Help! Burn or Parasites?

[bcr229]

Wow you found a pic! What a terrible design. Why would they ever make it so it had a ledge like that... Even the sheetmetal they used looks like it has sharp edges and corners... PRO PRODUCTS & REPTILE BASICS are specifically smooth and designed without any ledge or way for a snake to crawl up into them.. Thats crazy, my balls would be all cut up, all mine do is climb.

The engineer in me agrees. That's a vet bill or even a dead snake - if it gets its head wedged in there the wrong way - waiting to happen.

[CALM Pythons]

But won't that possibly mess up the heating ? Given that they are "radiant" heat panels and the heat radiates off what it hits ? So if the grid is small enough for the snake not to get through it, won't it be dense enough to have a lot of the heat bounce off of it and back up ?

Granted, I have NO idea. I'm just wondering..

You would think what your saying would be so but i have RHP's ontop of my 40G long bolted to the Screen Frame and the screen amd frame is cool as a Cucumber. I think it has to do with the fact RHP's dont heat by touching. I also don't understand it but I know screens dont get hot if you cover the RHP with them... Weird Science

[CALM Pythons]

The engineer in me agrees. That's a vet bill or even a dead snake - if it gets its head wedged in there the wrong way - waiting to happen.

Id get rid of that ASAP...I understand sometimes situations dont allow is to buy things right away but that looks so bad to me I wouldnt even want to try and put anything around it to keep the snake from getting to it when you can get a good panel shipped for $100 or less...

[zina10]

LDag32, take a moist papertowl and run it up and down and all around EACH of the screws. The way the wound looks, whatever it was rubbed off on, should have some scales/tissue left on it.

If you find some dried up blood or crusty stuff around one of the screws, there is your answer !

Even if you don't, that design is just bad news. I would get rid of that, or modify it to make it safe.

[Sauzo]

Everything you said was great until the RHP opinion Sauzo hahhha.. If you buy a RHP from a "Top Of The Line" manufacturer like Pro Products you don't have to guess how to install it or worry about a exposed threaded bolt

I have a Pro Products RHP. Had it for over 4 years now and it still works. PH3 model. I have it in my Pro-Line cage but like I said, I keep my house pretty warm so the RHP almost never turns on unless I set my cool side temp to like 85 or 86 which is way too hot for my BP and she goes bananas at spends the whole time trying to get out lol.

[Sauzo]

I don't think it is mounted the wrong way. Those do mount that way, or at least that is how the company tells you to do it :

http://helixcontrols.com/?page_id=48

But I agree, that is really not a good way at all. Of course an animal will try to squeeze up in there and the threads of the screws can be SHARP.

I would try to wedge something around the screws, perhaps like the stuff you insulate pipes with ? Just wide enough that there is not gap between screw and the edge of the housing. Don't use tape for anything though.

Woah!!!! What kind of hokey backwater set up is that!!?? I I guess I eat my words but that is one stupid set up for a RHP lol. Well since the screws are supposed to be exposed like that, I would personally try something like electrical shrink wrap like for connectors. You will have to remove the bolts to slid the shrink wrap on but once you hit it with a lighter or little butane torch, those threads wont be exposed anymore.

[Sauzo]

Wow you found a pic! What a terrible design. Why would they ever make it so it had a ledge like that... Even the sheetmetal they used looks like it has sharp edges and corners... PRO PRODUCTS & REPTILE BASICS are specifically smooth and designed without any ledge or way for a snake to crawl up into them.. Thats crazy, my balls would be all cut up, all mine do is climb.

My guess is its more designed for birds than reptiles. Its just like before they used RHPs for reptile heating, they were used under wood floors in houses and stuff to keep the floors warm.

[zina10]

Could you put something along those lines around the screws ?

You could either take the panel off and slide a length of something like this over the screws, or you could slice it lengthwise and wrap it around the screws..

If you could find something that was just wide enough so that there is no more gap between the screw and the housing, the snake couldn't squeeze in between at all, and also not get cut up because its smooth..

http://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_ite...FUe5wAodeDsH1w

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Pipe-insula...ing/4294765361

[Sauzo]

I was thinking more along the lines of this stuff.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/IDEAL-25-4m...bing/999959305

But yeah the snake could still try and squeeze in between the bolts and RHP.

[zina10]

I would want to make sure that not only the sharpness is taken care off, but that gap. Even if the snake doesn't get cut up, it can get stuck

This is a really bad design !