Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking at the Freedom Breeder cages for ease of maintenance instead of all my Neodeshas which display the animals nicely. Has anyone incorporated an LED system that would provide low light levels with no heat concerns to peer into the clear fronted enclosures rather than rolling them out to check on the waterbowls etc. without bothering the animal? I understand they draw very little electricity and I would still like to observe/display my animals to some degree without warehousing my animals like socks in a dresser drawer. Thanks.

Hello,

I have a temporary rack system I built to house some of my smaller snakes for a few months and I used LEDs to light each level. They look okay and they do provide more illumination than you get simply from ambient light, however they do generate some heat so that needs to be taken into account. I used a rope-light type of product.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois

Rope lights aren't LEDs. They are filament-type bulbs (I forgot what type exactly). They produce far more heat and light than LEDs.

For the original poster.. LEDs are not very good at illuminating the area around them. You would need quite a few. I would think using a flashlight is your best bet. So easy, so portable, no wiring, no cage mods, etc.
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Mark

And all this time I thought I was so behind the curve with my low-tech flashlight solution. Just have to be careful not to shine the light directly in the eyes (or heat pits) of the snakes.

-Joan

Thanks. Low-tech is sometimes a good thing. I appreciate your thoughts.