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Hey i have a 4 by 4 foot room with a height of a normal door that is temporarily available for a young black throat monitor until it gets bigger. I was just wondering what is the best option and maybe cheapest option for giving the enclosure the correct ambient temps? There is a light socket right the above the door in the room could i just put a ceramic heater in there to provide the required ambient temp? Any other ideas will be welcomed. Thanks

>>Hey i have a 4 by 4 foot room with a height of a normal door
>>that is temporarily available for a young black throat
>>monitor until it gets bigger. I was just wondering what
>>is the best option and maybe cheapest option for giving
>>the enclosure the correct ambient temps? There is a
>>light socket right the above the door in the room could
>>i just put a ceramic heater in there to provide the
>>required ambient temp? Any other ideas will be welcomed.
>>Thanks

Thoughts:
* Is there a source of light in the room? If not, use a light bulb rather than a ceramic heater.
* How close can the lizard get to the heat source? If the socket is well off the ground you could either use a focused light like a halogen spotlight, or put something tall in the enclosure for the lizard to climb on so it can clamber up close to the light.
* Be sure to measure basking spot temperatures. If it is not high enough, use a more focused light, use a higher wattage source, or move the basking spot closer to the heat source. I try to get the basking area at least 45 C (preferably 50 C) over an area large enough to fit the lizard's whole body into.
* Using a proper substrate with normal flooring and drywall will get messy, probably leading to mildew, water damage, ground in dirt, and rot. Consider lining the bottom of the enclosure with something fairly water-tight and strong enough to withstand monitor claws.
* Be aware that large powerful monitors (like blackthroats) can dig through drywall. Even though most do not, I have seen it happen.
* I would strongly advise against using free standing lamps - a monitor climbing the lamp could knock it over, leading to a fire hazard. A hanging lamp might be an option if you need to move the heat source closer to the basking area.

Good luck,

Luke

A room is not a good enclosure for the monitor. Proper temps and humidity will destroy the room even if the monitor doesn't. You could cover the walls and floor in FRP and seal it with silicon. Heating it with a light socket in the ceiling won't work either. Avoid spot lights, they burn monitors. Always use a flood light. You will need multiple bulbs in a row to create a proper basking area. I believe Shvar recently posted pics of his BT that show a good way to do this. Search the forum for ideas on how to do this properly then ask any more questions if you need help.

Cheers,

Steve

its basically a little extra storage room. The floor is concrete and so are the walls so it is not drywall. Are space heaters safe for reptiles to be using 24/7? Can i use a bare heat pad?

In an area 4x4 you can easily get all the heat you need from the basking lights. If it were my enclosure for an albig I would put the lights on a shelf lower in the cage so the heat would rise up and heat the air in the top of the cage. I would be sure that the shelf lights and wiring for the lights was albig proof and provide other shelves up in the cage to add use able area to the cage. Without maximizing the space 4x4 is going to get too small for an albig real fast.