Almost burned down my house. A bad light set up.

[antsterr]

Not quite corn snake related, I had two green anoles that I was using to scent food for a stubborn butter corn who just started eating on his own after four months of force feeding.
Anyway, I plan to give away the anoles now that I don't need them and after I amost burned the house down on accout of them.
I a couple of those lights that are on spring loaded arms that can be moved around and adjested. I disassembled the arms and just justed the light pot and the cord to make a light set up for the anoles. They have a wire mesh top on their cage and the light usually just sits on top of it.
The other night I took it off to feed them some crickets and absentmindely set it down on a shelf that is on the wall over the cage. I forgot to put it back in place and At 6am my light timer clicked in and all the lights on it turned back on includeing this 100W spot beam bulb that was now face down in it's can two inches above a black wooden shelf.
I wasn't even home in the morning but my wife woke up to an aweful smell and found this.
http://homepage.mac.com/antsterr/.Pictures/burned.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/antsterr/.Pictures/snakewater/lizard.jpg
Stupid lizards!
Well, stupid me actually, but It's nice to cast the blame.

[RyanR]

Accualy, ive done the same thing, i had got rid of some lizards and took the light off set it on the floor (it was already cooled and all) and shut off, i forgot about the time, it was on carpet,,, was in the basement of my house,, and smelt a BAD burning smell,,, so to investigate i went, got to my room and it was CLOUDED with black smoke, i thank god that this carpet was plastic based and MELTED instead of setting fire, :sidestep:

[Nanci]

BAD anoles!! You should feed them to something!! (JK)

Lights just scare me. They are _so_ hot.

Nanci

[cornsnakekid92]

i did somtihng kinda like that, but instead of a shelf it was my face!. I walked my a cage i had on a high shelf, i steped on the cord which pulled the light down ( the red flood light kind) well it was only there for a second but i have a nice size burn on my cheek for a few weeks afterward.

[rushrulz]

Ah, adventures in heat lamps. I scorched the pegboard on top of Blaise's cage, and I melted part of the plastic crate that the lamp is sitting in.

[JoannaD]

My son did the same with a light for his leopard gecko. He now has a nice hole in the carpet in his bedroom. We were just lucky we were home and the wood underneath did not catch fire.

Joanna

[Nanci]

Yeah, I _have_ had my house burn down. (Not snake-related) You don't ever want that to happen. I have _one_ light, on tortoises, and I don't like it. It makes me nervous.

Nanci

[Plissken]

Eeek! I never knew lights got that hot actually, I have never used them (and after reading this thread probably never will!)

[BeckyG]

Eeek! I never knew lights got that hot actually, I have never used them (and after reading this thread probably never will!)

I've burned my fingers just trying to change a normal 60W light bulb. I can only imagine how hot a heat lamp must get.

[Tyger9791]

I used to have those dome clamp lamps for my turtle's tank. I used to set it down on my desk when I needed to remove the screen top. It was on a timer...the timer turned the lamp on and luckily I was home but the lamp burned it. So I went to the store and bought two things...a combo light hood and a bigger tank. no more dome clamp lamp. and a bigger tank to cover the hideous burn hole in the desk. and the tank came with a hinged top so I wouldnt need to move the hood to get into the tank.

Got to love anoles...mine grabs right a hold of my thumb everytime. I'm debating whether to let him go free or freeze his butt for scenting.

[grdn1014]

i burned a hole in my wooden floor once, now whenever i take the lights off of the tank no matter what time it is or if they are on or off i always set them on their side :)

[JasonGranger]

Hah. My brother left one of those lamps on the carpet in my old room, and this is was the result:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88975515@N00/58750231/

Same thing; it wasn't noticed until the smell was in another room.

[JasonGranger]

Hah. My brother left one of those lamps on the carpet in my old room, and this is was the result:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88975515@N00/58750231/

Same thing; it wasn't noticed until the smell was in another room.

Oops. Let's try again.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/58750231_f08c9446ff.jpg?v=0

[JasonGranger]

I have it now:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/58750231_f08c9446ff.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/88975515@N00/58750231/)

(sorry for triple post)