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I've Been Working On My Cages

Nanci

Nanci

Alien Lover
All the live-long day...

First, install the UTH on Maizey's upper level cage. I also put little rubbery "bumpers" on the bottom so it couldn't slide around. (Dang it- I just realized I put the thermostat probe in the wrong cage- this is going to cause a whole lot of work, as you will see!! But anyway...) I used HVAC tape that is rated to 220F to hold the UTH in place.
 

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Next, Jake's lower level cage. I want to be able to slide the cage stack around and rotate it to get the doors open, but be able to see in from both sides most of the time, so I got these felt furniture sliders to go under Jake's cage. They are working just like I imagined!
 

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Here is a view of the cages now with aspen and Maizey has a vine:

(all of which I am going to have to remove to fix the thermostat probe.) :cry:

Each cage has its own thermometer probe on the UTH, too.
 

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Here's what I did with the thermostat and thermometer: Not 100% happy with this.
 

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And here is where I need help- this looks worse than the back of my TV with two DVD players and a Nintendo! I'm figuring just go to Best Buy and look around at cord containing solutions...Plus there's still the day/night power strip to add in to all that when it gets here next week. (It will turn the fluorescent lights on in the evening for a couple hours- but they are very bright- not sure I will like that.)

Nanci
 

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Great setup. Where did you get you cages/tanks/windowboxes? They are beautiful.

I put a UTH on Gaia cage and tried it out. When the temp reached 101 I :bang: and realized I needed a regulator; so, it was back to the heat lamp.

Again, great set up. Some of those cord containes, the spiral ones, should work fine but I think it would be easier to put all the same cords in one. (All the lights in one, all the UTH in one, etc. This way if you had to unplug or change something out, it would be easier to find the cord and only disturb some of the cords and not all of them.

:crazy02:
 
The cages are from Jungle Habitats Plastics. Each has two additional windows at a slight extra charge- but so worth it. I was worried about the cages being too box-like. They are sitting on a counter between the kitchen and living room, so I can see them from either room.

I got the thermostat probe switched around, and yes, Stephanie is correct, you can drill this plastic without harming it. It is very difficult to drill through, and even the 1/4 inch drill bit was too small, so I had to just enlarge the edges, which seemed to take forever the first time, but this morning wasn't so bad. (That's what I get for not making the hole on the second cage as big as that of the first yesterday when I had the chance!)

On the bright side, I did finally track down both the source of horrific dead body smell _and_ the mysterious fruit fly breeding ground in my kitchen, which I had been blaming on Maizey (although I couldn't find anything and her viv doesn't smell at all) and the tortoises, respectively. Have you ever forgotten potatos in a cupboard long enough for them to rot? It takes a long time! It's got to be one of the worst smells of all, though, when you finally re-discover them.

Nanci
 
I know! It's almost as bad as under my computer desk!

Two lights. Two thermometer probes. Two heaters. One thermostat probe.

I want to go buy a powerstrip like the one Addy and Zee have (it has a GFI or something so it shuts down if the UTHs malfunction- so they call it fireproof) to use temporarily, so I can get the thermostat dialed in. Then when the real powerstrip gets here, with the separate day/night plugs, I can still use the fireproof one with Choco and Inez.

Nanci
 
Lmao!

Nanci said:
On the bright side, I did finally track down both the source of horrific dead body smell _and_ the mysterious fruit fly breeding ground in my kitchen, which I had been blaming on Maizey (although I couldn't find anything and her viv doesn't smell at all) and the tortoises, respectively. Have you ever forgotten potatos in a cupboard long enough for them to rot? It takes a long time! It's got to be one of the worst smells of all, though, when you finally re-discover them.

Nanci
Click to expand...
I had a flippin potato fall out of a bag in my car and roll under the seat.

Good lookin set-ups BTW.
 
