Heating a Critter Nation

[orangecones3]

Hi All,

Newbie here. Preparing to pick up my hog next weekend, and I feel like I got almost everything down (thanks to lurking here). My last remaining concern is heating. I have a Critter Nation 141 and 2 CHE 100w units. Room temperature is around 71. With both CHE resting on top of the cage going full blast, my thermometer reads 72.5-73.0 on floor level of the cage after about 1/2 hour of going. I feel like until May (Chicago, so will take this long to get reasonably warm) the heaters would need to blast at 100% 24/7 under these conditions.

So, how can I improve? The obvious answer is insulation. I am still deciding on if I want to surround 3 sides (non-door panels) of the cage with a thin clear plastic sheet (to not block daylight), or if I want to build a 6 to 8" solid plastic (probably covered in a fabric) border all the way around (a la C&C cages). Maybe my heater placement is wrong. As heat tends to rise, does it even make sense to have the heaters rest on top of the cage, or should I have them be clipped on somewhere lower down?

Any general recommendations on bringing up the cage temperature just a little bit more? Also if you have pictures, that would be awesome. I have about a week to get this sorted.

[shaelikestaquitos]

Why not get stronger wattage CHE bulbs? And I think the first option for insulation would be easier and more convenient. Also try keep your doors closed often. I find it helps with trapping the warmth in my room.

[orangecones3]

Originally Posted by shaelikestaquitos

Also try keep your doors closed often. I find it helps with trapping the warmth in my room.

I guess I sound have mentioned that. The room where the cage is has no doors. I don't want to keep it in my bedroom (I am a light sleeper, so maybe a nocturnal pet wasn't the best idea). The spare bedroom sits on top of an unheated (and poorly insulated) garage, so the ambient temperature there is in mid-60s. The first floor of the house is an open floor plan (completely not a single door anywhere except the bathroom and garage entrance). I think the answer is obvious. I need to relocate to the spare bedroom, and put the cage in my current bedroom.

[shaelikestaquitos]

LMAO! You could try that XD

It's a bit more difficult heating a CN, because of how big and tall it is. Thankfully I am a heavy sleeper and my room happens to be the warmest room in the house...

Let us know what you decide on ^_^