Covereing top of cage mesh

I was just wondering, like i have seen in many threads about glass tanks, if it would be alright to put some sort or covering on the cage mesh to retain some humitidy. This is kind of a project to try to imitate wat a tub can do :D

many thrreads i have seen have the whole top covered (no air holes) except for a circel about 2/3 of the way over for the lamp. The lamps pretty much cover the whole hole so i was wondering if I would need to drill extra holes? Or will the slight ring around the lamp be good enough?

My humidity has dropped to about 45% and i thought that something must be done .


Thank you in advance for all the replies.

Yes. Covering most of it with aluminum foil, shiny side down, is a cheap and effective way to raise humidity as well as ambient cage temps.

okay thank you.. how much should i leave open for air circulation?

For my glass tank (when I used one) we left enough room for the heat lamp dome. That was it.

If you're up for spending a little money ($30 or so) you can throw out the screen top and make yourself a solid top out of Plexiglass. I did this with both of my tanks that are now converted to snake tanks. Humidity and heat stay in better and you have the shop cut a circular hole so you can attach screen and use a lamp if you like. You can also have them drill a few 1/4" air holes for circulation or do it yourself at home.

It's also pretty much escape proof if you remember to close the latches. I have one more tank that, if I keep using it, will be converted, too. I really like the look and the convenience.

The hole can be the same diameter as the hood of the lamp, that's fine. You shouldn't need to add any extra diameter. =)

If you going with tin foil, why not experiment? =)

I had the same problem as you. My tank is 30"x18"x12" and I covered all but about 10-12" of it with plexiglass. During the day, the temp hovers about 80-85f with a humidity of about 75-80%. At night, the temp stays about the same, but the humidity raises to 90-100%. I set a large pan of de-clorinated water under the lights to help the humidity and for the snakes to bathe in if they want to or are in their shed stages. The plexiglass didn`t cost much...about $10-$12 from a local hardware store. I did have to cut some off the width to make it fit, but it worked out really well. I wanted to add some picts of my set-up, but can`t. If you want to see them, send me your email and I`ll send them to you.

This is what I did:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0/p1000825.jpg
I used three layers of aluminum foil, sealed the edges with duct tape and left an opening about the size of my lamp. My ambient temps came up about 5-7 degrees, and my humidity came up about 10% (also added an extra water dish under my lamp). It doesn't look as good as plexiglass, but it is a quick fix on a budget.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...=3&userid=8058
This is what I was talking about. I added some picts to my gallery. You can view the rest if you want.
Brian

Mine goes a bit further than that and replaces the screen tops. I got tired of always having to remove the whole lid when I needed to get into the tank.

This is a 45G that is split for my pair of Centralian carpet pythons. I also did a 75G that currently houses an Irian Jaya carpet. There are a few more pictures of it in my gallery. The longest wait was for the glue to dissipate the smell (about 4 days). I waited until I couldn't smell it anymore to put the snakes into their tanks.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2/fullshot.JPG

Okay.. I just finished putting the foil on, and i was wondering if i need to create any air holes because my lamp sits right on a hole that fits the lamp perfectly. so the only air hole would be the one that the lamp is covering.. is this alright?


and a quick side note, i just got the acurite thermometer/humidty thing and is it okay if there are 2 wires running up the corner of the cage?

Hi,

There are normally holes at the top of the lamp shade and, since the heat rises from the hot bulb, that actually creates quite a good air current. :)


dr del

I just put foil on earlier today. I covered 3/4ths of the top of the tank and it raised my humidity from 42-52% so far and my temps have gone up a few degrees as well. I plan on changing over to tubs soon after I do some research and get all the supplies. Good Luck I hope the foil will work for you as well.

The foil treatment really does work to keep temps and humidity up, but, as a suggestion, you might get even better humidity if you raised your lamp up to hang (or clamp onto a nearby shelf or something) about 8" or so above the lid. I found that once I raised my lamps, the humidity didn't drop nearly as fast. And, with the lamps raised you can place a damp washcloth or paper towel over most of the 'hole' to increase humidity further.

Just my :2cent: worth of experience. :)

On a further note...floor covering. NO FLIPPING CYPRUS OF ANY KIND!!!!!! Cyprus is HIGHLY TOXIC to Balls and they will suffer enormous pain and then death. I use coconut shell pieces. They`re cost effective and the snakes don`t mind them at all. You can even soak them with de-clorinated water (I prefer distilled water, which also works well for drinking) to increase the humidity in the tank if you want. That works very well. as far as the heat lamps drawing air up-ward, make sure they`re not drawing out all the available air from the tank. Balls also like a cool side of the tank to rest in, so you may want to have your hide spot on the cool side of it. as your no doubt aware, you have a lot of resources here, so don`t be afraid to ask. The only bad question is the that wasn`t asked!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vander92857

On a further note...floor covering. NO FLIPPING CYPRUS OF ANY KIND!!!!!! Cyprus is HIGHLY TOXIC to Balls and they will suffer enormous pain and then death.

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What is your source on this? I was told by people on this forum that natural cypress was fine, and to stay away from pine and cedar.

:OOoops,My bad!! You`re right,I`m wrong!! It IS Cedar. It`s that whole "C" thing I get confused with, you know!!!:oops: But the coconut deal still works for me.