Going back to Tegus...Need new ideas

[jclaiborne]

Thanks for the link. Not too sure how I would construct a lid for one of those. Ive also never really been fond of having high intensity heat lamps next to plastic. For humidity I have found in the past that some thin melamine on top of a wire lid holds moisture in the tank pretty well. Was also going to purchase MistKing misting system that I would use in the adult cage anyways. This would really only need to be a setup for no more than 6 months.

Thanks for all your ideas, I really appreciate it.

The lid can be as simple as using some clamps around the lip to hold down some aceyllic or wood. The melting point of the plastics is generally higher than your basking spot will ever get. My small cages are all PVC, which generally has a melting point of 140 degrees F and I have never had an issue. plastic stock tanks I believe are ABS which also has a high heat rating. All that being said. In my 8ft cage I have now with 2ft of substrate there is no need for a mist king. I use a watering can and after the initial period of dialing in my humidity, I have had to use a full can once and my humidity has stayed up with no issues.

Scroll down to view lid on a trough: http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Mon...es/945676.html

[JoshSloane]

Ah I gotcha. I'm actually really interested in the 4x2x2 metal troughs. I think j could fashion a wood/mesh lid. I could then just have the heat lamp/uvb over the screen part?

[jclaiborne]

Ah I gotcha. I'm actually really interested in the 4x2x2 metal troughs. I think j could fashion a wood/mesh lid. I could then just have the heat lamp/uvb over the screen part?

That could work, however metal will transfer heat faster than plastic. So I guess it depends on how much your ambients fluctuate. The plastic will insulate better so if you were to do a fixture with the bulb inside the tub you could get away with a lower wattage and maintain temps better, metal will act like a heat sink and draw heat away since it wont be filled to the top with substrate.

[John1982]

There will also be just as many tegu hatchlings in 2016. No harm in waiting until after the move. I know it's not easy but this will also give you time to shop the various vendors and see what kind of stuff they tend to offer. They might even have holdback yearlings so you can get an idea of how your little one may mature.

[JoshSloane]

I've had tegus before, from hatchling through adult so I definitely know how fast they grow. I've gotten all my tegus from Ty Park in the past, and plan on picking one up from him again. Regardless of when I get the baby I'm still not comfortable putting a hatchling in an 8 foot enclosure. So I will need to have an intermediate enclosure for short term. If it's going to be short term I would rather not mess with wiring lamps inside the cage. In the past I build up basking platforms to get the right temps. Just from looking around the internet it seems that people use metal troughs pretty successfully. I will check out the plastic tubs. Still wary of them.

[jclaiborne]

I've had tegus before, from hatchling through adult so I definitely know how fast they grow. I've gotten all my tegus from Ty Park in the past, and plan on picking one up from him again. Regardless of when I get the baby I'm still not comfortable putting a hatchling in an 8 foot enclosure. So I will need to have an intermediate enclosure for short term. If it's going to be short term I would rather not mess with wiring lamps inside the cage. In the past I build up basking platforms to get the right temps. Just from looking around the internet it seems that people use metal troughs pretty successfully. I will check out the plastic tubs. Still wary of them.

People can utilize metal troughs successfully when they are the base of the cage and filled with dirt. Metal may work fine like I said depending on your ambients, I just know with my temps it won't work for me. Metal WILL draw away heat. If you are wary of the plastic tubs do a bit of digging on the actual different materials they are made of. "Plastic" is a catch all term, I work with "plastics" and metals all day so I am fairly familiar with them. Each one has a different melting point as it is made up of different compositions. Here is an example, a 1/4 inch sheet of type 1 PVC has a max exposure point of 140F, that isn't the melting point, that is the point in which it will start to warp and get brittle. All 3 of my small cages are 1/4in PVC with internally wired bulbs. All 3 bulbs get to a temp of 140F on the bulb itself, however they are far enough from the walls that the temp drops to the wall surface to 90F way below the "danger" zone. The bulb is in a ceramic fixture which is attached to a metal box, again the heat drops substantially so there is no danger of melting. We utilize different plasitcs for components in our products and I run them through our autoclave at 135C which is 275F with multiple cycles at a 30 minute exposure rate and we don't have them melting. My point being plastics can be quite a bit tougher than one would think. That being said good plastic is costly, a cheaper one like you would find at a local hardware store for fountain liners, I would tell you to ignore everything I just said.

Now as far as wiring a bulb internally I know you said in the Tegu thread that you were a little unsure of electrical, but the fabrication side you were comfortable with, it wouldnt be that hard to do, once you had the lid figured out, I would say it may take an additional 10 minutes to wire it up.

If you decided to go this route and have any questions let me know, I'd be happy to try and help out with pictures or diagrams if need be.

[JoshSloane]

Wow thanks for the info! I guess I forget that we autoclave some plastic items in our lab. But they are very high end science ware. I'm going to Home Depot today to do some research.

What are your ambient temps in your room outside the enclosure?

[jclaiborne]

Wow thanks for the info! I guess I forget that we autoclave some plastic items in our lab. But they are very high end science ware. I'm going to Home Depot today to do some research.

What are your ambient temps in your room outside the enclosure?

No problems! I was looking at the rubbermaid tubs and from what I can see on their site, they are pretty decent tubs (material wise), but again you will pay a bit more for them. Right now my ambients hover between 75 and 80F, during the winter they will drop to the mid 60s and when we hit tripple digits I wouldn't be suprised to see them climb to the mid 80s. My reptile room is a modified garage, I added double wall insulated doors, redid all the seals around the doors, double paned window, with sun blocking shades and plumbed AC/Heat into the room and installed 2 ceiling fans. So I see that the temps are stabilizing, to 80 during the day and 70 at night, however with just a thin wall of metal I know the temps will fluctuate with the room when it is mostly air space in there, if that was the base of your permanent cage and it was filled to the brim with dirt then they heat loss wouldn't be as drastic.

On a side note what type of lab do you work in?

[JoshSloane]

Oh wow, you have put a ton of work into your reptile husbandry! That's awesome. I usually get temps in the mid 70s in winter, high seventies and low 80s in summer.

Im a neurotoxicology PhD student. Getting my doctorate in neuro based immunotoxicology. I do mostly neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative research/ drug development.

[jclaiborne]

Oh wow, you have put a ton of work into your reptile husbandry! That's awesome. I usually get temps in the mid 70s in winter, high seventies and low 80s in summer.


Im a neurotoxicology PhD student. Getting my doctorate in neuro based immunotoxicology. I do mostly neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative research/ drug development.

Thanks! I am one that really enjoys trying to provide the most natural environment inside the cages for my reptiles and try to learn about their native habitiat. It is something fun for my kiddo and I, and I wanted to try and stabilize the room as much as possible. It has been a long work in progress, and the room still isn't done. I have a deep sink down there for washing bowls out and a full bathroom with a tub for the lizards to soak in, once the room is fully painted and dialed in I will be uploading some pictures of it.



That is really cool. I am in the Bio-Medical world, and work at one of our companies R&D Facilities, our site is focused on the development of ventilators.