# Question about wattage for ceramic heat emitter



## lane_m

Hi everyone,

I have not had to have a heat source for my hedgehogs yet and given the cool weather the past 2 days I have decided now is the time for a ceramic heat emitter. When I first got them (March) I just kept the whole house warm for them, but that is a very expensive way to do it  
I can not go with a space heater as the room they are in is not enclosed (a small area off the kitchen/living room).

I have a Ferret Nation 142 and will need a heat emitter for each level ie. Charlotte's penthouse and Wilbur's basement suite.

These are my questions:

:?: 1. What is the recommended wattage for an enclosure of this size? I would guess 100w?

:?: 2. Is there any way that 1 heat emitter would create enough heat if I put it in the bottom cage with the whole "heat rises" thing and the fact that I keep my cage covered at night?

:?: 3. Given the size, height wise of these cages would it be okay to have the ceramic heat lamp inside the cage, attached to the outside of the C&C cube wall that encloses the loft area, pointing straight down? See this pic for where I mean download/file.php?id=897&mode=view The reason for this is that I cover their cage with a Marshall cage cover at night because there is a nightlight on in the area (can not be moved) that would bother them as well as a cat that I don't want poking her paws into their cage.

Are these good choices?

Sensor: 
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog ... 12&offset=

Lamp:

There are 3 different lamps I am choosing between. I have no idea what would make one better than the other.

This one looks pretty basic, but looks like it may get really hot?
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/edealinv/ser ... scId=18098

This one looks very big, but safe.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/edealinv/ser ... scId=18098

This one has a cover for extra protection and fire prevention.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/edealinv/ser ... scId=18098

This is the cover.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/edealinv/ser ... scId=18098

Ceramic Heat Emitter:

There are 2 different ones I am not sure which to get.

This one is much more expensive, is it better? It is infrared ceramic heat, but emits no light.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/edealinv/ser ... scId=38643

This one looks pretty basic.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/edealinv/ser ... scId=18103

Thank you for any help or advice with this. I have no experience with ceramic heat emitters and read all the info I could find on here, but could not find wattage specifics or which lamp or bulb might be better for what circumstance.


----------



## CuteHedgieGirl

I noticed that my heat emitter which is a 100 watt doesnt seam to give off all that much heat to keep Latte's cage warm enough. Her cage is a 40" long x 18" wide and 20" tall.
Im going to buy another lamp and 100 watt ceramic heat emitter in a week when i get my paycheck.
Im going to hang one of the heaters on one side of the cage from the top and then the other im going to hang on the other side of the cage so that way the whole cage is getting enough heat. I am sure 2 100 watt heat emitters will make it nice and warm in her cage, since its kinda hard to warm a cage with bars because the heat goes right out of them.
I do know what type of cage your talking about and if i was you, id try a 150 watt ceramic heat emitter first and put the heating lamp on one side of the cage and face it out towards the whole cage so that way it will warm more than one spot, see if that helps..if not buy another lamp and get a 60 watt ceramic heat emitter and put it on the other side of the cage and face it out towards the cage, that should do the trick.
do it with both cages of course.


----------



## Nancy

Depending on the location of the emitter you might get away with one 100 watt emitter. Although I am always hesitant about emitters being inside the cage, with one of those wire covers it would keep little paws and noses away from the element. Possibly if you had one emitter placed inside the lower cage the heat would travel up to the top. 

I would permanently block off the back of the cage to help hold the heat in. I don't recommend using a cage cover with the emitter. It would hold in too much heat. Depending on what direction the night light is, you could cover only that side or get a folding screen to block the light. I use a folding screen when I have the window a/c on in the hedgie room to block the breeze from the a/c. It works great and would help block light as well but not hold in heat. Blocking off the back and even a side will help hold the heat in. When I'm using emitters and need to block off part of it, I use heavy clear plastic like you buy by the yard at the fabric stores. It works great and still allows light. 

I'm not sure about the Zilla fixture. It looks very small. The open wire one is not safe as there is too much risk of touching the emitter through it. The black zoomed fixture in 10" are good and the bigger size spreads out the heat better. With the wire cover it would be ideal. Hmmm, just noticed the wire cover is only for the 5.5" emitter. I wonder how hot the metal of the 5.5" fixture gets. The 10" one gets very warm but not hot enough to burn you. 

You are probably going to have to do some experimenting. The reptitemp thermostat will control two emitters if you find that's what you need.


----------



## lane_m

Thank you Nancy for taking the time to look at my options and weigh in. I appreciate it very much  You mentioned that you thought covering the cage would hold in too much heat. Would the Reptitemp 500 not ensure that the temperature stayed constant whether or not the cage was covered (the cage cover has 5 mesh windows two on each side and one on top)? 

I wanted to get the 10" lamp and cover but they are both sold out :| The only size that they have both wire cover and lamp is the 5.5" 

Does anyone know of any other reptile supply stores that ship to Canada?


----------



## Nancy

I don't think I would risk covering the cage. It would hold in a lot of heat and I'd be nervous just in case the thermostat screwed up and didn't shut off. 

I don't recommend ordering anything from the US. You could get hit with a huge amount of duty and brokerage fees. Does Big Al's give a time frame that they might get the 10" one in?


----------



## lane_m

Okay, well I guess I have to figure out a way to keep the nosy cats paw's out of there! You are right it's probably not worth the risk to cover the cage.

Or maybe I'll put the cover on the three sides and leave the front open? Like in this picture http://www.ferretdepot.com/Merchant2/gr ... /FC296.jpg

My cat doesn't bother them when it's covered like this because I feed them at the back of their cage.

Big Al's had no date for the 10' lamp, but I found this place http://www.mops.ca/ so I'll check it out tonight. So far their prices are cheaper - $38.28 for the Reptitemp 500R instead of $51.99 at Big Al's Online Canada. Also, their shipping rates are very reasonable $3.95 for orders over $100 and free for orders over $200. Under $100 is $6.95.


----------



## Nancy

Does the thrill of them not wear off for the cat? Our cats spend about an hour intently watching any new rescue that comes in but after that, they get bored and the only time they come back is when I feed and clean. A stray bit of that yummy hedgie food might just happen to end up within reach. :lol: 

Leaving it open at the front should be fine. That other online store looks interesting.


----------

