Mounting CHE inside cage

Millertime1485 · 03-20-16, 03:51 PM

How do people do it I'm at a loss.

I have a custom homemade 4x2x2 that my hog will be going in once I have everything setup and tested. I know that I'll need to cage off the CHE so she can't touch it that's the easy part. Should I just use a typical ceramic dome inside and cage it? or should I just get a Home Depot porcelain lamp holder and mount it?

bigsnakegirl785 · 03-20-16, 04:14 PM

My ceramic bases were made to screw apart so you can easily remove and replace the wire. So, all I did was drill a hole for the wire through the top, thread the wire through, and attached it to the ceramic base on the inside. Then I pulled the wire out so the base was flush against the top of the cage and secured the wire in place. From there, I put the bulb in the base, and put the cage over the naked bulb and screwed the cage to the top of the cage (you can ditch the dome, you should only have the bulb and the base inside the cage).

Millertime1485 · 03-20-16, 04:48 PM

Didn't even realize they unscrewed so dumb on my part thanks.

Do you use anything to separate the ceramic holder part from the cage since they get hot?

bigsnakegirl785 · 03-20-16, 08:25 PM

Nah, it gets hot but shouldn't get hot enough to burn anything with it hooked up to a thermostat. The surface of top of the cage is only 100-120F. I've had the cage set up for 3 years in June or July and there's not even the smallest scorch anywhere.

toddnbecka · 03-21-16, 12:56 AM

I have seen commercially made small "cages" that mount over the fixture/bulb to prevent contact with the CHE. Even with a thermostat I'd think the surface temp of the CHE would burn just about anything that touched it more than very briefly.

**Andy_G** · 03-21-16, 07:22 AM

It's always a good idea to block off or enclose any heat /light source from a captive. CHE's definitely get hot enough to cause burns, especially if a snake decided to wrap itself around one partially and hang out like that for a few minutes. Best to make it flush with the top of the cage and cover the hole if you aren't going to be stacking it, and if you're mounting it inside then make sure to put something around it.