you if you know what I mean lol I`m sure you could erm... "Stimulate" a little interest in him if he were properly motivated :) LOL I tried to keep that as clean as possible and it still looks terrible lol

[.: Laura :.]

Lol trust me Feebs the way he's been stressin at the moment, looks like it's going to be another 2 months without any of that :(

He's worried that he's not going to have a job next month as thats when all the police cuts are being announced and I don't earn enough to keep our house. So he's pretty much mad at everyone and everything at the moment

[percey39]

You are on fire today my friend, i might have to leave now as im getting a beating here and im pretty much a lone soldier haha.

Feebo is right to Laura, i act all tuff and "free" around my mates but at the end of the day she is my boss. Im at her beck and call no matter what. You need to exercise your rights!!!

[Feebo]

Bummer. I hope that doesn`t happen :( Does that mean the traffic wardens are hiring then? lol

[.: Laura :.]

Lol I don't think so, all to do with saving money and all that

[Feebo]

Yeah there`s a lot of that at the moment eh... Luckily it doesn`t affect me. Wow I`m tired! I`ve just noticed it`s 2:30am too! Time Feebo`s were asleep in thier chairs me thinks... G`night! :)

[percey39]

It will all work out Laura, im sure he will keep his job. They will always need a police force!!! I was in a pretty bad spot myself when i finished my apprenticeship and got laid off. I could not get any work for 6 months and sat at home becoming a hermit while my partner worked to get us through. I then got a call from the mines interstate and have never been short of work since, its just hard to think positive when you have nothing positive like me. I sold some of my snakes to get me through with money!!

[.: Laura :.]

Lol the only thing i can pawn is my guitar :P but i'm an optimist so hopefully everything will be fine :)

2:35am and im still not tired :P

[Feebo]

sg;;;ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg gf;jrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrb Whoa! I totally fell asleep on the keyboard ! lol Eargh I`ve dribbled on myself too! lol Right bedtime said Feebo....

[percey39]

Everything WILL workout it always does. Stress is overated.

Haha time for a cup of warm milk mate if its that bad haha

[.: Laura :.]

Night Feebs, dream nice things :)


So how is Red/Lumi/the lil orange stripey snake Aaron?

[Feebo]

Will do :)

[percey39]

The mulgas are all fine, but i think reaper might have a RI which makes no sense to me. He is needing to shed and has a bubble to try and start on his neck, if he does not get going soon i will have to intervene and get it ALL off myself. I have not had to do eye caps or nostrils in a very long time yet alone on a hot, so it this could get interesting real quick.
I will be taking to the vet me thinks tomorrow, which will be interesting to find someone willing to work with an adder!!

[Feebo]

Would drilling a hole in one of your tubes help with that? Once his head`s in there you could move him to the right spot and get in there with the tweeezers :) Bob`s your uncle! lol

[percey39]

Nah i got it off with my hands. I just pinned the head and then held him behind the jaw. All his skin came off in one piece which was a huge relief. I just gave him his first injection, so only 9 more and he is all better (hopefully) No fluid shots either as he is perfect health bar the RI. I was also glad my probing is correct and that he is a he.
Still cant figure out how he got it in the first place as the temps are perfect.

[Feebo]

Knocks your confidence a bit when that happens doesn`t it.... It does with me anyway, I likme to know excatly what`s happening so when I had a couple die for no apparent reason a while back that was a really big blow... and I don`t mean the good kind! lol :)

[percey39]

Yeah it certainly does especially in my case as RI are caused by bad husbandry. Im very keen to figure out what has gone wrong and wether or not i had a direct part to play in it. Your situation was completely different mate and there was no way you played a part in it.

[.: Laura :.]

Same with Lola, hopefully the mysterious RI's will stop with you and I Aaron

[percey39]

Hopefully they do Laura. A big bonus today was i got it all done for $100 which is cheap and all i had to do was take 2 of my other snakes over for them to look at lol

[.: Laura :.]

Did you have to do the big drive or did you find someone locally?

[percey39]

Nah ended up taking a 2 hour drive, but as i said got a fairly big discount and it gave moose and rod some time away as well. Im just glad that it should only be 9 more injections and he is all better. How many shots do you have left??

[.: Laura :.]

Hmmm... so far she's had about 12ish

[percey39]

She should be well on her way to recovery then. I can hardly see anything in my syringes as the amount is so small lol

[.: Laura :.]

