Dave
Junior Member
Posts: 23
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heat
Sept 29, 2004 15:43:49 GMT -8
Post by Dave on Sept 29, 2004 15:43:49 GMT -8
scraped the cage i was building and went with 2, 3'-4'-6' cages. what heat emitter watt, should i use for cold Oklahoma nights.
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heat
Sept 29, 2004 16:03:08 GMT -8
Post by prism_wolf on Sept 29, 2004 16:03:08 GMT -8
This is hard to say. Is the cage open fronted? Completely enclosed? Completely open? Where will you have the heat emitter? On top of the cage shining in? Inside the cage at a safe distance?
There are a lot of variables and factors to take into consideration. What I would do would be to purchase the lowest wattage starting with 100W using a regular incandescnet bulb. Play with the wattages until you find what works for you.
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heat
Sept 29, 2004 18:14:18 GMT -8
Post by mar on Sept 29, 2004 18:14:18 GMT -8
Further variables in play are cage material, domed or undomed heat source, size of the cage, distance to ig, ambient room temperature, air circulation, incident sun rays into the cage or room...
Best case, lowest wattage required, is having six solid sides (assuming a rectangular prism design) in the winter with the heating element inside the cage (with a wire cage over the heater).
There are several examples of cages in the housing section.
Mark
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heat
Sept 30, 2004 4:56:40 GMT -8
Post by Merlin on Sept 30, 2004 4:56:40 GMT -8
Cool yet another Okie! My 5 ft tall cage utilizes a 250 watt CHE. The cage is fully enclosed except for ventilation holes. I have it rigged with a thermostat to turn the CHE on and off. The basking area is kept at a toasty 90-95 degrees and the bottom of the cage stays at 75. A thermostat is almost a necessity here with the wild temp fluctuations that are a part of living in Oklahoma.
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heat
Sept 30, 2004 8:29:14 GMT -8
Post by sillywoman1969 on Sept 30, 2004 8:29:14 GMT -8
I'm an Okie too and I'm dealing with how to keep a more consistant and appropriate temp in Puppy's enclosure. I'm doing some adjusting for it this weekend in fact to see if it helps. The IR light I put in recently has helped tremendously! Still dealing with how to keep 75 over night though!
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heat
Sept 30, 2004 15:03:45 GMT -8
Post by mar on Sept 30, 2004 15:03:45 GMT -8
Merlin is right, thermostats are great, I like mine more than my timer. Alife makes one that is integrated into an extension cord with a probe on it. No gerry rigging it and it can sit outside of the cage for better safety. Claims it is capable of 1000 W through it, but I have never even apporached that level.
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Dave
Junior Member
Posts: 23
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heat
Oct 3, 2004 17:02:41 GMT -8
Post by Dave on Oct 3, 2004 17:02:41 GMT -8
scraped the cage i was building and went with 2, 3'-4'-6' cages. what heat emitter watt, should i use for cold Oklahoma nights. The cage is open on top and the frunt.
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heat
Oct 3, 2004 18:39:47 GMT -8
Post by mar on Oct 3, 2004 18:39:47 GMT -8
May I suggest that you rethink the cage and rotate such that it is 6' tall and only opens from the front.
Doors are hard things to keep working and if the top is 6' up there is no reason to open it.
Iguanas prefer to spend most of the time up high so the 6' provides better climbing options.
Mark
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Dave
Junior Member
Posts: 23
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heat
Oct 4, 2004 15:11:24 GMT -8
Post by Dave on Oct 4, 2004 15:11:24 GMT -8
the cage is 6' up right, and the cage has two door in the frunt, I do put a thick plastic over the frunt at bed time.I thought about putting a heat emetter in the middle of the cage on top . I was thinking of going with a 100 or 150 watt. what do you think. in the winter we turn the heat in the house down to 60 or 65 deg, from 2200 to 0430.
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heat
Oct 4, 2004 15:22:17 GMT -8
Post by Merlin on Oct 4, 2004 15:22:17 GMT -8
With ambient temps that low I would go with a 250 watt che and the thermostat.
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Dave
Junior Member
Posts: 23
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heat
Oct 4, 2004 16:30:14 GMT -8
Post by Dave on Oct 4, 2004 16:30:14 GMT -8
Thanks Merlin, I think Mar, miss understood me the new cages are wire on all sides and were made for iguanas. I put very very thick plastic on three sides and I cover the frunt at night. the emitter would be on only at night when leo and sam are in their house in the bottom of the cage. The lights during the day give them enough heat. Thanks again.
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heat
Oct 7, 2004 16:17:07 GMT -8
Post by prism_wolf on Oct 7, 2004 16:17:07 GMT -8
I am so used to using incandescant bulbs, I never thought of the CHE and thermostat. I don't own these, though I intend to change that possibly for this winter. The house stays reasonably warm, but during the "inbetween" seasons where we never know whether to use the heat or air, those cold nights where we choose no heat could use one...
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heat
Oct 7, 2004 18:36:33 GMT -8
Post by Merlin on Oct 7, 2004 18:36:33 GMT -8
I absolutely love mine! Before I put the thermostat on during the summer it would get too hot. I have 2 digital thermometers with the readouts on the front of the enclosure. the probes go inside one to the basking area and one to the floor. Once the thermostat is set it only takes a glance to make sure everything is as it should be. No more figiting with turning heat on or off or up and down. And Mark I didn't have to jury rig it. Just the way i talk.LOL! The che cord plugs right into the thermostat box.
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heat
Oct 8, 2004 9:39:16 GMT -8
Post by sillywoman1969 on Oct 8, 2004 9:39:16 GMT -8
ok i give, what's CHE?
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heat
Oct 8, 2004 9:57:59 GMT -8
Post by EsotericComposer on Oct 8, 2004 9:57:59 GMT -8
Ceramic heat bulb I think?
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