I'm joining the carpet club...

I have a very similar set up for my carpet cage, though mine's not as high as yours. I dont use a heating lamp at all, and the ambient temps are just fine. I'd also use something to cover up all that mesh up top, to keep your humidity up.

Looks great, your new snakes gonna love it.

Thanks for the kind words :) I do need the lamp since my ambients are so low in the basement, and I'l use it for night time lighting too (IR is supposed to be fine for 24hr lighting).

I picked up a sheet of 8mm acrylic that I am going to attempt to cut to shape tonight (go go Dremel rotary saw) to help with the humidity levels. I've also picked up some driftwood to replace the flexible vines.

Looks like I have some more work to do tongiht :D

that'll be great.. i think IR bulbs are the way to go. i do use only flexwatt on some cages since my room is 80 degrees, but the most efficient way for herps to utilize heat is by basking under a lamp.

Well I got the acrylic cut, and the edges are a bit rough (boo Dremel rotoary tool) but it's not too bad.

I left about a 1/2" gap around the outside and around the lamp for ventilation, but it's far more 'covered' than it was before.

I picked up some driftwood, but upon getting it home, I'm not thrilled. I'm going to try and find something more 'branchlike' and preferably plastic for ease of cleaning.

I'll check the surface temps a little later.

Hi,

It depends on your conditions but most people don't leave the gap round the edge. But thats a by the by.

What I really wanted to ask is if you have a spare peice of the lacrylic left you could practice smoothing the edges on with fine sandpapaer then liquid metal polish?

It might not work which is why the spare peice first but I have used something similar in the past to take scratches out of the top of my record player cover (that's like old, huge,black cd's that crackle and hiss for you youngsters out there).


dr del

There are lots of polishing compounds out there, and I was even considering a sanding/grinding wheel on the Dremel. I'll try it, but a bit of a rough edge doesn't really doesn't bother me too much.

Checked the temps on the paper towel tonight. 82 on the cool side, 85 on the hot. Not too bad. I've got multiple paper towels though, so I know that's another layer of insulation that is blocking heat. I should be able to get my 90 degree hotspot by tomorrow I hope. I'm pulling everything out of the tank to lessen the depth of the substrate right now.

nice setup, one little suggestion , you might want a more sturdy and secure perch, they like to have 3 points of contact on their bodies when up on a perch, like the intersection of 2 branches etc, if you can make a perch, kind of like the crotch of a tree or tripod, they relax more

Yeah, I'm struggling with the branches. I'll find something though.

Temps were great this morning, a little too high acutally, and humidity stayed at 41% overnight. So I've dialed the thermostats back just a little bit, and I'll check when I get home. Looks like I might be picking up my JCP tomorrow night!

Got some nice branches. Will take some new pics tonight.

Here's a question. Is there an issue with handling your snake in a cooler room? Do you need to keep them out for limited amounts of time, or is your body heat (90 degrees or more on your skin) enough to keep them warm while being handled?

I've never worried about my snakes being out in the house while being handled. I'd refrain from taking them outside when it's cold out (under 60F) but for the most part they will absorb heat from you.

We do Outreaches all the time with our snakes and temps can fluctuate between a low of 65F to a high of around 80F. We've never had any issues with it.