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how to cool 60F cage down???

G

gabe86

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I have to geckos that i would like to keep the cage cool around 60F. ( I dont have the room to keep my geckos in a seprate room to keep them cool just for FYI) For the ones who ask why 60F temp. I did research and these geckos would have to be around that temp for them to thrive on.

I came up with me own design using a heatsink, small fan, radiator,water pump,peltier and waterblock. Yes the same stuff you would use to keep your CPU cool. From the start I would it would work using a small fan. Figure it would push the air in the cage ( 18x18x24) . I realize the small fan was to weak. Last that week I wen to Frys to buy are bigger one. While messing with it a bit more. I realize that it on pushing air around the cage and that the heatsink is only getting cool but not pushing enought air around. While the heat is over taking the cool. I have using another fan to cool it radiator down but not keeping. So I decide to stop my project. Running out of ideas. I have notice when i spray the cage in the evenings and the fan is only running it would cool the cage down for a few mins

While looking around I seen been use floor tiles which will at least it keep it cool to put in the cage. while other use a cold pack on top of the cage to cool down. But common sense will say it will drip water down ( which these geckos are more dry climate not wet) plus the ice pack would melt and not last for to long.

Does any one have any ideas how to keep the cage cool (60F) that doesnt cost $$$ and has a smart ideas out there.
 
What is the enclosure made of - glass, pvc, melamine, or ?

Do you need a temperature gradient?

What humidity range is needed?
 
The glass is made of out glass with a top mesh screen exo terra

temp most of time is 72-75F

Humidity show 50 to 60%
 
following im interested in the same thing I have some abronia that I would like to keep them temp a bit cooler
 
there are tons of portable a/c units. I dont want ton of money on it unit i can find space.

I think what i will do is get a small styrofoam box to fit inside the 18x18x24. Crave a hole big enough for a pc fan to fit ( that very quite ) on the side cover it with a mesh screen ( from home depot) for safety then use a small drink water freeze ( with holes in it) stick inside the small cooler. that way it pushes cool air from the bottom going up. Since heat always rises.
 
gabe86 said:
The glass is made of out glass with a top mesh screen exo terra

temp most of time is 72-75F

Humidity show 50 to 60%
Click to expand...
Ok the glass is your problem, it just doesn't insulate very well. As you pointed out, you need to add some sort of insulation to the outside. Styrofoam works, or even wrapping a blanket around it.

For dropping the temp I think a small personal-sized or computer fan on the low setting that blows air across a freezer pack or even a frozen bottle of water that can then flow into the enclosure might be worth a try.
 
I do agree with you. I thought about putting the blanket around it but I was told they dont like to much dark. Even thought it might make them feel secure. They would need 10hrs or light to mimic the hiberation. I will try to use the frozen bottle in the cage put i will put it in a insluation so the water doesnt get the bark wet ( again they dont like wet climate or soil only dry ). If that doesn work I will use the pc fan like i meant in the last topic with the door mesh screen so the fan doesnt catch them. Hopefully it helps seprate the cool air around the cage and have it on a thermostate ($19)to control the cool
 
I don't know that I would put something frozen in the enclosure where they can come into contact with it. Maybe try putting a large flat frozen gel pack designed for icing your joints, like you'd use for a sprained ankle, on top of the mesh, with a blanket over top of that to keep the cold air inside.

Do they specifically need bright light or will ambient light from the room be ok? You could just try insulating the two long sides and one short side of the enclosure, leave the other side uncovered to let light into it.
 
I will try t he ice or frozen bottle of water first. To see how long it stays cool in the cage. If the cage seem to warm up faster. I will try to black one side with insulation or maybe over one vent to help it hold the cool air in. I dont want to spend to much time adding things all in once. Just want to monitor it for a few days.

I might put the frozen bottle in front of the fan. Rather than the front of the bottle. The more i start to think of it. I think the fan in the front my not work just because it might push cool air out faster.
 
I'll just add that whenever you use gel or ice packs, they "sweat" & drip...so if putting them on top of a cage (because cold sinks), just know you'll also have drips & a moisture problem. I hate to say this, but keeping creatures in your climate that need lower temperatures long-term just doesn't seem to be a very good idea. The ideas you're talking about aren't something you'll enjoy doing for months of every year. I once considered keeping a type of non-native snake that needed cooler temperatures than I could reliably provide, so I just never went ahead with it, putting the needs of the animal ahead of my desire to keep it. I wish I had a better answer for you, other than a portable a/c (which gets pricey). Even if you use a portable a/c, what happens when the power goes out?
 
