heat a plywood cage 3/4inch thick

[phil_7870]

you might remember me from my last post i am making a 3/4 inch thick plywood cage for a boa and i am wondering if lights are the only way of heating this cage .if so could someone tell me what way they should be set up and what kinds of lights to use . and are lights alot harder and electricity than a heat mat . can you post afew pics that might help thanks very much also what are these heat panels like and were can i buy one

[steelheadchris]

I have three 3/4" plywood enclosures and i used a heat panel from pro products and a johnson controls thermostat,one has 11" heat tape inside cage with a thermostat covered the floor with bathroom board tape is under that............hope this helps out

[phil_7870]

where did you buy the heat panel and thermostat and how much was it thanks for the help

[phil_7870]

anyone have any experience with heating cages with lights if so can you please help

[mykee]

Heat tape INSIDE a cage is a recipe for a burned down house and possible casualties.

[phil_7870]

is there any other ways that can be used plz help

[LadyParvati]

I do hope you guys are not using plywood made from pine or that you sealed it thoroughly before using it.

You know, I've seen a product to be used under bathroom flooring to heat up the flooring--it must not get so hot--I wonder if there's something similar that could be used ifor a vivarium even with a plywood base?

[phil_7870]

its sealed with that water based poly varish is that ok

[mykee]

You could always router out a channel on the outside bottom of the enclosure so that you can run heat tape or heat wire.

[phil_7870]

yeah good idea what about the varish will that seal the cage

[steelheadchris]

Thats what i did ,i routered out for the heattape3/8 " deep laid it in ,sealed it with a heat calk, good to 400 degrees,then covered the whole bottom of cage with one sheet of bathroomboard and sealed the hell out of it ,was gonna use tile but there wasnt time for me, the part of the tape with the connections is sticking outside the wall of the enclosure and is sealed and very well taped,this is a 5' cage and the tape is 11"by 3' and its been doing its job for over 6 months now,so i know it works,ya just have to have a good thermostat.or a 600 whatt dimmer switch,if ya go with a dimmer you have to constantly adjust the temp, unles the room temps are always the same, and thats never gonna happen here in ohio,hot as hell in summer and super cold in the winter

[LadyParvati]

I've heard that the varnish flakes off over time & isn't appropriate for live animal enclosures. I've also heard that there is an epoxy (different from the one that's used for industrial applications) that is considered safe for vivarium use. I'm trying to find out more about this but haven't heard from my chemist friends yet.

[phil_7870]

what about some kind of a stain and then put that poly over it

[steelheadchris]

Anything that you use inside should be a water base,and never use a water base paint with an oil base polyuerothane,i know i did it and had to strip the whole inside ,what a job,use interior water base couse it doesnt have all the chemicals,lots of coats and youll be fine without a poly.

[jayandlori]

floor heating used to heat bathroom floors should not be used alone to heat your cage , that would be a bad idea , use it to control the lower level section of ambiant temperature in the cage (heat rises) mainly over night , i would put it on a timer to come on shortly befor your heat lights go off for the night . the floor heater is a very efficaint way of ASSISTING in the climate control of your cage but make sure it not the only source of heat , you will still need overhead heat source for any reptile being housed not only for the aid in digestion but also to help them regulate there body heat . another thing to remember is to provide a place to hide on both the cool and hot ends of the enclosure .


hope this helps , PM me if you need to know anything else .

good luck
Jay