Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Still learning Solid Works so some of the more complecated features have not yet been added. Hope the pictures are clear.

Housing for an Irian Jaya Carpet Python

Refference frame is from the observers point of view.

Dimensions:
Exterior: 3ft wide X 2ft deep X 5ft tall
Hide: (interior) 12in wide X 9in deep X 9in tall(upper right corner)(entry hole not yet designed)(Exterior Right Main wall will feature an access door)

Material: 7/8in ply (may downsize it due to weight/cost)

Features not yet included:
Door: Hinged framed plexi window, dimensions 3ft X 3ft5in
Ventalation holes: Located on left exterior wall, 12in from the top, 2 computer fans
Climbing things: will fill the void with enough things for her to climb on to reach the hide.
Also may consider extra ledges or a pond. Want to focus on the main things first though which for me are heating and electrical. Advice greatly appreciated.

Heres the pics:

What I'm looking for is suggestions on lighting, heating, and thermo control.
I'd like to have the heat sources and computer fans wired up to a thermosdat (preferably a thermostadt from a home store with a daytime and nighttime programable setting)
If anyone has any suggestions for reading on how to do the electrical or how to go about heating this thing, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Dobbin, great post, looks like good design to me. i like that idea of having a hide up at the top with an access door. if it where me i would without a doubt add a couple shelves and dowels for climbing.

i myself dont have the most experience heating cages, so dont go by this as "what you need" unless some one else confirms, but i guess those RHPs are the way to go for most if not all set-ups. only thing i dont know is how will it will get heat 5' down to the bottom, that was just the first thing i thought of.

thats cool that your thinking of using a house thermostat, i actually looking into doing that myself in my cages. the only thing that i ran into was that i didnt want to place the unit inside the cage. i have hight humidity inside so i didnt want that to slowly eat away at connections or anything, i wasnt sure if that was a real concern or or but didnt want to chance it.

one thing i did think of was mounting it to the outside attaching a thermocouple that could be mounted inside to act as a probe. i dont know enough about that stuff to feel confident in doing it right, but i imagine it could be soldered right to the contact switch inside?? either way im sure it could work somehow!

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-Stephen-

0.1 soon to be wifey (hopefully)
1.0 rotwiler/chow (Boomer-wifey's pooch)
1.0 norm corn (Jake aka grumpy old terdhead)
0.1 col redtail boa (Dixie-my baby girl)
0.1 ball python (Bella- wifey's baby girl)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Saphira)

hopeful for not to distant future:
--Brazilian rainbow boas
2 or 3 more? maybe a breeding trio or two pair
-- something for the wifey... my list got to big...

Thanks for the post.

There will be branches and things to climb on, its just a PITA to model non linear shapes in Solid Works and I'm still learning how to use it.

The heating is my biggest issue. I have no idea how to heat all that space. The ideal electrical set up for me would be having everything automatic. Really I'm just looking to spot clean and throw food in if I can help it. I may try some ambient lighting with LED's a little later (I always wanted to set up a gradual dimmer for a sun rise and sun set scheme on a programable 8 bit card) but I need to knock out the big issues before I focus on the bells and whisles.

There will be an access door on the RHS of the cage (not modeled) which will open into the hide just in case I need to get in there. I plan on setting up the access door just like your plexi doors on the track, I really liked that idea.

A large cage like that can have a cool area, so the entire cage does not have to be heated. One great way to do this is to use a radiant heat panel. For warmth, the snake will bask higher up into the cage. To get cool, the snake can go down to the bottom. Perfect.

Radiant heat panels are mounted right inside the cage on the ceiling, so move your hidebox elsewhere. They are safe and do not get too hot of a surface to cause tissue damage, and they heat a wide area. Check out the classifieds here on kingsnake. There are some great heat panels sold there.

I've done the home thermostat thing, using a separate relay to switch the power to the heater, but there is no real benefit to doing that when there are fantastic proportional temperature controls sold on the classifieds here that are perfect for your application and already wired up and ready to use. Basically, ON/OFF controllers are less expensive. Examples sold here are Ranco and Johnson for under $70. For best efficiency and less heater wear and tear, proportional controllers are the ones to get. They are typically $120 and are well worth the cost. Most come with night-time temp drop feature.

For a snake like a carpet python, you will save yourself alot of complexity and time by getting a radiant heat panel and using a proportional controller. Most important, the snake will benefit.
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Mark

There will be an access door on the RHS of the cage (not modeled) which will open into the hide just in case I need to get in there. I plan on setting up the access door just like your plexi doors on the track, I really liked that idea.

just to let you know with the plexi... im sure you have heard it before as have i, it warps...

the reason i use it instead of glass was so i could drill vent holes plus mount a lift out handle. i have heard people say that before, yet i was still surprised at how much it does warp, but after thinking about it that makes total sense if one side is 85 degrees and the other 70 the warm side is going to expand at a greater rate....

anyways it is IMO a minor flaw, yes it make for a tighter fit in the track and putting the panel in has to be done one corner at a time, the over all still does what i need it to do.

now if you are talking a much smaller panel just for a hide opening it might not be near as bad, i dont know that for sure but something to think about
-----
-Stephen-

0.1 soon to be wifey (hopefully)
1.0 rotwiler/chow (Boomer-wifey's pooch)
1.0 norm corn (Jake aka grumpy old terdhead)
0.1 col redtail boa (Dixie-my baby girl)
0.1 ball python (Bella- wifey's baby girl)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Saphira)

hopeful for not to distant future:
--Brazilian rainbow boas
2 or 3 more? maybe a breeding trio or two pair
-- something for the wifey... my list got to big...

I wish I could model better so that I could show the door, I can't seem to get the tongue and grove joints right. I plan on framing the plexi to prevent the warp. The big trade off on the plexi for me is the weight. I can be a little slopy on the way I hang the door if its light.

On the radiant heat pannels, they're a great idea. And I will take Marks suggestion of lowering the hide. Also from the heating and cooling section, one of the tricks for belly heat for a wooden enclosure is to replace portions of the floor with plastic sheeting which allows for convection. I'm planning on replacing the bottom wooden pannel of the hide with a plastic sheet to allow for a heating pad.

I'm starting to see the light with the thermostadts as well. Will try to post the changes to the model some time this weekend.

Thanks for the input!

-Chris