Yeah very small amount indeed, and nope she just doesn't seem to be changing, she's still eating though so I very much doubt she is suffering in any way

[percey39]

Thats a possitive, my guy ate only 3 days ago while in shed so he is syill very food orientated. I hope Lola gets better ASAP as its very stressful in these situations when all you can do is wait and see.

[presspirate]

Okay mates got another question for you. My interior cage sizes will be:
(Inches, not centimeters, :freakedout:)
Cage A. 57" x 13" x 19" (For corn snake)

Cage B. 45" x 18 1/2" x 23" (For Nic Boa)

The sizes are a little odd, because I am recycling old furniture and turning it into snake homes.

Question is this. What size, (Wattage) Ceramics should I buy to heat these up? Should I use one per cage, or two? I've been looking for a chart that will tell me, but so far I have had no luck.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[presspirate]

@ Presspirate So it`s not actually cloth at all then! And you think WE`RE backward?! lol The onlt thing I`d say on that is check that that plastic coating can take the heat. It should be ok but I`d certainly test it first me `ol cocker :)

:freakedout:I'm not sure if I was just insulted or not. :yes: You can call it rabbit wire, chicken wire Hardware cloth, or fencing with little square holes. (Always thought hardware cloth was a bit odd myself, but hey, when in Rome.... or North America.)

At any rate, On my plastic cages I have have 10" holes cut out and have bolted this very same green wire meshy like stuff to it. And have my heat domes sitting directly on it with 150 watt bulbs and it has not melted. It's actually a pvc coating.

[Feebo]

Sounds fine then :) Nope, not an insult. That just means ! "my friend" :)

[presspirate]

Gonna bump this, can someone take a look at my question up there?^ 3 posts up. Thanks!:yes:

[percey39]

For cage A i would go with a 150 watt and cage B i would go with 100 watt.
I use a ceramic and a globe in my 4 x 2 x 2 so i drop my wattage on the ceramics but its up to you how want to heat it. In a 4 x 2 x2 i use a 60 watt ceramic and a 40 watt globe this gives me temps around 32-34 degrees hot end and 24-26 cool end.

[presspirate]

Awesome! Thanks Percy, I wanted to order this week! You're the man mate!

[percey39]

Haha no dramas mate, as i said its up to you which way you wanna go but i like to be able to see them at night as well lol. Also temps can vary on the amount of vents you have put in as well as where you have placed them.

[presspirate]

Cage A I have two round vents on each end, they are about 2" Diameter and 3" on center from each other. On the right they are 1" off the floor, and on the right they are 1" from the top, so there will be a fresh air flow, fresh air in, bad air out. But I think they are small enough that it will not carry away all of the heat. Thanks again for the help.

[Lankyrob]

I have 100w ceramic in the 3 foot viv and 150w in the 4foot vivs - never have any issues reaching the temps required.

[percey39]

You should be all sweet with those wattage ceramics with those vents mate.

[presspirate]

I have 100w ceramic in the 3 foot viv and 150w in the 4foot vivs - never have any issues reaching the temps required.

Good to know Rob, That's exactly what I'm going to do. Have you had any problems with the cool side becoming too cool in the 4' ?

@ Percy, Thanks again!

[Lankyrob]

No, no problems with the cool end apart from with the spiny tailed monitor. For some reason his viv wasnt holding the heat as well as the others. We started by covering one of the vents, because he is on the top of the stack we figured he was getting more of any draughts. In the end tho we switched him to an all in one mercury vapour, saves having two bulbs ( one for heating one for uv) and he seems so much more active and content with his much hotter "hotspot". The ceramic was giving him a bask spot of about 105f which is within the range but the mercury gives him a spot heat of about 115f which he adores, in the afternoons he just curls up on his sand u der the bulb and goes to sleep!

[presspirate]

1 completed. I have the red bulb in till the ceramic arrives this weekend. I'm surprised at how warm it stays in there. A 75 watt bulb on a rheostat, turned down almost halfway. Basking area is about 88. cool side at about 78-79 and ambient temps in low to mid 80's.

[percey39]

Looks great, the only problem i have found with the globes ( which i use is all my tanks ) is that the humidity will always be low as they give of a dry heat and evaporate any humidity quite quickly. Also they tend not to last long in high humidity cages in my experience.
Nice viv's, you will have some happy snakes in those.