Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just purchased a homemade cage for my Hog Island/Argentine Boa. The cage is 4' high 3' wide and 2' deep. The cage is made entirely of wood except for the face which is glass.

Since the bottom of the cage is wood, a UTH is out of the question. I certainly don't want to stick a UTH on the face of the cage. I have a 100-watt red heat light on the top but I doubt that will be enough to heat such a large cage. I do not want to use a heat rock in a conventional way because of the danger, but I am wondering if there is some way to insulate one or put it inside of something so there is no danger of the snake getting burned.

Any ideas?

(also posted in Lighting and Heating forum)
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0.1 Hog Island/Argentine Boa (Fluffy)
0.0.1 Ball Python (Grumpy)
0.1 Gopher Snake (Katrina)
1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Snowy)
1.0 Mexican Milksnake (Tiny)
1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (Ken & Pat)
0.1 Black Milksnake (Jumpy)
0.1 Variable Kingsnake (Dinner)
1.0 Dumerils Boa (Sunny)

A few ways you could go about it:

Radient Heat Pannel ... most expensive but probably best option.

I heat a similar cage using a 15watt night bulb for ambient temps and a 25watt spot halogen for day. Both are on dimmers to adjust to proper temps.

Last method I can come up with is to cut a square out of the bottom where you would like your heat tape. Make the square slightly larger then the heat tape. Then place a piece of plexiglass or prefereably glass (cut slightly larger then the hole) over the hole and silicone the edges. Attach your heat tape to the glass add a dimmer or thermostat and your set to go.

You can just about see the night bulb I use in my current cages in this picture.

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- Jason F.

Thanks for the ideas!

Also, I just put a 17 x 24 shelf in the top 5 inches of the cage. I will monitor the heat at the top and bottom of the cage and see if the 100 watt bulb is enough. I keep the room temperature at about 70 or 72. I suspect I will still need to do something additional though. I like your idea about the glass on the bottom of the cage.
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0.1 Hog Island/Argentine Boa (Fluffy)
0.0.1 Ball Python (Grumpy)
0.1 Gopher Snake (Katrina)
1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Snowy)
1.0 Mexican Milksnake (Tiny)
1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (Ken & Pat)
0.1 Black Milksnake (Jumpy)
0.1 Variable Kingsnake (Dinner)
1.0 Dumerils Boa (Sunny)

I've got a couple of taller boxes from my earlier day's and I've found the best way to heat them is with a ceramic heating element. Heat rocks can be used if you bury they in your substate { I use aspen}. Hint ; get one of those infered thermoters. If you use a ceramic heater put a cage around it.

I do have a heat rock that's never been used that I could bury in aspen. "Fluffy" NEVER burrows so I dont think I'd have to worry about her burning herself. My only fear is that it might overheat & catch the wooden cage on fire.

Maybe if I put plenty of aspen bedding over AND under it?
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0.1 Hog Island/Argentine Boa (Fluffy)
0.0.1 Ball Python (Grumpy)
0.1 Gopher Snake (Katrina)
1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Snowy)
1.0 Mexican Milksnake (Tiny)
1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (Ken & Pat)
0.1 Black Milksnake (Jumpy)
0.1 Variable Kingsnake (Dinner)
1.0 Dumerils Boa (Sunny)

I've got 1 that's been buryed in aspen for years and never got over 95 degrees. I also made a wooden box put the heat rock in and covered it with pee gravel.

Give Kane heat mats a try. You can find them online. That would be best for belly heat, and with the height of the cage I'd use a radient heat panel as well.

This would be my suggesstion too, because you can put it right in the cage. A radiant panel will be required too because if the height but it's the best heat made, and not THAT expensive.

Caden

>>Give Kane heat mats a try. You can find them online. That would be best for belly heat, and with the height of the cage I'd use a radient heat panel as well.
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Caden Chapman
slithering.serpents@gmail.com