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Post by willj on Oct 16, 2005 19:50:30 GMT
i'm sure i'm not the first person to think of this, but to inrease the number of species avaliable for outdoor vivaria, could you place manure underneath the vivarium or around the pond liner to warm the ground a little, this would work well for reptiles more than amphibians. does anyone else use this method?
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john
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Post by john on Feb 9, 2007 19:29:38 GMT
Again old topic new answer. A friend of mine who was making wine put the demijons in a cold frame on top of a manure heap. The wine fermented well and even required extra ventiation as to hot over winter!However the pile was large and after the original burst of heat started cooling quickly.To use it as a regular heat source would be difficult unless it was a movable enclosure going over differant heaps.
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Post by mark68 on Feb 9, 2007 20:21:00 GMT
The Victorians used to grow pineapples outdoors using a similar method. They had huge amouts of manure to heat them. this had to be changed frequently and would be too time consuming I think. As somebody who regularly mucks out equines I wouldn't recommend it !! There are much easier ways to adapt the enviroment to suit more warmth loving animals. Or, Dare I say this on this forum..... you could keep in them indoors for short periods of the year !!
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john
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Post by john on Feb 9, 2007 20:59:28 GMT
I believe they where called hotbeds. To pile the manure round the outside of the enclosures might slightlyincrease the temp and be easier to work with.
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Post by mark68 on Feb 10, 2007 7:42:34 GMT
It could be used to keep enclosures a little warmer in winter, but it really is much easier to take the animals indoors or to a frost free outbuilding. I don't know what animals willj had in mind but i can't imagine many herps would benefit from it.
I have never heard it done by amateurs or professionals and I think that there is a very good reason for it !!
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Post by Killian on Feb 11, 2007 13:58:43 GMT
It is a good idea but not very practical! If you want to keep more exotic species outside there are many other options!. you can buy koi pond heaters for ponds, and I have seen in several meerkat enclosures in zoos the use of an outdoor light aimed at the ground a few feet above the surface. This is a much more reliable method of heating outdoor vivs.
Although the manure would attract an ample supply of food for the in habitants!!!
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Post by Killian on Feb 11, 2007 14:00:53 GMT
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Post by mark68 on Feb 11, 2007 15:28:20 GMT
I have used spot lamps in greenhouses and large home made coldframe like structures in London. Some species adapt to them well. I found tortoises and most lizards (especially lacertids) love them. However I found bearded dragons would wander away from the light, get cold and fall asleep in a corner somewhere !!
Also if the aim is to keep the enviroment warmer in the winter, Bert Langerwerf (agama international) recommends using sunken enclosures. He say the earth keeps the temperature more stable (warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer). The Chinese create sunken beds to grow vegtables in the winter using the same principle (ref Joy Larkom in her book "Oriental vegetables")
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