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LED lighting for viewing in cages?

Tenor Goddess

Tenor Goddess

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Greetings everyone!

I remember seeing at some of the shows I've been some cages lit up with LEDs like the thin, micro LED track lighting, etc. They work great for showing off the animals and providing "daylight" (please bare in mind I am NOT wishing to use this for heating. All my kiddos get belly heat from flexwatt heat tape...I am merely looking for a good daylight that I can throw on a timer for them).

Any suggestions on where I can find such lighting? Has anyone had success with this or a specific, similar type that would be appropriate to act as a daylight for my diurnal snakes?

Thank you kindly!

Amanda Rose
 
I use LED Christmas lights. Should be on the Walmart shelves any time now. I like that you can move/shape them as needed.


Noelle
 
I've read that Boaphile used rope light within their racks (not sure if they still do). He warned that using both flexwatt (or heating period) along with them would be too much as they output heat themselves. So, I guess it's a question of, would you rather heat with a rope light and be able to use that as heat and light, or would you rather get a light that doesn't output heat (LEDs) and have two electrical items rather than one to control. I don't think you can control the heat of a rope light using a rheostat like you can true heating elements so it seems like the best option is to get non-heating LEDs to go on a light timer while your heating goes on the rheostat.

The other thing I'm wondering is, finding the right type of LEDs that I can have small sections of rather than a long string, although now I'm probably breaching into the near impossible to find right? ;)
More brainstorming for near future usage, but I am researching around and asking opinions from fellow keepers as well.

The Christmas lights seem like a neat idea (we have some white LED Christmas lights that we hang over our main door in the den along that wall for subtle lighting...very fun!) but I'm concerned with humidity and the cord. Unless it states water resistant/proof like I assume the outdoor Christmas lights do (don't know because I haven't looked into them), it's a concern.
Concerning those as well, if you spray/mist inside the cage and the lights get hit, since they are LEDs will they have the potential to shatter like reg. Christmas tree lights? Again I don't know, it's why I'm asking. ;)

All in all, I will want to place non-heating LEDs inside the enclosures affixed to the top/back of each cage for lighting cycles. Most cages that are 1' high for our snakes don't have a good amount of room for an actual light bulb and that's too risky for misting times as well as snakes crawling around them.

Just pickin' some brains, looking for ideas. :D

Kindest regards,

Amanda
 
You absolutely have to get outdoor lights if you're using Christmas lights. Then, you can spray all you want, as they're made to withstand winter weather. You can get different length strands, some only around 5 ft long. I raise rhac's, so I don't need heat. My lights are just on a simple on/off timer.

Noelle
 
No worries.

If anyone has used other items similar to these LED Christmas lights and rope lights, etc. please do let me know what you've used.
I'm eyballing some rope light using LEDs that are energy efficient and can be connected together, etc.
Not something I can get right this minute but will be hopefully acquired by the end of the year.

Basically I figure since I'm using flexwatt for heating my snake cages, I can use a non-heating light source that will need to be low-wattage (aka energy efficient) so I'm not pulling twice as much electricity here. I'll do some research and gladly post what I find of various items. :)

Kindest regards and many thanks,

Amanda
 
I don't know if you are still looking for this information or not, but I've found some good information on this website- christmaslightsetc.com. Their shop sells Energy Star Certified christmas lights too. This URL goes to a page that talks about the wattage, amps, etc of Christmas lights. Hope it helps!

http://www.christmaslightsetc.com/pages/how-much-power.htm
 
Yes that definitely does help. I'll be looking for information on this stuff for the next few months most certainly. I want to make sure what I'm getting before I go out and buy it. :) Once I finally pick something, I'll post pictures of what I did so others can try it too if they want. :D

Thanks so much for the site! :)

Kindest regards,

Amanda
 
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