Asian Water Monitor - Custom Enclosure Help

[Timmy87]

I have a ceramic heat emmitter. How can I put this in my custom enclosure? I know I can't put them in regular light fixtures, so how can I go about this? Also, what type of lighting/heat is recommended? Vapor Bulps? UVB tube fixtures? What combination or setup should I use for my custom enclosure?

[Jay]

cn you put a picture up? what are the dimensions
here is how i build my cages

[Lankyrob]

Ceramic bulbs screw into ceramic holders - they look like normal light fittings but are ceramic so dont melt from the heat.

[Timmy87]

I am in the prosses of bulding the cage. Dimensions are about 4X2X2. What I wanted to do was put an actual household socket fixtuere inside the cage and screw it to the top. But i dont know if the socket fixtures that are used in a typical household could handle a ceramic emmiter. Unless I could buy one at a home appliance store.

Nice cage by the way. Is that a mesh top? Or how are the lights suspended? I cant really see.

[presspirate]

You can buy ceramic contractor sockets for under 3 bucks. I just bought two of them.

[Lankyrob]

If you mean what i think you mean then a household light socket would melt if you put a ceramic bulb in it. The ceramic bulb holders are not that expensive and its not worth the risk to not use one that is totally safe.

[Freebody]

I am in the prosses of bulding the cage. Dimensions are about 4X2X2. What I wanted to do was put an actual household socket fixtuere inside the cage and screw it to the top. But i dont know if the socket fixtures that are used in a typical household could handle a ceramic emmiter. Unless I could buy one at a home appliance store.

Nice cage by the way. Is that a mesh top? Or how are the lights suspended? I cant really see.
um how long are you planning on keeping him in this tiny cage? you know they get 6 feet long right? they need a full room in your house, or at least a minimum of 8x8x6 as they like to climb. if you want some care sheet ill be happy to search a few good ones for you.

[Jay]

the dimensions are 8x6x6 thats just half the cage in the pic lol and it is mesh stapled to the ply just a note they are smart you need to treat him like a dog he needs to come out and get to no you my friend only takes him out to feed him and it defeats the purpose because he knows when he goes in the cage its feeding time and be prepared for some bites keep neosporin lol and the claws as well they become talons any info just ask i dont no much about snakes but i no a fair bit on monitors

[Timmy87]

um how long are you planning on keeping him in this tiny cage? you know they get 6 feet long right? they need a full room in your house, or at least a minimum of 8x8x6 as they like to climb. if you want some care sheet ill be happy to search a few good ones for you.

Well im just planning on having him there till he grows to big for it.

[Timmy87]

If you mean what i think you mean then a household light socket would melt if you put a ceramic bulb in it. The ceramic bulb holders are not that expensive and its not worth the risk to not use one that is totally safe.

Yeah I definitely want to be safe.

[Timmy87]

You can buy ceramic contractor sockets for under 3 bucks. I just bought two of them.

Thanks, do you have any pics of your enclosure of how your going to mount them? Im still going through ideas.

[presspirate]

I'm working on one now, I'll try to get some pics up in the next day or so.

[presspirate]

Ok, I got the fixtures and rheostat installed, Don't know how well you can see, I took them with my cell. Left side is a ceramic fixture which will hold a 150 w ceramic heat emitter from repto terra. The fixture itself was less than 3 bucks. I cut a 3"hole in the ceiling so that I could mount an outlet box. I wired this into a rheostat mounted on the side. This is only temporary Eventualy the rheostat will be removed and replaced with a regular 3 prong outlet to plug in a thermostat. I also siliconed around the fixture once it was installed. Right side is a regular plastic fixture which holds a 1 watt red lcd direct wired to a plug which will get plugged into a timer.

[presspirate]

Currently working on the doors, and mounting the bulb cage.

[marvelfreak]

Looking good Greg.

[bighog85]

Well im just planning on having him there till he grows to big for it.

That cage will only last a couple months. These guys can easily hit four feet in a year so really you are just going to be stressing your animal out by making him switch homes multiple times. Once he grows out of the cage you are building it will be time to put him in his adult enclosure which I hope you are prepared to supply. You have taken on the second largest monitor out there so I hope you knew what it required before you got it.

[presspirate]

Looking good Greg.

Thanks Chuck, I'll post better pics inmy other thread when I get it finished, hopefully over the weekend.