need help please

TeaNinja · 12-03-10, 08:27 PM

i just went out and bought just about everything i need for the snakes new viv, but the pet store didn't have any screens or mesh to cover the bulb for a burn guard. is there anything i can make one out of? i wanted to put my snake in his new home but i dont want him to get burned. the bulb is pretty high up and theres nothing he can climb on near it to get near the bulb, and he's a ground boa, but i wouldn't want to chance it.
lmk if you have any alternatives.

Damion930 · 12-03-10, 09:02 PM

chicken wire works good I used a metal wire kitchen rack I had laying around kinda like an oven rack turned one sideways to make squares and made a box I saw a bug zaper cover at good will today that would wrk great or an old bird cage metal screen from lows or the like any local hardware store could probly help u come up with something hope my ramble will spark something

TeaNinja · 12-03-10, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damion930

chicken wire works good I used a metal wire kitchen rack I had laying around kinda like an oven rack turned one sideways to make squares and made a box I saw a bug zaper cover at good will today that would wrk great or an old bird cage metal screen from lows or the like any local hardware store could probly help u come up with something hope my ramble will spark something

difinetly, i had that basic idea in my head. i'm 90% sure he won't EVER touch the light even if i do have a guard, but im gonna get one anyway.
he seems very happy, i switched from aspen to repti bark/coconut shreds and got him a heat rock and some thermometers and stuff. he's been roaming around the viv the last 10 minutes taking the sites in. now he's chillin in the hot side hide facing outwards towards the viv lol.

Damion930 · 12-03-10, 09:41 PM

ill be the first of many ditch the heat rock the heat is to concentrated and often poorly regulated they have a habit of malfunctioning and burning snakes not trying to be mean at all id hate to see something happen knowing I didn't say anything nice enclosures though

TeaNinja · 12-03-10, 09:50 PM

i'm gonna test it out and make sure. it says it maintains 20 degrees ABOVE the ambient temp of the cage, so im gonna keep checking the temp and the rock for the next few days to make sure everythings good. if the rock ever messes up, it's definetly getting tossed.

Lankyrob · 12-04-10, 08:43 AM

If the heat rock malfunctions once it may be too late, personally i would keep it ofr decoration but not heat it up.

kenchenzo · 12-04-10, 09:01 AM

honestly ditch the rock. they are not safe.

Swan · 12-04-10, 10:39 AM

Even the uth malfunction. I'm nursing my python as it was recently the victim of my uth going on the fritz. It burned her pretty good. Thank god I found her when I did. She was staying on it letting it burn her! Totally my bad! From this I will never use anything but lights and ceramic heaters that are protected and on thermostats. It's a horrible feeling finding your snake burned and hurt, knowing I could have kept this from happening. This happened months after the purchase of the uth. If that gives you some perspective as to what can happen.

presspirate · 12-04-10, 04:40 PM

I used hardware cloth. The green stuff coated with pvc. I found a can a little bit larger than the light fixture to use as a jig. Wrapped the wire "cloth" around the can, cut it a little bit bigger than necessary and fastened together into a cylinder shape. Cut another square to cap the end and screwed the whole works to the wood around the fixture.

TeaNinja · 12-04-10, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by presspirate

I used hardware cloth. The green stuff coated with pvc. I found a can a little bit larger than the light fixture to use as a jig. Wrapped the wire "cloth" around the can, cut it a little bit bigger than necessary and fastened together into a cylinder shape. Cut another square to cap the end and screwed the whole works to the wood around the fixture.

yea if i don't buy something, im just gonna find some type of cage like skeleton, and wrap chicken wire around it or something like that.

shaunyboy · 12-04-10, 06:53 PM

heat rocks are bad mate

chicken wire is not strong enough,your snake will crush it quite easily

id ditch the rock and wait on a proper guard to be safe

your snake will reach the bulb in the tank pictured with her face,toungue,neck no problem

you would be surprized how easy a snake will burn itself

cheers shaun

TeaNinja · 12-04-10, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

heat rocks are bad mate

chicken wire is not strong enough,your snake will crush it quite easily

id ditch the rock and wait on a proper guard to be safe

your snake will reach the bulb in the tank pictured with her face,toungue,neck no problem

you would be surprized how easy a snake will burn itself

cheers shaun

i found this at my house somewhere, its something to keep the gutter clear. im gonna go to the hardware store and buy 1 or 2 more of them and fit it around and close the bottom out, and the rocks already out of the cage.