Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have the 6'x3'x18" vision cage, it has an indent to house 2 8" dome lights but i cannot seem to get the temps high enough. i have a 18"x11" radient heat panel at one end of the cage and a 100 watt ceramic heat emmiter at the other end, and the temps are only in the mid 70's. i'm keeping and arg. b&w tegu in there and i need one end in the 110 range and the cool end in the low 80 range. the room temp is around 70 degrees. any suggestions, under tank heat pads maybe, i don't know what to do!! thanks

I would better insulate the outside of the cage Vision's are beat kept in rooms with other vision's where the room temps are closer to that of the cage.

One idea is reflectix an aluminum foil bubble wrap that reflexs heat Chris Harper can better explain its use as he in my opinion has mastered its use.

Also polysterene isulation although unattractive can also be used.

One other sugetion is cage decor use cage decor that will act as a heat sink meaning something that will absorb heat and radiate it throughout the cage. Increasing this mass will stabalize those temps and your heat source will become the hot spot rather than the only source. I use playsand and find it along with some rather large racks provide good thermal mass within my iguana's cage.

Newspaper does a horrible job.

Don't dispare this is a common problem among vision's.
My 2 Cents
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

i use vision for my ackies anf my temps are at 150 hot spot and 85-90 ambient in your case of this large cage close up what venting is not taken up be heat lamps the sliding doors and area around the lamp is plenty use and pile of either wook stack or and hide box that serves as and hide and heat stack this will do it works for me hope it help

Like bighurt said, insulation is key.

Remember that ceramic heater and heat panels radiate the heat energy downward. An animal can warm up nicely under a CHE even if the air temp in the cage reads kind of low elsewhere. Kind of like a rock in the sun can be much warmer than the air.

Lay the cage on a big sheet of thick styrene foam. This helps so much you won't believe it. Also, adhere a piece of styrene foam along the outside back wall. You'll be amazed at what happens. Visions "leak" heat more than most plastic cages, but all plastic cages have some trouble holding heat in cool rooms.
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Mark G

Animals:
A few Rosy boas, mountain kings, Cal kings and Children's pythons.

Caging:
Visionariums, Herpcages.com, Precision, 5 gal tanks for babies.

Superman experience:
Been bitten by a banded rock rattler and had virtually no symptoms.