Thank you! When Maizey moves in, she'll be bringing her warm hide with her. And maybe her fake hollow log. I bought a bunch of new things for Lila yesterday, so she'll have a completely re-designed viv of her own, she won't be just taking over Maizey's. Jake- he'd better love that branch, that's all I can say. That thing is the biggest pain in the you-know-what. You can't get it in or out in less than ten minutes. You can't move anything, or reach anything in the cage. But I wanted a branch big enough that if an 800 gram snake wants to climb, it isn't going to tip over! I'm still not positive he's even going to fit in his cool hide- I'll just have to see when he gets here. The warm hide is huge, and weighs about ten pounds, srsly.

Nanci
 
Nanci said:
On the bright side, I did finally track down both the source of horrific dead body smell _and_ the mysterious fruit fly breeding ground in my kitchen, which I had been blaming on Maizey (although I couldn't find anything and her viv doesn't smell at all) and the tortoises, respectively. Have you ever forgotten potatos in a cupboard long enough for them to rot? It takes a long time! It's got to be one of the worst smells of all, though, when you finally re-discover them.
Nanci
Click to expand...

You should smell dead crabs. My Dad and I went crabbing off of pier pilings and got a whole bushel of crabs. (This was when it was safe to eat shell fish out of New York City waters). He put the bushel on the kitchen chair behind Mom while she was getting the water boiling without telling her. She turned and knocked over the bushel and Dad and I went crab hunting again.

About a month later the kitchen smelled like rotten fish. Mom scrubbed the walls, floor, appliances and still could not get rid of the smell. So one weekend Dad started pulling out the refridgerator and stove, unhooked the kitchen sink and pulled that cabinet out - we were finding any where for three to six crabs piled on top of each other, where they died, in each corner. Mom was mad for months.

:crazy02: :crazy02: :crazy02: :crazy02:
 
It's looking better! These are velcro cable ties, they call them. The guy at Best Buy said they were the best. I wish I'd gotten more packs. Just don't look at the top where the light cords are still out of control...

How come when you buy something and you really like it, you can't find it again? I can't find that fireproof powerstrip anywhere, so ended up getting a six-outlet surge protector that plugs into the outlet, and a grounded extension cord. Whatever.

The thermostat is settling in. It says it comes set to proportional by default. I set it at 83F, with the probe in the bottom cage, which has its own heat and heat from the cage above. After the UTH shut off, the temp in the upper cage continued to rise to 89F. So I reset the thermostat to 78F, and it hasn't kicked on yet. The upper cage appears to be running 3-4 degrees warmer than the lower one.

Nanci
 

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Maybe if you raise the top one up an inch or so to get more air circulating underneath :shrugs: If they are from Alan are they made from HDPE? I have a rack from him from that material and it really holds heat and moisture well

suecornish said:
You should smell dead crabs.
Click to expand...

How about dead horseshoe crab? My mom brought one home 30 years ago from Ocean City MD that washed up dead on the beach. Threw it in her trunk and forgot she brought it home. :puke01:
 
That's an idea. I don't get why the lower one isn't the warmer of the two. Should have left the thermostat probe where it was! It's definitely on proportional- I raised the setting and watched it decrease the power.

Nanci
 
Nanci said:
That's an idea. I don't get why the lower one isn't the warmer of the two. Should have left the thermostat probe where it was! It's definitely on proportional- I raised the setting and watched it decrease the power.

Nanci
Click to expand...
That's because heat rises...


I love the new set-ups though! They look really great and I know I'd love to have something like that for one or two of a older girls/boys. I know they'd love it too, but we just don't have the room where we live right now. *sigh*

For the branch in the bottom cage, why not shave half an inch to an inch off one side so it fits better? Just enough to make it easier to get in and out without affecting the stability you desired for the weight of the snake climbing. Just a thought!

I expect to see more pictures once the snakes are in there!

Jenn
 
cka said:
How about dead horseshoe crab? My mom brought one home 30 years ago from Ocean City MD that washed up dead on the beach. Threw it in her trunk and forgot she brought it home. :puke01:
Click to expand...


:puke01: :puke01: :puke01: :puke01: :puke01:

(As you can see I've smelt them.)
 
You know what I need, a second thermostat probe. Then I can control the upper cage in the summer, and the lower cage in the winter.

I can't wait to get some snakes in there!

Nanci
 
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