I'm I missing anything in my setup?

[bob2004]

Hi everyone, I just finished my cage 3'x2'x19" and am thinking of keeping an adult hondo or sinloan (depends on what I can find).
I just want to make sure everything is perfect for my guest.

It's made out of melamine with sliding glass doors and I'm going to put 2'x11" heat tape on one side (what does everyone think of human heating pads) with a thermostat and two thermometres, one on the cool side and one on the warm side. There is a hole in the top for a heating light but I was told that's not a good way to heat my cage. Do they need light for vitamin a, some sites say yes and some say no, Ive read many care sheets.

If anyone could tell me if I've overlooked anything or of a good place to get heating accessories around the Ottawa area I would appreciate it.

Thanks

[peterm15]

if you can get a temp gun go for it..... thats the only advice i can give...

[timminsreptiles]

I like human heat pads more then the reptile ones cause they have more than one setting you can adjust to depending the amount of heat your looking for...usualy low, med, hi

Lucas

[Manitoban Herps]

They don't need special lighting b/c they are nocturnal, the get there calcium from the mouse/rat bones.

[marisa]

Well it sounds great. A couple tips.

One, you don't need two feet of 11 inch heat tape for heating a colubrid. Even in that cage. A piece thats 11 inches by 11 or 12 inches would work just fine. The "cool" end needs no heating at all unless your house is freezing. Average house temps on the cool end work out just fine in most cases. :D

And you don't need any special light for the snakes health but in some enclosures, extra light makes viewing them even better. Just make sure the snake cannot rest on any lights, touch any lights and they go off and on during night and day.

Good luck!

Marisa

[bob2004]

Thanks everyone, I got all my answers.