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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
I have only sprayed it down with disinfectant and given it a cursory cleanup. Its going to need another wipe down, brushes in the corners there, light sanding and another coat of paint. Doors made and put on, lighting fixtures caged in. New hides made...Its big enough I’m thinking of getting a couple of those rocks you get to hide your pool fixtures and making a damp moss hide on either end. The light is in the middle sadly, so Ill install a UTH under plexi on one part of the flooring for some belly heat and to make a gradient. The blue bit is a 1# hole I can send probes and thermometer/Hydrometer/UTH wires through. I’m going to line the bottom with a giant sheet of Fake Grass ( Ill buy two, one for when its cleaning day so I can take it out, Hose it off, disinfect, rinse, and let dry while the other goes into the cage right away.) It was used for an iguana previously, and has been in a shed for 4 or 5 years. It was manky dirty...but a lot of promise. Big project. Oh and its 5 foot wide by 3 foot deep by 2 foot high |
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| 10/18/09 06:50pm |
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Rokdog View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2085613
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| 10/18/09 07:50pm |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Rokdog In reference to Message Id: 2085652 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
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| 10/19/09 12:03am |
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Bciaddict View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2085760 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
I don’t use lights inside my enclosures, so I don’t know if that’s really much of a problem.... Amie |
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| 10/19/09 06:56am |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Bciaddict In reference to Message Id: 2085816 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
It should take a 200 watt heat bulb or Ceramic heat emitter to bring the ambient temps around 80-82(In theory. We will see when we get the cage cleaned up, painted and set up Then Ill do a dry run, then a wet run, then if all is good, the snake will move in.). Then Im going to install a piece of glass. Ill next install a small stepemup sorta dealie with rubber cushions about 1/4 inch thick so air can circulate under there and not have the UTH right on the glass where the snake can burn herself, but have hot air on the glass instead heating the tank. Hopefully that will be enough heat for this sucker. If not, Ill have to run a second light and second cage for the light so she cant get burned. Ill put in trim for the glass to rest on to prevent any water/urates whatever from hitting the UTH sealed with kitchen grade silicone. Ill also be installing some sort of shelf/Branch to climb on, Fake rock hides on warm and cool sides. The shelf will be a basking spot, nearer to the light and a hot spot. (Which is why said light will get caged in to prevent burns and shock from occurring! No fried boa for dinner in my house allowed!) The fake rock hides...lined with moist moss to help keep up humidity. That and the large corner pond, big enough for her to soak in. Will probably put that in the cool corner, then put another, smaller water dish on the hot side. Ive never seen her go IN her water, cept once when she drug her rat into the water in her death grip of it...(changing water when shes in "I just ate and am looking for more cause its not in my stomach yet" Mode...was challenging. I used a stick to gently rub her side and distract her...ha! Its going to be waaaaaaay cool. I may make/paint fake rock "tubes" made over cut cardboard paper towel tubes with cement and painted/sealed to look like rock to hide away any long probe/thermometer chord laying on the ground too, just for looks. Fake grass "carpet" ( the new stuff, not hard astroturf) for the substrate so it can be pulled and hosed off and disinfected, then hung out in the sun to dry ( or in the shower during rainy season if need be) and a second one to be able to replace it right away is my current plan...cause yeah, that much coco fiber filling...can you say nightmare!! Big moss hides will be enough for humidity! I did joke with my sister, whilst explaining my plans for the grassy floor...that I thought of painting a scene in the background of the cage...making it look like jungle ...but...instead, with the pool rocks and the grass, a vision of putting a pink lawn flamingo in there popped into my head. The cage really isnt quite (almost though!) big enough for a full sized one...but it was a humorous thought. And would be representative of how we are releasing non-native species into a new environment and they are thriving there...sort of a statement on the current state of our ecology. But I think that’s over doing it a bit. Ha! Oh boy Im rambling on. Im excited though! can you tell? |
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| 10/19/09 11:05am |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2085870 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
However,the breeder said she supposedly has both Khal and Sharp strains of Albino in her history. Don’t know if, or how it will prove out as I may end up not breeding her. I was told one of her aunties, or an older sister was a Paradox so there’s a small chance of that showing up as well if I decide to. I have her brother too. I’ll be getting a 2nd, not nearly as big tank for him. ( Not as big, cause well...we wont be able to move in our apartment if I got a second one 5X3X2!) Are ya snoring yet? Putting all that aside, shes a really pretty snake with a lovely personality, and I want all critters in my care healthy and happy as I can have em be in captivity. |
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| 10/19/09 11:19am |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2085879 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
