Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was thinking of making a cage out of 1/4" lexan plexi. I would use a heatpad w/thermostat and wanted to know if anyone knew if it would warp.

I made a home-made incubator using an aquarium, aquarium water heater, water and a piece of 1/4 plexiglass just laying on top for a cover to hold in heat & humidity.

With incubating temperatrues at 90 -92 degrees F. the plexiglass cupped (warped, curled up) aproximately 3 inches on both sides of the 14-inch width. The higher the temp, the more it curled. The lower the temp, the flatter it layed.

The incubator & plexi are no longer in use but the plexi is still curled a little over an inch. All I can say is that based on my experience, I wouldn't use it.

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Mr. Hillbilly's experience does a nice job of showing you what happens to lexan and acrylic when you have a temperature differential - that is, heat on one part of a piece of the plastic while the surrounding area is cooler.

Moderate warming produces a little warping, usually not a problem on a cage glued on all edges. Still, I think the best approach for a lexan cage is overhead heat rather than undercage heat.
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Mark

what type of overhead do u recommend ?

*overhead heat that is

Depends on the animal's requirements, size of cage, etc.

A simple aluminum lamp dome sized to the cage is often sufficient. Larger snakes and large cages will benefit from a radiant heat panel.
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Mark