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Kages custom reptile enclosures are constructed using the highest quality ½” PVC. This means regulating the temperature and humidity in your enclosure will be incredibly easy and more efficient! There are many forms of heat and lighting that you can provide to your reptiles, and Kages PVC enclosures makes it easy to install any of them!
The Science Behind Heating
Heat is essential for reptiles as it plays a crucial role in regulating their body temperature, helping with proper digestion, enhancing their immune system, and just overall keeping them as healthy as can be! To meet their needs, different types of heat are used in reptile care, including Infrared A (IR-A), Infrared B (IR-B), and Infrared C (IR-C) radiation. IR-A provides the highest heat penetration and deeply warms the reptile's body. IR-B offers medium heat penetration, creating a more balanced warmth that helps regulate body temperature over time. IR-C has the least heat penetration, and is known as radiant heat, but is perfect for heating the environment, which in turn maintains a comfortable temperature for your reptiles. Providing a temperature gradient in their enclosure— ranging from a cooler side to a warmer side with a basking area — ensures that reptiles can thermoregulate by moving between areas that offer different levels of heat.
Heating Options
Bulbs
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Basking bulbs - Your standard incandescent bulbs, sometimes referred to as basking bulbs or halogen bulbs, are a great option when providing day time heat! They not only provide IR-A, warming your reptile to the core, but they also mimic the visible light that you get during the day when the sun is out. Be sure when choosing a basking bulb, that you get one that is white or clear, as opposed to colored. It is best to obtain a bulb that has an appropriate wattage to meet your needs, but if needed these bulbs can be used with a plug in dimmer or a dimming thermostat, such as a Herpstat, if you need to decrease the amount of heat being produced.
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Deep Heat Projectors - These bulbs are just like basking bulbs, but without the visible light. Still providing IR-A and IR-B, they provide a valuable source of basking heat, but can be used during both the day and night since it does not produce light that will disrupt an animal's circadian rhythm. These bulbs should be used with a thermostat to ensure they are being used safely.
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Ceramic Heat Emitters - These bulbs produce radiant heat (IR-C) and no visible light, making them an excellent choice when trying to raise ambient temperatures, however they get very hot and should only be used with a thermostat. We prefer deep heat projects when it comes to non-light producing bulbs over ceramic heat emitters.
Radiant Heat Panels
These panels attach to the roof of your enclosure, so the heat can radiate downward. They are fantastic for warming a large space, which also makes them fantastic for heating larger reptiles. RHP produce only heat, no light, making them ideal for maintaining ambient temperatures or providing heat during the night. Their ability to cover large surface areas make them a favorite for snake keepers - especially for larger species like boa constrictors. Radiant heat panels should be used with a thermostat to ensure they are being used safely.
Heat Mats
Heat mats provide a source of belly heat and are installed under the enclosure, sending heat up through the bottom. These are great for raising the overall temperature of the area the heat mat touches, and with no visible light, they are great for supplemental night time heating. Heat mats should be used with a thermostat to ensure they are being used safely.
Lighting Options
UVB
UVB (Ultraviolet B) light is essential for reptiles, as it helps them produce vitamin D3, which is crucial for calcium absorption and bone health. In the wild, reptiles get UVB from the sun, but in captivity, they rely on artificial UVB bulbs to get the same benefits. Without UVB, reptiles can develop metabolic bone disease (MBD) and other health concerns. Providing UVB light in an enclosure ensures your reptile can synthesize the vitamin D3 it needs to maintain strong bones and overall well-being.
Full Spectrum LED
LED Lights are a great way to brighten up your reptile's enclosure by mimicking the bright daylight created by the sun. Though they don’t help heat your reptiles or provide UVB, they play a role in helping establish your reptiles day and night cycle, encouraging them to explore their natural behaviors, and provide supplemental light to any live plants you may have in your setup.
Installing Fixtures in Your Reptile Enclosure
Kages enclosures come ready to customize to meet your needs. Each enclosure has 5 cords holes along the back wall, so you can easily add light fixtures, radiant heat panels, and thermostat probes inside your setup. With our customization options, such as adding a screen top or two, or opting for no screen tops at all, adding your heating and lighting elements is a breeze!
Installing Light Fixtures
With our screen tops, you can add your fixtures right on top of your enclosure - super easy! For interior installation if you don’t have screen tops, you will need a ceramic heat bracket that can be mounted to the roof of your enclosure, like this one that can be found on our website. Our brackets come with screws, but if you are using one that does not, wood screws from your local hardware store will suffice. We recommend installing all lights before completing the assembly of your enclosure, as it’s easiest to do with the top of the enclosure laying on a flat surface with the inside facing up. For animals that could potentially come in contact with your bulbs, you will want to install a lamp guard over top of your bulb to protect both the bulb and your animal. We recommend the Arcadia heat lamp cage, as it is deep enough to accommodate the height of the bracket.
Installing a Radiant Heat Panel
We recommend installing radiant heat panels prior to completing the assembly of your enclosure, as it’s easiest to do with the top of the enclosure laying on a flat surface with the inside facing up. Place the heat panel on the side of the enclosure you would like to heat up, and then mount it following the instructions provided with your heat panel. Make sure to utilize a thermostat when using a RHP. The thermostat probe and heat panel cord can be placed in one of the many cord holders positioned along the back of the enclosure for ideal cord maintenance.
Installing a Heat Mat
Using a heat mat with Kages is easy! Customize your enclosure and add our 11” x 11” recessed bottom, designed for easy placement of a thermostat probe and heat mat beneath your set up. Our heat mat customization works best for 11” x 11” Ultratherm Heat pads, or heat mats of equivalent size.
Installing a T5 UVB Fixture & Arcadia JungleDawn LED Bar
Adding UVB fixtures and/or LED bars into your Kages enclosure couldn’t be easier! All it takes is a couple of screws! When you purchase your fixtures from your chosen supplier, they should come with mounting hardware. We recommend installing all lights before completing the assembly of your enclosure, as it’s easiest to do with the top of the enclosure laying on a flat surface with the inside facing up. Your cords can be run out of the enclosure using one of the many cord holes placed along the back of the enclosure. For animals that could potentially come in contact with your fixtures, you will want to install a lamp guard over top of your bulb to protect both the bulb and your animal. We recommend the Arcadia Lamp guard pro in the appropriate length for your fixture.
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