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Wooden Floor in Viv

PnyKlr

PnyKlr

World's Tallest Midget
I have just been given a GIANT viv, and I'd like to know what I can put on the floor to protect it from water/waste.

I pulled out the indoor/outdoor carpet that was in there (the green stuff), and I plan on using aspen.

Also, where would be the best place to mount a UTH? Inside or outside?

*I am sorry if this has been previously covered, but a quick search didn't turn up anything*
 
Heat mats go inside wooden vivariums, because they tend not to let enough heat through if you put them underneath.

I use wooden vivariums, and I just put the aspen straight on the wood (except on the warm side where I lay down tiles to keep the snakes off the mats.) Sometimes the snakes push the aspen aside and lie right on the wood, and I've had no problems whatsoever with this. They're very easy to clean.

Hope that helps :)
 
This helps immensely. Does it matter that this wood has not been painted or sealed in any way (that I know of)?

What types of tiles are you talking about? Ceramic tiles?
 
I would definately seal the wood if it is not sealed already. You want it to be a nice slick surface or else poo and stuff will not clean up easily. If you don't want to seal it you could lay down some laminate flooring or something similar; if you do that though, I would lay down some caulk to seal the edges to keep moisture from getting trapped underneath and rotting the wood as well as harboring what could be nasty microbes.

As for the UTH, I would make sure and use one that's specifically designed for use inside the viv. Many are not and also require some ventilation for proper use which wouldn't be achieved by sandwiching them between the floor and ceramic. I would recommend some flexwatt. I would wire up the flexwatt, put it down on the floor and then put a piece of glass (or ceramic tile or similar) on top and seal the heck out of it so that the flexwatt is completely sealed off from any water. This prevents any risk of electrical shock if your snake or you accidentally spilled some water.
 
I assume that if I seal the flexwatt under something, I would be able to remove it without too much work if it ever fails?

Is flexwatt available most places? I have only seen it online (Petsmart & PetCo only appear to have UTHs...but I haven't really looked around). Is wiring flexwatt pretty simple (does it come with directions)?

Now that I am ripping away some things, I notice that the viv has indeed been painted. I have also found 3 spiders living in the place!
 
I forgot to mention that I am not sure what the risk is of water getting to the UTH or flexwatt. The water dish is on the "second floor" that is 3 feet higher. Will snake poo (for lack of a better term) short out the heating element?
 
PnyKlr said:
What types of tiles are you talking about? Ceramic tiles?
Click to expand...

Yes. I just bought a box of 40 plain white ceramic tiles from the local DIY store. To get the mats inside the vivs, I drilled holes in the back wall of the vivs, detached the plug from the mat, pushed the wire through and rewired the plug. Works great for me.

I can supply pics of my vivs/mats/setups if you want visuals. :)
 
I've only ever seen it online and it's pretty darn simple to wire up. If you seal the glass over the flexwatt off with caulk it should be pretty easy to get up later for whatever reason. I've only ever seen it online, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a UTH. Also, the beanfarm has some good literature on installing flexwatt listed right under the flexwatt products.

http://www.beanfarm.com/cgi-bin/sto...art_id=3820265.11463*3O54Z3&xm=off&ppinc=heat

http://arbreptiles.com/cages/flexwire.shtml
 
Thanks you guys! I have to do a quick set up because C.S. should be arriving Friday morning. Here goes!
 
Sure thing! This cage is any climbing snake's dream come true! It is the size of a refrigerator, with two floors, a ramp, a water dish that is built into the second floor (but removable), and 2 branches for climbing.

I am currently testing how warm the "basking areas" get to make sure they aren't too hot.

Let me ask for an opinion: I will have a UTH on the bottom for belly heat. The "roof" of th cage has two 100W backing bulbs in it that are above a branch (could be grape vine). The branch itself isn't getting too warm, but the thermometer sitting on it is measuring on of the spots at 90F and the second spot at about 86F. Will a lower watt bulb emit less heat? Will the fact that the branch stays pretty cool help matters any? Should I just lose the "basking areas" althogether?

If I elect not to use the heat bulbs, there is no heat on the second story of the cage.

Anyone out there creative enough to tackle my "problem?"
 
I just had a thought: Would a dimmer switch on each bulb make them give off less heat?
 
I would just avoid the basking spots all together. In addition to them being too hot; with lamps you can start to have humidity problems. If you want light there are other options that don't give off that much heat. As for there not being any heat on the 2nd level you could either not have heat on that level; the snake will go where it wants to go to be comfortable. Or you could put another heating element on the 2nd level. So long as there's a properly heated spot your snake will be fine.
 
After testing temps today, I found that the bottom floor stayed in the 70-75 range (without UTH) and the second floor stayed in the 80-85 range (without UTH, but the basking lights on).

The second floor is 3 feet from the bottom, and the basking spot is another 3 feet above that. I am still debating on which floor to place the UTH, and whether or not to attempt a dimmer on the baskng bulbs. (I guess it's the fact the the wood branch itself doesn't get too warm, and it might just be another comfy place to be).
 
PnyKlr said:
After testing temps today, I found that the bottom floor stayed in the 70-75 range (without UTH) and the second floor stayed in the 80-85 range (without UTH, but the basking lights on).

The second floor is 3 feet from the bottom, and the basking spot is another 3 feet above that. I am still debating on which floor to place the UTH, and whether or not to attempt a dimmer on the baskng bulbs. (I guess it's the fact the the wood branch itself doesn't get too warm, and it might just be another comfy place to be).
Click to expand...

Those temps are good, but again, they can dry out the air which is just a problem I wouldn't want to risk. If it was me I would just go with the UTH route.

I'm really curious to see this thing! It sounds HUGE; maybe even big enough you could partition it and fit two snakes in there! ;)
 
Lord, this thing is MASSIVE! I could easily modify it for 2 snakes, I'm sure, but I am hoping the adult male (who like to climb) will take full advantage of the space.

I will certainly post pics when I have it completely set-up.


Man, I think this kid earned himself an "A" with this cage! Well...he gets A's anyway... :grin01:
 
I'm bumping this to add that pics are in the Photo Gallery.

*Sorry if you know this already, but I don't spend as much time there as other sub-forums.*
 
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