|
|
Post by sillywoman1969 on Sept 20, 2004 8:22:27 GMT -8
I have Puppy's basking spot 18 - 20 inches away from a 100 watt bulb AND I also have a UVB bulb. Yall can see these bulbs in his "Godzilla" pics at the link below. The little thermometer thingie (which you can also see in the pics) reads around 85 degrees. What else can I do to get him more heat? I need to get about 10 more degrees on him right? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, THANKS!
|
|
|
|
Post by Merlin on Sept 20, 2004 18:30:19 GMT -8
Part of the problem is the wire mesh. It makes it very difficult to hold heat. My enclosure is fully contained with plexiglass front and is heated by one ceramic heat emitter. It gives a 5 ft tall cage a temp gradient from 75 at the floor to 95 degrees at the basking spot.
You mentioned a uvb bulb. What type bulb are you running?
|
|
|
|
Post by Tesa on Sept 21, 2004 6:18:47 GMT -8
hhhmmmmmmmm sounds like you will either need to move him closer to the light, or go with a higher wattage bulb. Anything higher than 100 watts really needs to have a ceramic socket tho. I've looked at all the pics and still can't see a UVB light. What kind did you get? If its shaped like a regular household bulb, you've been tricked.  ( I was when I first started ) If its a fluorescent tube, it needs to be no more than 6-8 inches away from Puppy. If it's further away than that the rays are too diminished to do any good. Give Puppy a pat for me  |
|
|
|
Post by sillywoman1969 on Sept 24, 2004 10:10:52 GMT -8
ok sorry i missed reading ur reply Tesa! the bulb screws into a regular fixture but it's like two tubes that are twisted and shines like a flourescent. For a short term solution I'm going to try tacking on a heat and light reflecting material to a board to put across most of the top of the enclosure to see if that will help but after flip flopping with several ideas I'm most keen on turning one of my rooms into Puppy's room and building an enclosure like MAR's across half of it and then using the wood one solely for the purpose of outside sun exposure which will be great since it's on wheels I can roll it around the yard to where the sun is shining down.
|
|
|
|
Post by mar on Sept 24, 2004 13:03:31 GMT -8
I will cerainly help you make a large cage but will push you away from using a small cage outside. The cage prevents the ig from properly thermo-regulating because of the small size. Many animals have been killed as they were contained in a small space in the summer.
Mark
|
|
|
|
Post by sillywoman1969 on Sept 24, 2004 13:18:59 GMT -8
oh no no no the outside enclosure would be what he is using now as his inside enclosure and i hope it's not too small. there are pics of it at the link below. it's 6'h x 4'w x 2 1/2'd. it has a mesh top and a 3/4 door that's mesh. it is on wheels and has handles to move it around easily. i wouldn't leave him out in the sun for very long at a time anyway. Oklahoma gets very very hot and I wouldn't want his lil goose cooked! but your help on a larger enclosure would be most appreciated!! it will be a month or two before I can set that into motion tho so I've got plenty of time for planning till then. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by mar on Sept 24, 2004 16:14:42 GMT -8
I consider 8' l x 16' w x 6' h is a small cage for being enclosed in outside. The problem is that the sun is just so powerful. 4' x 6' x 2.5' is suitable as an indoor cage for a few years -- until early this summer I had Bob in a cage 3.5' x 3.5' x 6' (with some free roaming rights though) and he is about 4' long.
Mark
|
|
|
|
Post by mar on Sept 24, 2004 16:51:14 GMT -8
Whoa, whoa, whoa, I just looked at your photo album closely and you need to get that mesh changed. That is true chicken wire which has proven its ability to cut and remove toes on igaunas. The hexogonal pattern is perfect to allow a toe to slide down and lock into at the knuckle.
A cheap, clear solution that will help with heat and humidity retention is the PVC fabric I use. Jo-anns or most any where else that sells fabric. Wrap it around a dowel then staple though it into the wood of the door. You just need to find a way for the stuff to hold taught to the wood and spread the stress over a large area as the holes will tear the PVC. I have some good pics of this but they are on my external harddrive (if I have not deleted them)
|
|
|
|
Post by IguanaKing on Sept 24, 2004 18:47:25 GMT -8
OK...I know some of you might be tired of hearing this from me, but I'm going to say it anyway. Infrared is the only way to go!!! ;D I use 250W IR heat lamps for my iguanas and, even when I take Audrey to work with me, where she spends much of the day in a 72 degree F instrument lab, her body temperature is still maintained at about 95 degrees F. I hang a 250W IR heat lamp about 24 inches above her basking spot in my lab, and her body stays nice and toasty(she eats well and is very active/inquisitive during the day), in spite of the fact that my barometric equipment, only 3 feet horizontally from this spot, maintains a temp of 72 degrees. Remember, iguanas are Heliotherms, but Helios wasn't the Greek air god, he was the Greek sun god. It is the sun's IR rays that heat the Earth, the Earth heats the air, the air doesn't do an effective job at heating an Iguana, but the sun's IR does. Artificial IR heat is the best way to heat your baby. You can buy an IR heat lamp at Home Depot for around $10, and it'll keep your ig nice and warm without significantly raising the room temperature, just make sure you hang it somewhere your ig can't get to it...its surfaces get extremely hot.
