heating melamine cage with heat lights?

Reticsrule · 08-12-05, 09:52 PM

i want to heat my new melamine enclosure with heat tape but it is going to be at my grandparents house and they think it will start a fire if i use heat tape so the only way i can have it over there is if i use heat lights. i tried to tell my grandpa that the heat tape (flexwatt) is low wattage and wont catch fire but he wont listen to me and he is very stubborn lol. i really dont like using lights to heat a cage because they burn out and you have to replace them (im talking about the ones at pet stores like exoterra), you have to turn them on and off, and heat rises therefore i think UTH is the best way to go. so is heating this cage with heat lights really that bad of an idea?

testdrivehemi · 08-12-05, 10:23 PM

All of my cages,be it for monitors or large pythons,are all kept warm with ceramic heat elements,spot lights, or blacklight- spotlights.They are all protected with metal mesh ( accually ,I use metal noodle strainers bought at dollar stores)so the animals cannot come into direct contact with the lights and get burnt.As for turning them off setting up simple timer devices does the job.Actually all my cages have 2 lights each,a spotlight for daytime and a blacklight(spot) for the night on alternating timers.(12 hours light,12 hours blacklight).The wattage you will have to use will depend on the size of your cage or you can use a dimmer on them to allow you to adjust the temperature you want. ps, if you can get yourself an infrared temperature gun ,adjusting your cages temperature will be alot easier.hope this helps

Reticsrule · 08-12-05, 10:32 PM

i dont know how many herps you have but i only have three and they are all in different houses so it would be kinda stupid to put a timer on the cages(i will do that when i get a lot more snakes though). thats what my grandpa wants to do is put 2 ceramic fixtures in, one for day, one for night. my male boa is in a cage where he has the opportunity to touch the bulbs if he wants but he just hides all day so i havent had a problem with that yet.

what kind of light bulbs do you use? (reptile ones like pet stores or something else)

Serpens · 08-12-05, 11:34 PM

So far I've used the ExoTerra heat glo and the only problems I've had is that they've burned out a couple times in the last 10 months. They aren't too expensive though, so I just chaulk that up to the price of caring for my animals. My recommendation would be to put guards around all your bulbs. You might get luckly and your boa may never touch the bulbs, but that being said, even if it's the first time, the burns can be bad enough that he'll have to be euthanized. Better safe than sorry IMO. Good luck with everything.

Serpens

Reticsrule · 08-13-05, 09:04 AM

well for now im going to have to live with the lights for heating because there is know way im going to change my grandpa's mind. thanks for the advice on putting guards on the lights. ill be sure to do that.

Invictus · 08-13-05, 10:25 AM

Don't get ripped off by pet stores selling you specialized reptile light bulbs. Use a standard 40 watt light bulb. That's what I use for all of my enclosures, and they work wonderfully. And heat doesn't ONLY rise, that is just its tendency. This garbge about UTH's being better because heat rises is just that - garbage. A UTH will do NOTHING for ambient temperature.

BOAS_N_PYTHONS · 08-13-05, 01:25 PM

If you can afford them and want less hassle and less danger as well as a slimmer and trimmer design idea.....go radiant heat - that' s right radiant heat panels. Nothing beats them other than the sun and nature itself. They last longer than any type of light system unless you can find lights that can last 20 - 30 years and more. Very safe if installed correctly and price now a days is cheaper than 5 years ago so if your thinking of keeping reptiles for 5 or more years, splurge on radiant heat its a 1 time fee that gives you peace of mind for years.

boyle101 · 08-13-05, 03:17 PM

use 40 or 50 watt flood lights at home depot FLOOD not SPOT lights $4.99 for a 4x2x2 melamine

Reticsrule · 08-13-05, 03:36 PM

thanks for all the help. ill start using non reptile bulbs then. im sure they are a lot cheaper because the reptile bulbs are rediculous. ill check into the radiant heat panels but for now im going to have to stick with the lights. thanks again everyone!

also, is there a non reptile bulb that i can use at night? (the basement is pretty cool at night)

Invictus · 08-14-05, 11:11 AM

25 watt black light bulb. About 5 bucks at Walmart.

YoungBuck · 08-17-05, 12:33 AM

I agree with Ken...I am currently using a 60 watt light bulb for each of my 6' enclosures and they work wonders for my Borneos~! The only thing that I wonder is does the bright light effect the snakes in any way? I know that if I had a light bulb shining in my eyes 2' above me, I'd be pretty pissed off~! Haha

Mike

Invictus · 08-17-05, 12:58 AM

I am yet to observe any negative effects from it. In fact, by using light as the heat source, you are not only simulating heat cycles, but also light cycles. This can be a rather positive breeding conditioning.

Ch3m1cal_x · 08-17-05, 04:06 AM

put cages around ur lights :| i can only imagine how much it would hurt ur animal to get burnt :s i burnt my hand on one of those lights... i have a scar from it now... im sure it would do a hell of a lot worse to ur snake

Reticsrule · 08-17-05, 10:27 AM

im building the cage later today and i bought a 45 watt flood light for daytime and a black light(not sure of wattage) for nighttime. neither are special reptile lights. i will put cages around the bulbs but my question is can you get cages at home depot? and if you can will they be big enough to cover a flood light? thanks for all your help!

Invictus · 08-17-05, 11:36 AM

For those who haven't seen my cages, here's how I protect the lights:

Fully encased with PVC hardware cloth inside:

Accessible outside door for bulb changes: