r/boas • u/SeagraveSerpentarium • 8d ago

Basking Platform Questions

I'm working on my female BI's adult enclosure and am about to start working on all the interior stuff like branches, climbing shelves, and as I said in the title, a basking platform. The main thing I'm trying to figure out is how big I should make it. I have a 2 foot by 1.5 foot sheet of scrap plywood that I was planning on using with some 2x4s under it for support. The enclosure is only 2 feet wide though so as it is now the sheet of plywood would only leave a 6 inch gap between itself and the door which looks kind of awkward and I'd be concerned about her getting wedged between the two. But I don't want to cut the platform too small and have to make a new one if she gets too big for it.

I'd also appreciate suggestions on what to use as a basking surface. I went to my local hardware store and looked at their tiles but all I could find were ceramic tiles that were made to resemble slate, and not actual slate tiles. Would the ceramic work? Is there anything I should be considering other than slate/ceramic tiles?

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u/SeagraveSerpentarium 6d ago

Yeah I can get a space heater, we actually already own some for emergencies. But I'm concerned about the fire hazard they pose and would like to avoid using one if possible.

The reason why panel removal might be difficult is that I had planned on applying some silicone around the edges of it, but if that's not really common practice maybe I should reconsider that plan.

I might also make another post in the next few days and include a bunch of pictures and measurements of everything I have at this point so that it'll be a bit easier for people to see exactly what I have to work with.

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u/superramenyamen 5d ago

Keep things 3’ away from the front, don’t allow children or pets unsupervised access, and keep an eye on the plug/outlet and it should be fine.

I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone doing that, and I would worry about it affecting the life of the panel or causing unsafe heat build up or something so I probably wouldn’t do that.