I am extremely fortunate to have someone who does Theatrical Rigging for Large Venue stage shows and has worked on a couple of films to help me with the project in exchange for costuming help! WAHOO!!! We decided sliding glass doors will be best, easiest to build, clean and get into the enclosure with to clean out any waste materials etc. Im going to have a shelf with a sort of ramp put in, and hang fake fern leaves down, perhaps some faux rocks or bark so it looks more natural, but is easily cleaned, thus creating a cool side hide, and a basking spot in the center of the cage near the light fixture- which will have a caged in 150 watt infra red heat bulb. ( there is a skylight in the room she will be in, so she will have day and night.) We will be removing the Flouresent light and using the power to install a plug, run through a thermostat which will be set to 84. Any lamps will be plugged into this (the thermostat is rated to 500 watts, the light is 150watts so if its still too cool I can install another lamp with a cage round it if needed.) Her water pond will be on the cool side near the door so its easily accessable for cleaning and a smaller water dish on the warm side as well for drinking, and to keep Humidity up. Its gonna rock! Ill put pictures up when its done. |
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| 10/21/09 01:16pm |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2086923 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
Putting this here as a reference for what I’m thinking. The limb I have is a piece of Driftwood thats nearly 4 feet long, and has been bleached, rinsed and cleaned many times over 10 years or more... The art is rather craptacular, but meh, it gives an idea and is just a rough sketch. Ill probly put in more fake plants to make under the shelf a good cool hide area. Mabey a few rocks or a couple of clay tiles to bask on under the lamp. Ha! some of the things I drew in, like the Digital Thermometers disappeared when I saved! Thats funny. There would be one on the shelf, one below the shelf on the cool side, and one with a probe going inside the moss hide. The shelf will be the hot spot, though inside the moss hide might get kinda toasty with a UTH under it. Under the shelf by the water and ramp will be the coolest spot. |
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| 10/21/09 08:39pm |
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Cphill58 View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2087200 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
If you want you can raise up the enclosure with 1x2’s , just on 2 ends and slip a UTH ...or Human heat pad under the outside of the enclosure. Fast simple effective...I use both methods on 2 different enclosures. For the UTH ’s , I tape them on styrofoam so the heat only goes up ... not wasted downwards. The 1x2’s are laid big side flat ...so the actual space and clearance is only 3/4" The Uth ’s are also on dimmer switches to control the heat just so. For the inside check out these lo wattage heat projectors that cost less than and are safer than CHE’s HEAT PROJECTOR I use them on dimmers for the skinks and they are very good and very safe ...at 1/2 the power temps are about 97 F... 6" away from a rock I could turn it down more if needed...or up. I also use unprotected 25 watt appliance bulbs to give light without burns in my bull snakes enclosure. If you would like pics let me know. Nothing as fancy as you are planning ...thank goodness my snakes don’t read Better Homes and Garden. ; ) Cp |
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| 10/25/09 07:23pm |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Cphill58 In reference to Message Id: 2088574 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
Ill have to put it on glass with spacers and have a small raised platform under the fake grass Ill check out the heat emitters though. The light fixture is already there though, and a cage so the snake cant touch the lamp at all is easy enough to make. Have needle nose pliers will bend metal! And HA!! No better homes and gardens... mine just have an owner who volunteers at the Academy of Sciences and is envious of their big enclosures. |
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| 10/26/09 02:42am |
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Cphill58 View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2088685 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
In 12 hours you can temp gun it and see for yourself. I would’nt lie to my Mother....LOL Cp |
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| 10/26/09 03:54am |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Cphill58 In reference to Message Id: 2088695 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
Wonder if theres any distributors in the US. |
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| 10/26/09 04:59pm |
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Fairy Frog Mother View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2088809 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
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| 10/26/09 05:16pm |
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Cphill58 View Profile |
Message To: Fairy Frog Mother In reference to Message Id: 2088816 Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!
I love Mega Ray ...Bob is a great guy!! And his customer service is the best ...I had 1 faulty unit in the box and they shipped another out free ..no questions asked. I order from them 2-3x a year for all my UVB lamps and misc. lizard stuff. Whern I saw the heat projectors I choked back screams of delight .... I have my CHE collecting dust ...and scars from the burns on my fingers....LOL..j/k But that old CHE was a bear to change when hot. I hated it. You will be amazed at how well the projector works!! Cp |
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| 10/26/09 08:22pm |
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Needs a bit of work, but for $40.00 its a start!