Reptile Basics 4'x2' cage bought @ Tinley Park!!!!

Hi, I bought a cage at the Tinley Park show and just got around to putting it together. I built the cage and turned on everything, but has no bedding or anything and the hot side with a temp gun showed 80-83 degrees. Will the temp pick up after there's bedding and a hide put in or is something wrong?

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

Hi, I bought a cage at the Tinley Park show and just got around to putting it together. I built the cage and turned on everything, but has no bedding or anything and the hot side with a temp gun showed 80-83 degrees. Will the temp pick up after there's bedding and a hide put in or is something wrong?

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Was hard to read.

What heat source are you using?? Heat tape or an RHP??

Heat tape and I had it on all night. I have it set @ 92 degrees.

I am assuming you have a thermostat hooked up to the heat tape - correct.

You may need to set you temp higher than what you actually want to achieve on the bottom on tank. Keep moving it up a couple degrees until you are getting the correct temp with a temp gun inside the tank.

yeah I taped it to the heat tape in the groove. the people from who I bought it from said the same about raising the temp of the thermometer, just confuses me, because I assumed that's what the thermostat did was keep it at set temp the dimensions of the tape.

I would also get your bedding in place because that will insulate a bit. Set it up exactly how it will be once you put your snake in the cage. Keep adjusting your temp until it is reading the temp you want on the hot side.

Always check temps at the surface - not at the top of the bedding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

yeah I taped it to the heat tape in the groove. the people from who I bought it from said the same about raising the temp of the thermometer, just confuses me, because I assumed that's what the thermostat did was keep it at set temp the dimensions of the tape.

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The guys at RBI are awesome. I have their equipment also. Sometimes you need to set the thermostat at say 98 to achieve the 90 you are looking for. Perfectly normal.

What kind of thermostat are you using

Get bedding in place and monitor temps for a day or so. You’ll probably have to set the thermostat above the target temp that you trying to achieve on the floor. Keep in mind the heat tape has to heat through half an inch of plastic before it creates a hot spot in the cage. Try setting to 95*, monitor temps, and adjust by 1-2* until you hit the target temp on the floor inside the cage


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Ve-100

I use the VE thermostats also. Just keep adjusting your temps up until it reaches the desired temp. Are you using a temp gun to measure your surface temps??

If not, I highly recommend you get one. They are such a wonderful tool in this hobby.

Once you put the bedding in keep checking the temp at the floor. Move the bedding aside and gun the floor not the bedding. Cause the bedding will be much cooler but the snake can and will move the bedding so if it’s too hot you risk injury.

Def play with it. A degree or two here and there wait some time let it come up and adjust then gun it. It’s trial an error

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Oh and pics please !! Lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

yeah I taped it to the heat tape in the groove. the people from who I bought it from said the same about raising the temp of the thermometer, just confuses me, because I assumed that's what the thermostat did was keep it at set temp the dimensions of the tape.

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The temp on the outside where heat tape is will be different after it penetrates through the floor material (PVC/Glass whatever) to the inside. A example is a Tstat set on a UTH to 100 to get a inside floor temp of 91.



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What CALM said. I usually start out with setting the thermostat for five degrees over the target temp for AP enclosures in our house.


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Originally Posted by L.West

The guys at RBI are awesome. I have their equipment also. Sometimes you need to set the thermostat at say 98 to achieve the 90 you are looking for. Perfectly normal.

What kind of thermostat are you using

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I have several of their racks with packaging substrate. I live on the east coast and have to set my temps significantly high to achieve my temps. But once I set it holds pretty well.


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