|
|
|
|
Post by sillywoman1969 on Sept 24, 2004 19:05:08 GMT -8
ok first OMG  about the wire mesh!!! I'll get that taken care of as quick as I can!! Thanks for telling me how to fix it!! Where's a hug icon when ya need one?? Second if I use the plastic material on top I'll have to move his lights back inside the enclosure and I took them out cuz I was scared it wasn't safe for him. Got any thoughts on that? I appreciate ya MAR!! Iguanaking, his top basking shelf is 18" from the top of the enclosure, do they have IR lights that are not quite as hot as a 250 watt bulb? Plus if I have to move his lights back into it they will be about 12" from his basking spot. Would it be safe in there? Is a IR light something you would leave on overnight as well? Boy I'm so happy to find yall I know I say that a lot but it's true!! |
|
|
|
Post by IguanaKing on Sept 25, 2004 7:27:54 GMT -8
A 250W IR bulb would only be safe in the enclosure if it was well away from anything that your ig could climb to get to it. If you use one of those clip-on reflector fixtures with a ceramic socket, you can position the bulb to be at least 24" from Puppy. Just point it directly at his normal basking spot and its rays will warm him directly. If you're using thermometers in his enclosure, be careful about placing any of them in the path of the IR rays because their metal components will by heated by the IR and give you an erroneously high reading. These rays will also directly heat furnishings in the enclosure, which, in turn, will slowly heat the air. A temperature gradient is easy to accomplish with IR heat, because all Puppy has to do is move out of the lamp's path and he will begin cooling back down again.
|
|
|
|
Post by mar on Sept 25, 2004 9:15:42 GMT -8
Moving the bulbs inside the cage and sealing the top and even just half the front will make a huge difference.
I used to use one of those big IR lamps -- they heat all right but are a huge fire / burn hazard as they get so hot, not to mention that you pay big time to run it. I have also used CHEs with poor results.
I now use the MegaHeat HE from reptileuv.com and love it. Same effect as the big IR bulb but with a very focused beam. I can touch it bare handed while it is on with out burning myself. It is a dark heat source so you are not screwing up photo periods. Best of all it is 60W so the initially higher price ($25 v. $12) is off set quicly. This thing keeps Bob nice and toasty.
I run this HE through an Alife thermostat to regulate the output and am surprised at how little it remains on to maintain desired temps. The thermostat was through lllreptile.com and cost $25.
For set up I have both the HE and my MegaRay Flood mounted in a corner angled out and down at roughly 45 degrees to sweep over a length of Bob's basking shelf. The pics of my apartment setup are the clearest I have of this.
Mark
|
|
|
|
Post by IguanaKing on Sept 25, 2004 13:29:42 GMT -8
Power hog, yes. Burn hazard, yes, but only if you or your ig touch it. Put it out of the ig's reach and it'll be fine. Fire hazard? That's a bit of a stretch. Unless of course you put dry grass, gasoline soaked rags, or curtains/drapes within an inch or two of it. I have used 250W IR lamps for about 9 years and have only had to replace bulbs once, in spite of them being sneezed on and sometimes slammed against the cage wall by an occasional ig leaping onto the cord. They are very durable and safe as long as good judgment is used when deciding on a location for them. |
|
|
|
Post by WillemsMom on Sept 25, 2004 16:00:02 GMT -8
At Iguana Kings suggestion I'm using a 250W IR Bulb. It took some rearranging to get it in the right place and at the right angle. It also took some serious re-arranging to do the same with the Mega Ray Bulb. But once they're set they're set (until Willie gets bigger) I put my IR bulb on a dimmer switch. Willie's home is on the west wall and the afternoon sun heats it up, so I turn the IR bulb off. On again when the sun has set. Sean you used a word I would have used. When I pick Willie up he is 'toasty' warm. Feels wonderful all the way through.
Sillywoman, I guess we all have our own preferences and reasons for them. You'll find out what you like best for puppy as time goes by. Don't be dismayed by the time it takes to get everything 'just right'. It is surely worth the time and patience it takes.
Good luck. With Mark and Iguana King helping you here, you'll have something wonderful in no time.
Nancy
|
|
|
|
Post by mar on Sept 25, 2004 17:38:26 GMT -8
Don't be dismayed by the time it takes to get everything 'just right'. Ha, you'l never reach that point. I have had Bob for nine years and this current cage since mid June and even today I redid the lighting layout. |
|
about the wire mesh!!! I'll get that taken care of as quick as I can!! Thanks for telling me how to fix it!! Where's a hug icon when ya need one?? Second if I use the plastic material on top I'll have to move his lights back inside the enclosure and I took them out cuz I was scared it wasn't safe for him. Got any thoughts on that? I appreciate ya MAR!! 