Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I build a 4x2x2 plywood cage and mounted 2 ceramic fixtures to the ceiling. They are the kind you can buy at Walmart for 3 bucks. I attached lamp cord to the fixtures and mounted them to the ceiling of the cage, at least 6 inches away from the walls. The cage is unpainted plywood. There is a 14x3 screen vent right near the lights. Today, near the end of the day I smelled a hint of burning wood. I've build cages this way before and never noticed this. Do the WIRES actually get hot, or is it the ceramic that's the problem? I'm only using 75W incandescent spots. Should I put something under the fixture, so the ceramic and wires don't touch the plywood?
thanks, Dan.

You're supposed to mount those kinds of fixtures on junction boxes (those little metal boxes they have in the wiring department of hardware stores). This puts an inch or so between the fixture and the wood of the cage ceiling, and it gives a safe area for the wiring to go.