Heat cable?

BlynkzandJessi

BlynkzandJessi

New Member
Do any of you use the exo-terra heat cable? If so is it safe to put in a reptarium for a veiled chameleon? It would just be for the extra heat so it does not get to cold. Any thoughts are welcome.
-Jessi
 
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chameleons get there heat through basking and not localized heat sources. the trees they climb on do not produce heat so they get it from the sun(your basking bulb). these are used to make little localized hot spot under the tank and should not be put in chammeleons cage.(any ways the heat would probolly melt your reptarium)
 
What are your ambient temperatures? What are your basking temperatures? Are you sure it is getting too cold?
 
I would get a device that measures temperature to know what is going on.

Your body is 98*F anything you touch that is less then that temperatures should seem cold. This would not really apply to your chameleon. If you are having trouble stabilizing the temperatures in your reptaruim you can add a backwall.
 
ok if I have a problem when I get it I will try something. There was another website I go onto and this girl used clay and made a wall thing. All she did was bake it for 5 hours in a 350* oven. Also I have a question can I put plastic wrap on 2 of the sides to help? This is all info off of other sites and I just want to clear it up because I dont want to kill my chameleon.
 
I would stay away from the heating cable. Chameleons are made to collect heat from the side. To them light equals heat. They would not reconize a cable as a heat source. I am also unsure as to how hot these things actually get. It could cause a burn if they did get on it or to close for an extended period of time.

In the cage you want temperature differances. A warmer basking spot and the rest of the cage at various temperatures. Wrapping the cage in a heat cable would supercede this. You have to remember with the heating lamp on top of the cage you are creating a convection air flow. This means cool air is draw in, heated and then it will finally escape from the top when it gets to hot. Again I am not sure how hot these cables get but it could over heat the cage.

I think your money would be better spent on purchasing a digital thermometer/hydrometer that has the capabilities of reading two temperature zones. Any adjustments you need to make once you find out what is going on in the cage can be done pretty cheaply when it comes to temperatures. Different wattage bulbs, moving the dome reflector around...etc.

Yes you could wrap the sides I suppose. Reptariums actually have soft tray liners that are made for this purpose. Remember this will create less air flow and can heat up the cage a bit. Depending on where you live and the temperatures in your area these types of things can be very benificail at stabilizing your chameleons enviroment. If you live in a warmer area with some humidity I think it is better to build on what you are already getting for free from the enviroment.
 
Okay I will not use the heat cable. As for the back wall i think that is phenomenal . when I get my reptiarium can i pm you to get more specific info on it i love the look of it and would love to add it to my reptarium when I get it. I do not want to steal your idea but I want to do something creative and it would be a great project for me and my grandpa to work on together.
Thanks for all your help.
What is that foam stuff called?
 
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Well it is not really my idea as far as the method of construction concerning the backwall. If you scan through the internet specifically at people who keep dart frogs or tree frogs you will see similar stuff. I am the only person I have seen that stuck it in a reptarium but can not really call it my idea.

Of course you can pm for some help. I am actually getting ready to do it to another reptarium. I will take lots of pictures as I am not always so good with putting stuff into words.

The foam is called "Great Stuff" expandable foam. It is generally used to seal cracks in houses say like places where wiring is running to insulate so air cannot leak in. You can buy it at Walmart, Home Depot...etc.. usually around the silicone you would use to seal windows and doors. You apply it and during the first couple of minutes it will expand. A can usually runs about $5. I could have used one on the backwall but I added the two flower pots so it required two cans to secure them (plus the extra area I had to cover). Really it is about a $20+ addition depending on how big a cage it is.
 
As far as plastic wrap goes....

I use Glad press n seal freezer wrap

It's just covering the back wall because there is a mirror behind his cage and I don't want him to see his reflection.

it actually works great. The stuff sticks right to the reptarium. In my opinion, its made it a little easier to maintain humidity as well.

of course i'll be building a custom cage when he gets bigger... I don't really like the reptarium very much.
 
I just think they are too expensive for what they are.

It would be much cheaper just to buy pet screen and build one.

also, crickets climb behind the poles where my chameleon can't get to them.

I heard somewhere that crickets eat right through the screen too. I haven't had that problem yet though.
 
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