Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im fixing to build new cages and was wondering if 12 ft is tall enough? It is just for my burms I usually use cages that are 2 ft tall but the snakes never use the height at all plus they suck to heat any advice would be apprecieated i kno i spelt it wrong lol

It depends on what you're using for heat source. If using heat tape, heat pad, and even some of the infrared heat panels, 12 inches should be fine. Here's a few things that I suggest you consider.

* The depth (width) of the cage - It would be heck cleaning a 2 1/2 - 3ft deep cage if it was only 12 inches high.
* You might need to add or subtract a few inches to one cage dimension or another to reduce material waste. However, I'd rather waste $20 worth of caging material one time rather than $10 every month in extra cage heating bills. Example: Reduce height to 18 inches instead of 24 inches.

I use ceramic heat emitters for heat source and my "big snake" cages range from 15 - 18 inches high. This allows for a reasonable clearance between the CHE guards and the floor and also gives me enough height to reach the back corner/wall for easy cleaning.

Have fun! I love building cages almost as much as I love keeping reptiles.

HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

thank you another question i am planning on stacking them can I use the ceramic emitters on the end? I only use heat for hot spot i wanna hook them up to a thermostat as I use the heat in my snake room for ambient

I'm not 100% certain but pretty sure that ceramic heat emitters can be mounted horizontally. However, you won't get near as good of a hot spot as you would by mounting them vertically. A 10ft snake basking with horizontal CHEs could have several degrees temperature difference from one side to the other (furthest away from CHE).

Below is a photo of the CHE guards I made for my cages.

Later!
HH

-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I really like that what are the deminsions? im trying to figure out what im gonna do i have only built the one it is 2x4x2 thats 2 wide 4 long and 2 tall ft of course and i have so much trouble keeping it with a good hot spot but im very tired of fish tanks I want to build some cages I can stack and heat theese are for my adult burms hope i can get somthing good goin cuz i got small retics that wont be that way for long thank you happy hillbilly for all your help and advice by the way my snake room has an 8 ft roof if that matters

The CHE guards are made out of 3/4" wood and are 7 1/2" square. I've got one that's not mounted and will try to remember to get a few photos for you soon.

With several Burmese Pythons & a few Retics, over the years I've explored a lot of different caging ideas, materials, etc... Each one has it's pros & cons, trade-offs, etc... Pre-built, DIY, etc...

If you're able to keep the room's ambient temperature near 80 you shouldn't have to worry about heating the cool side like some people have to. I keep my room's ambient temp up, too. I'm not saying that my cages are perfect for everyone in every situation but I really lucked out and they're perfect for me, my situation, as long as I can keep the temps up in my reptile house.

They're made out of 3/4" plywood & sealed with water-based polyurethane. They're 7ft long x 18in high x 3ft wide. With the room's ambient temp between 76 - 80°, two 150-watt CHEs on the hot side set at 92°, the ambient temp on the cool side is 80°. If the cage was shorter the ambient temp would be slightly higher due to the hot spot heat. The only reason mine are 7ft long instead of 8ft is because of where I used to live I only had just over 14ft of space to put two stacks of cages.

The bottom cage is the only one I have two CHEs in. The heat rises through the cage just enough to give a nice warm spot in the floor of the above cages and I use a single CHE for additional heat. I use one thermostat probe for the bottom cage & one for the rest of the cages on top of it. One probe can't effectively regulate the bottom cage and the one on top of it.

There's a lot more to consider as we all have our own taste. For instance, melamine can be used instead of plywood. It eliminates having to coat the plywood and even has slightly more insulation capabilities. However, various grains or colors aren't easy to come by & it will be a lot heavier. A LOT heavier.

Randy & Michelle of Art In Scales uses a lot of melamine & belly heat. Hopefully they'll see this post & chime in with some things for you to consider. Prepare yourself for a world of choices. Ha! Ha! Sometimes I wish we didn't have so many choices.

Catch ya later!
HH

-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com