1. I've learned lately that Halogen floods can be used to produce heats upwards of 135 degrees and higher. Question about it is.. Is this in a general area, or like a spot light, is it in one single spot? without turning the ambient temps into blazing heat.. It's already 110 outside here, and without heating the entire room, let alone my enclosures.
It is really just the general hot spot, however a flood creates a larger area than a traditional spot bulb. Also you need to take into consideration that with airflow restricted or not the effect of a flood bulb in a cage will change the ambinet temps throughout, in addition to the desired hot spot.
2. Plain and simple, I got the materials for them, but before I start building, should I sand it down first or apply any varnish/lacquer or otherwise? This is a totally newbish question, but I haven't a clue
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>>Also on the rete's stacks.. has anyone ever thought of using hinges or otherwise to allow easy access to the lizards inside without having to lift the stack and pretty much drag/drop them out?
I'll hit both of those together. First I wouldn't waste time on making these nice pieces of cage furniture. I consider mine disposable and will toss them when they need to be disposed of.
Also I don't clean mine, nor does Frank Retes the developer of the stack. I should say that I scrap the solid waste material from the surfacces now and than. However the idea of the waste being placed in the area is a general marking of the territory in the lizard world. If you visit the area the lizards live in the wild you will see the same deposits of fecal material covering the basking spots. These are like little name tags for the whos who in the lizard world. Of course nature cleans the surfaces every now and than via rain and other events of mother nature. So it is only prudent not to let our little nitches in captivity become caked in poo.
Lastly I build mine so they are stackable each layer is identical, and I just stack them up and remove them for cage cleaning. I never have to dump a lizard from them I mearly remove each layer and handle the lizards as I find them. Also crickets take refuge in them so its nice to be able to take them apart to get them out as well as scraping fecal material.
Most of the time you can get scrap material for next to nothing, cut offs and damaged boards are always cheap. I myself removed about 5 sheets of 70's paneling from my house when I was re-modeling. These sheets were cut into 12" squares and I have a large stack of them awaiting use. Being resorcful is part of the hobby.
Good Luck
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>>Thanks in advance.
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>>2.3 Leos
>>2.0 Beardie
>>1.1 Common Boa
>>0.1 Sav (Bosc) Monitor
>>1.1 Ackies
>>0.1 Giant BW Tegu
>>Thousands of Roaches, T's, and Scorps.
>>Wish for: Candoia Sp, Frilled D
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Jeremy
"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.11 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.2 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
0.0.1 Youth -coming soon-
