Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im currently in the process of builing a new display cage for one of my nicer snakes to display in my livingroom.its built from scrap glass i picked up from the trash of a window replacement company last month.a little bit of money a lot of ruined glass and a few finger cuts later,i now have my cage nearly completed.i have to say i really impressed myself with this one.i incorperated a fully sliding glass door,and hinged partially screen top with uv lighting(so my blue animal will display better),a recessed bottom with drain plug,and 2 small holes drilled in the sides that i put a vent and a computer fan for some air exchange.almost the entire cage is made from glass with the exception of a large slit on the roof that is screened so the uvlight does not have to filter through the glass.i used no molding because i wanted the entire cage to be clear so there would be no obstructing view of my snake.the only molding is around the base and its a nice stained wood.i decided to use this so i can mount a digital thermostat and light controls.now instead of what i usually do(basic steril setup)i opted for a planted natural terrarium.i understand that with this comes a lot of extra headaches,but i just thought it would make such a nice centerpiece for my livingroom.i think i solved any mold,or cleaning problems by using a fase bottom of gravel under the poting soil and the drain plug.its a similar setup used for poison darts and im hoping it will work well and keep the cage nice and humid without flooding and getting mold stagnant water buildup.im building a planted backwall with maybe a small waterfall and a floor of almost all live moss to give it a kinda bonsai look.now i think i have everything taken care of except heating.i dont want to use ceramic because i already used up all top screened space on lighting.undertank heating wont work because theres quite a bit of gravel,dirt,water and plants on the floor(very thick).i was thinking about heat rope but im using all live plants and dead tree trunks and no pvc to run it through.id like something that cant be seen since im creating a natural vivarium and do not want to ruin the look with anything manmade looking.now its not overly large but its not too small either.id say 35" tall by 25" wide and 25"deep(maybe a bit larger).the thing that worries me is i have a little computer fan to exchange the air and keep it fresh and if i do not have good heating,the tank with quickly get room temperature.my uvlighting is florecent type and emits no heat..anyway,id love to hear what you guys think.i know im making a lot of trouble for myself but i really think this is going to look great when done.oh yea,im also installing an auto mister with my water feature.im using an out of tank canister filter.after the rain/mister and waterfall water filter through the soil and gravel,it will be cleaned and heated before being returned to the enclosure.this will clean the tank and water,and even warm the water but do little to the air temps of the tank.just collecting advise on that problem.i was wondering if anyone has used any heating products sold at homedepot for keeping pipes from freezing?maybe i could drill through some branches and hide it in there.anyway,whatever you guys think may work id love to hear about.thanks in advance.

i use these...
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/Desert_Rays_Radiant_Heat_Panels_118100.html

i use the 11 x 11 and they work real good...

here is the thermostat i use...
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/Herp_Power_Proportional_Thermostats_921100.html

good luck...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

i supppose i could use them and if i positioned them on the top in the back they wouldnt be seen and effect my natural vivarium look but i dont think i have enough available ceiling space after the lights to properly heat an enclosure of this size,especially with the fan and vent.i was kinda thinking of something can place at different levels of the cage to heat it all,or at the very least,somewhere in the middle..i think my only option is to use heat tape or rope and just hide it on the inside of the perches.i do love the heat panels though.maybe i can position them on the back wall but i really did plan on building a planted back wall and it may not work there.who sells the pannels?i wanna see what sizes they are available in.also,is there a chart that mentions what sizes are needed to heat a certain sized cage?i mentioned how large my enclosure is.dont know how many gallons that translates to but those are the measurements.can these things get wet? thats why i love using heat rope.it can get wet.i run it through my pvc perches

the link i sent is from big apple herp and they do have smaller ones...
i agree heat tape is probably your best bet...
i dont know of anyone heating the perches... it sounds like a big risk to me, cuz if the thermostat fails then if would spike the temp and slow cook the snake... or just tirn off the heat period... but the cage turning off woudlent be as bad as cooking the snake...

i dont know of any chart... the thermostat i showed was also from big apple herp and it comes with a probe and it will shut the heat off at the set temp...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

I know Greg Maxwell does not recommend heating perches as it makes it so that the snake has no choice but to always be at that temperature. Heat panels would work great, and they are fairly unobtrusive. Enough so that I don't think people would notice them because they will be too busy oohing and ahing over the snake and all the plants. For now I'm using a ceramic heater over my rubbermaid enclosure. I cut a round hole, covered it with glass, and then put fiberglass screen on the inside to keep her from touching the hot glass. You really don't need U.V. lights with GT's. They do fine with regular lights, or if you want to bring out the colors, full-spectrum fluorescent.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1~Green tree python~Tempest
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

yea i know i dont need the full spec light but you gotta see the difference in my high blue between regular lighting and sunlight.its really amazing.he has a grey blue look in regular light but as soon as i bring him outside,he appears to be a bright robins egg blue.im hoping that the full spec lighting i bought will have the same effect but i havent even opened the box yet.i never thought about the heat rope inside perches being a problem.its not in all the perches,only about half(the top half,and i figure he can avoid it if he desires.i didnt read gregs warning about using heat tape,but i have read a few care sheets about green trees that give instrucions on setting up heated perches.they are not hot to the touch but then again,i never read anywhere that they can be bad,had i read that i dont think i would have done it as its not worth the risk,even a remote one.i used a ceramic heater before and still use one with one snake.im gonna check out if i can maybe place a couple small heat pannels on the walls.thanks for the advise and links.

oh by the way,i got my heated perches idea on chondroweb.i followed the instructions to a T and my snakes really seem to love them,after a meal its very rare not to find them on them for at least an hour after.i think they enjoy the belly heat to help with digestion.as far as my helix malfunctioning and cooking my snakes,well i was under the impression that helix had a saftey kill feature.am i incorrect?has someone heard of helix getting hotter and hotter?greg may not like the heated perch idea but i know many people have reccomended them to me and after seeing how well my snakes take to them,well id like to hear from a few more people other than greg before i remove them.

i am all for good lighting... their is not much point in having a stunning snake if you cant see how stunning it is...
as far as the heated perches. To me it would not be worth the risk, nothing is perfect and i would rather be safe then sorry...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)