Exo terra compact canopy top

[severity]

I know this is a cornsnake forum and this question is really about equipment more than the animal... im getting a green tree python soon and I ordered the medium 18x18x24 exo terra rainforest habitat kit. Well it arrived today and as im going through the manual for the compact canopy light top it says the product is not water proof and not to expose it to misting systems or humidity...
Now my gtp will require high humidity and misting and my question is has anyone ever used this top with one of their high humidity animals.. is it safe or will it fry my light.. also since im just using it for lighting does anyone know of a high heat lamp I can use thats waterproof as well... and in my opinion kind of fail on exo terras part to include a lamp that cant be used with wet environments with a "rainforest" habitat kit... so if anyone knows if I can use this light or a way to waterproof it or a waterproof light/heating element I can buy that would be great and thanks in advance

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[cjbage]

Most people that have the exo terra set up for high humidity animals have glass top pieces cut to fit over the mesh tops the have the lights sit on top of that. As far as heat I don't really know, I am only going by Dart Frog/ Tree frog enclosures that require high humidity and slightly elevated temps. I would think if you arrange the light say in the front on top of a glass section then the heat lamp near the back.. be warned though those exo terra screen tops are notorious for melting from direct contact with high heat, so not sure if the glass would help with that as well. Wish I could help more.

 

[ThaPaintGuy]

Ill count my blessings I guess... I have an exo terra screen top lid and mine has withheld the heat lamp for quite some time now!

 

[Nythain]

without being able to inspect the setup personally, i'd bank that the canopy fixture can hold up to GTP environments. Especially if it was on top on the outside of the enclosure. More than likely just a precautionary warning so idiots don't try to spray it directly or submerge it or something. With proper misting, there shouldn't be a lot of dense moisture near the canopy. Also, depending on what type of heating you go with, if for god knows what reason you decide to use a heat lamp or ceramic bulb, both will dry the air out considerably near the top of the tank so the air up there wont be that humid anyways.

If it sounds too risky, there's not much i can really offer for alternatives. Maybe find a canopy designed for aquariums. Surely they can withstand slight moisture/high humidity seeing as how they sit right above a body of water.

I don't really suggest a heat lamp for a GTP at ALL though. For the already stated reason that they are notorious for drying the surrounding environment a lot! Like, a lot lot! A radiant heat panel would be the optimal solution but probably isn't possible with the exoterra enclosure. So you'll probably have to go with the heat lamp anyways. If that's the case, I'd probably say the exact same thing about the lamp fixture as i did about the canopy. Avoid directly spraying the fixture and it should hold up to just "high humidity" and proper misting. Definitely wouldn't suggest an automated "mister" or "fogger" for use with either one, as it might make the air moisture a little too dense and could probably easily lead to electrical malfunction.

 

[cjbage]

Ill count my blessings I guess... I have an exo terra screen top lid and mine has withheld the heat lamp for quite some time now!

yeah some of the people in the frog forum I go to have had the heat lamps melt the plastic on those screen tops clear through -.-' not sure if its because of them misplacing the lamp too close to the plastic divider on the larger tanks or just bad tops etc.

 

[severity]

Thanks for the fast replies guys and after reading these and watching some more videos on youtube and reading some other forums ive decided im going to modify the tank top a little I will be removing the screen from the top and the cross bar.. then I will silicone in a plexis glass panel.. this I can into to mount a radiant heat panel which alot of people have suggested is the best heating method for gtps and I will cut another hole add some brackets and a fan to help circulate the air to keep my plants from rottin and so its not all stuffy for my gtp... love this forum everybody is always so helpful here even if the subject does not directly relate to corns.. which I do own lol thanks again guys for all of the help

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[Nythain]

Lol, I actually don't own a corn anymore atm. My first snake was a corn, and thusly I discovered this amazing community. After he died, I took a small break, but returned to share my knowledge and experience when I can (which isn't much or often).

 

[smigon]

Ill count my blessings I guess... I have an exo terra screen top lid and mine has withheld the heat lamp for quite some time now!

Are you still using the lamp instead of a UTH for your corn? Please get a UTH for your guy, with a thermostat and probe thermometers. Lamps aren't recommended for corns at all, they need belly heat to help digest.

 

[Nythain]

Many keepers have used lamps for years with no problem. Corns don't *need* belly heat for digestion. I can't argue it doesn't help a little bit, but it's not a necessity. Being exothermic creatures, they just need proper external temperatures to maintain proper body temperatures. This can be achieved with lamps just as well (sometimes better since a bulb will heat up the air whereas a UTH just provides a "hot spot" on the ground).

There are pros and cons to every heating method really. There are even cons to UTH for many species. Since they aren't as effective at warming up the air and environment, they can end up producing lazier behavior as the snake will just curl up on the warm spot for longer periods of time.

Im not a major endorser of heat bulbs for other reasons (they dry out the air, it's more difficult to provide warm temperatures all day since many turn the lights off at night, and they consume a lot more electricity) but they can be and are effectively used by many snake owners.