I clearly understand the sweat and drip from a frozen item like a water bottle or a ice pack. ( my geckos our more dry climate not wet so i was try to prevent the soil from being tol wet. ) As far for my geckos which are not snake and very different compare to other geckos. They thrive in colder climates from what i read. I would like to breed them in order to breed them i have to mimic the cold weather best as i can. these geckos have to be in the temp in 60s. From May - Aug. I also did my research and look up the temps from Madagascar in that region to make sure the temp is what they say it gets. Which it does. After Aug im plan on keep the temp warm as any other gecko should be. As for the portable A/C I dont have the room for it. I have several animals in my room so i cant cool the whole room off. If so then it affect the other geckos and frogs i have in my room. My aim is try to cool the room not to cold but cool for the other animals to be happy with thier temp. So the portable a/c will not work. I have look into it but they alot of them only blow cool air not cold.

Last night I bought a small 5inx6inx6in insluation cooler that fits inside 18x18x24. I did experiment with some ideas. I freeze up a small water bottle and put in side the cooler ( so when it does sweat it will only sweat in the cooler and not on the corkbark or soil. I made a large hole on top and a small on the side and over it with a mesh screen over the holes so the geckos wont get inside for what ever reason. i then put a small pc fan ouside the terraium facing down at the cooler. While i was doing this. I did monitor the temp. When I got home from work it was set temp was at 71F after using the cooler the temp drop down to 66-68F. This morning the temp did rise up back to 71 and the frozen bottle as already melted with very little sweat in the cooler. This seem to work but I would like to try other ideas to see what will work best. My next ideas was to order another small cooler make a small hole. Put frozen bottle water with a small or medium pc fan. Try to push cool air out from the hole. Maybe the ice will say cooler alittle longer.

My other ideas is to use medium pc fan, heatsink,waterblock, water pump, radiator ( which i will over it over in a plastic bag and dip in ice so it wont rust). This time i will "not use the peltier". Since it didnt work for in the start. it seem like a good idea but i think the peltier will be a hassle since it will over heat the cool side. So my thought on the this project it could work. I would have to change the ice out more often. but i will have to worry about the condensation dripping from the tube and water block down to the cage. So this may or may not work.
 
Get a small used fridge off craigslist. Run the water line through it, that should lower it, and you can use the CPU cooler stuff you already have.
 
Thanks I will keep that in mind. If I find one I will try to do that.

Well this 2 weeks I have try to play with two ideaI had in mind. I use a small cheap cooler online. make a hole on the side with a mesh over the large hole to cool air to push out and a fan inisde with a frozen water bottle. Like some of the videos i seen on Youtube. This kind of work. I have seen the cage cool around 66F. Only problem with this is the frozen water bottle doesnt say frozen for to long. I would say it melts with in 2 to 3 hours.

My other ideas was to buy a both side cooler fan that is sold on amazon and aliexpress etc. I use the same method on using the cooler as the small cooler refrig. My first step was to stand it up right and have the cooler lid with a few holes at the bottom for cool air to push out slowly. Then i got another styrofoam and try it in to fit over the small cooler and have it in the corner of the cage so the geckos wont go over it ( geckos wont get cut in half or get burn with the hot heatsink). Have the fan pointed up so the hot air is blowing up. After giving it a few days. I realise this also some problems. I use my thermo gun and notice the bottom where the hole i poke on the cooler lid. It did get around 70s. While around the cage the temp was much high. Even leaving it over night. This didnt not help. Since I didnt have any thing to seal the cracks around the cut styrofoam the heat from the fan was leaking out from it. So this didnt not help. Also did notice peltier doesnt even last for to long. After having 2 in stock. ( not sure if they are bad or they are not supppose to be going on and off. After I unplug it several times to make a twik here an there). If they are not design to be going off and on they this would be pointless to do. If I expect the small thermo cooler to go off if this to cold and on if it too hot etc.

After may fails I came down to my final thoughts. Either I spend more money on a A/C keep my own room cold ( which again I have other animals in my room. Which cant go under 70sF ) Or i wait for the cold season to come and move my geckos cage to the outside window to keep them cold (60F) for 2 month.
 
When you keep animals in cages, you owe them proper conditions to thrive. If you insist on keeping geckos that must be cool, then you should cool your room with A/C & add heat to the other cages so they maintain their proper temperatures simultaneously. The only other way I can think of is to find someone you TRUST, who keeps their place cooler & who will 'gecko-sit' for a couple months so your geckos don't suffer. Many vets offer pet boarding...you might ask around? An exotic vet hospital might have someone on staff who would be willing to do it for a reasonable fee at their own place? It's time to ask around & don't be shy.
 
I guess i never thought about that. But than again I didnt know they do they that kind of service. I know a place here in the Dallas area they do provide a pet service. I know they do pet sitting for reptiles while im on vacation. And they will come to give you advice for reptile cage setup. I could ask them. http://www.dfwreptarium.com/
 
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