Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just built an enclosure out of oak, I'm going to put contact paper in it after I take it apart again. When I piece it back together and install the light fixtures, should I be worried that the walls of the enclosure will catch fire from the heat bulbs?

It really deends on the wattage of the bulbs and how close they are to the sides....
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www.mgreptiles.com
CBB Herps and Heating Supplies

What size bulbs are you using, how far from the walls are they, and what type of ventilation are you going to have? If you don't have any ventilation (which can be as little as (3) 1/4" holes per bulb), this can be a problem. Whenever you subject wood to high heats, it has the possibility to spontaneously combust. However, this will be year upon year. As long as you have enough ventilation, to where it can get out your doors and if you even just drill a hole (you can use to run your wires through if its close enough), or if you have any wire mesh for it to come through.. woah thats one long run on sentence. you should be fine.
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-Chris

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I don't have a bulb yet, I was just wondering if heat lamps in wood enclosures are fire hazards. There is definitely ventilation, I built a screen top, and there is a (accidental) 1/4" gap around the top between the frame of the screen and the walls of the enclosure. (not big enough or low enough for my future Uromastyx to crawl out, unless he/she can grow thumbs and fashion a grappling hook out of snap peas and birdseed.

I haven't even installed the light yet, so I'll have to test it in a few different spots to make sure the temperature is high enough, and that it's not lost because of that gap.

It could be a fire hazard, again depending on the heat the bulb puts out and proximity to the sides of the cage. Adding heat, even low heat, to wood will pull moisture out, and can over time form pyrophoric carbon. Pyrophoric carbon has a much lower flash point than wood, and could possibly ignite from the heat of a light bulb. It would/should take a long time before the process to convert to carbon even got started, much less ignited. FWIW, this is not spontaneous combustion, which is a whole other topic. FWIRW, this is just info on the processes involved and not an endorsement of the method.