RatQueen_Irene
Active Member
I've finally found something that works really well for me, and I wanted to share for those with similar issues, and for feedback!
The container is 21 by 39 inches, 17 inches high, with opaque sides. I have 4-5 inches of coco coir substrate, soaked from bricks to remove dust and squeezed for excess water, as he loves to tunnel quite deep under leaves and in his hide. There's a T5 UVB (with ranges measured effective) with a 100W heat/UVA, with temps ranging from around 90 to 75 throughout. Humidity is finally in an acceptable range and stays high without excessive misting! I had reptibark on the coco coir last time, but fruit flies would hide in it and repopulate, I found attaching a fruit fly trap above his food he can't reach to the wall and removing the bark chips as a whole works to keep the amount down. The soil gets stuck to him a lil more but he has an easier time walking in general too.
I made the top by sawing out holes (larger than the heat lamp width so it doesn't touch), then drilling small openings for zip ties, attaching galvanized steel wire fencing from home depot to the underside. It doesn't spark at the temp it reaches, and doesn't heat high either to the touch. Pics are during construction.
I'm well aware he'll need more room as he ages, but to ensure he has a warm and moist start, I think it works rather well at him being 3 inches long. He never scratches or tries to climb up the sides, so it seems to be a good fit!
The container is 21 by 39 inches, 17 inches high, with opaque sides. I have 4-5 inches of coco coir substrate, soaked from bricks to remove dust and squeezed for excess water, as he loves to tunnel quite deep under leaves and in his hide. There's a T5 UVB (with ranges measured effective) with a 100W heat/UVA, with temps ranging from around 90 to 75 throughout. Humidity is finally in an acceptable range and stays high without excessive misting! I had reptibark on the coco coir last time, but fruit flies would hide in it and repopulate, I found attaching a fruit fly trap above his food he can't reach to the wall and removing the bark chips as a whole works to keep the amount down. The soil gets stuck to him a lil more but he has an easier time walking in general too.
I made the top by sawing out holes (larger than the heat lamp width so it doesn't touch), then drilling small openings for zip ties, attaching galvanized steel wire fencing from home depot to the underside. It doesn't spark at the temp it reaches, and doesn't heat high either to the touch. Pics are during construction.
I'm well aware he'll need more room as he ages, but to ensure he has a warm and moist start, I think it works rather well at him being 3 inches long. He never scratches or tries to climb up the sides, so it seems to be a good fit!