So we've had low voltage dog bed mats (puppy chewed & bu99ered it) ..so would like to try again but have a decent sheathing running all the way up to the plug... what do you suggest?
& like alot of folk with animals of one kind or another in colder months we leave some heating on (not enough for a room but enough for the animal, therefore in terms of space efficiency,..god awful amounts.
I have in the past insulated the dogs pen in my office (0c) & provided them with heating which is blanketed in foil backed foam of varying thickness, blankets etc & therefore low setting & ruddy snug..
However, I'm thinking of small animals, caged bird (we've an old cockateil) & hamsters etc that folk will obviously want to keep warm..
So previously I've covered the bird at night angled some celotex over the rad set low & its infinitely better, fine but what if you're away during the daytime & you simply cannot have semi propped insulating foam all over the place, not to mention the need for light.
How easy & effective would it be do you think to make animal cage heating tiles? (wall heaters for cages) ..I'm guessing walls would be better as it wouldn't cook droppings etc, so less risk.
What would you use? ..I'm thinking a vermiculite backing, made to measure with mini-croc clip hangers to grip cage sides from the outside & reflect the heat in, cables bonded in a uhf pattern with a safe sealing durable top coat, smooth finish to reduce gnawing / pecking exposure, or a simple glue bond & clear acrylic.
there'd obviously be more hurdles to get over, however I'm guessing that a birdcage heater would probably only draw around 50 watts compared to an thermostat controlled oil rad cycling on low 700w
for many hours at a time.
Admittedly i haven't tried to purchase another low voltage flexible dog bed around the birds cage, (probably work to a degree) however that seemed to rely on dogs laying on it rather than radiant heat..
Any ideas on this or existing products welcome, I'd prefer not to heat a solitary room for animals when a smaller amount could do it infinitely better, nor do i have the desire to stick them all in one room & heat that.
Also thinking a partial bird cage " perspex cap" could help with heat retention without blocking light, ..don't wish for him to be bored in the dark or start plucking, he's got to be by a window for stimuli (& he takes his people guarding duties VERY seriously).
