Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's a (low quality) pic of my new enclosure. I finised it today after about $40 and a few hours of labor. You can't beat that. I don't have a UTH in it, and was wondering if you all thought i would need one? I'm gonna let it set up all day tomorrow so I have an idea of the gradient. Higher quality pics on the way when he's all set up.

Are you going to be using an incandescent bulb to heat the enclosure? What about supplemental heat at night? How are you going to protect the snake from the hot bulb and screen at the top of the enclosure? Just a couple of questions that need to be answered before it recieves its new occupant.

I would ditch the incandescent lamp in favor of a very low wattage fluoro (for photo-period and viewing only). Some flexwatt with fire-resistant plastic sheeted over it would be the best way to heat your cage. If you used the flexwatt and a thermostat you could regulate temps much more accurately.

This is just my opinion to improve the set-up. It would take some extra work but the snake might appreciate it.

fire resistant plastic? where can I get that and what types are there? I have 1/2" mesh over both the lights, and the only reason I have a household bulb in the incandescent which I will probably switch over to a flouro eventually. Right now I'm just testing it out to see. Humidity was perfect this morning, with heat around 83 at the back of the cage. I'm testing everything today so I will update later about specs. Please reply about the plastic though, that seems like a good idea.
thx.

Check the larger hardware stores in your area. If you don't have access to sheet plastic, try cutting an XL Rubbermaid lid with a sharp razor to fit the bottom. Put the flex watt heating underneath and secure the plastic to the cage floor with silicone or some other plastic safe sealant(no sealant near the flex watt of course). You want to have a tight sandwich between all layers for good heat transfer. Unless you can find very low wattage flexwatt you will likely need to use this set-up in conjunction with a thermostat.

I hope this helps. He should be fine with the bulb in the short run...but for the long run, low watt flouro, heat tape, and a thermostat would be ideal for the python.