Another scarey (really scarey) story

[Nay]

One of the nicest things about torts is that if you absolutely have too many things to do or are sick, they are not like horses that NEED you. You can skip cleaning, or even feeding them. (Now come on no hate posts, I don't have pets to ignore them, and pride myself on never falling back on this, but it is true) So yesterday was a day off and I had much to do, my sister was coming down from CT, I have horses, I wanted to bake this special macaroni pie we missed for Xmas,and I wanted to get a work out in the AM. I started the pie, needs 50 minutes to bake, went downstairs for a work out. 1/2 hour later the smoke detectors went off. (We have 9 in our house and the ceilings on the first floor are 10 feet high) I thought it was because on Xmas we had the oven going with many concoctions and some spilled. So I went into the garage and got a ladder, you just can't disconnect those things with a chair. It's about 5 degrees outside and I am in a tank top and shorts and we don't have garage doors. (side bar) The smell was bad, but I have to let the pie cook for another half hour and figured with the stuff just burning off it will be fine. I came up from the basement and it still stunk bad, the pie was done and I turned the oven off. Went out and did the horses and came back in and yuk it still stunk, I have fans going and the weird part was the oven didn't even have smoke or anything obviously burning. Then I went to do a load of laundry and remembered I had a rag near the tort tank. OMG!!! The big heat lamp had slipped and was face down in the mulch!!! It had started to ignite and it smelled very bad. Now the torts are in my dining room and my first floor is pretty much wide open. We placed the tort table against the only wall, which the other side is my fridge and stuff, so you can see the dining room , but not the tort table. I had put some insulation, foil side facing the table in an arch to keep heat in and it was all taped there. I had to rip that off and grabbed the light, the cord was hot and soft and the light was black, never mind the mulch and soil was burning, not flames but red ash. My girl Petey decides to walk right there, because of course I haven't FED them yet and she is starving!!!! I had to grab her and I know she stepped on one hot part,because she quickly retracted. What an awful awful thing. Now I am so paranoid. My hubby says we can wire things to try and make sure to not have them slip. He built the table with a 2x4 across the edge to be able to hold those lights the right way, you know if you hang them on the edge it's never right.
Anyway I soaked Petey and she seems fine, you never see burns till later anyway. And I was planning on going away in Feb for a long weekend and was not going to have the person coming over to do the menagerie, have to do anything with the torts. (I have alot to take care of) But I will really have to rethink that!!
SOOOOO, the point, don't EVER try and skip a day!! I think , of course, what if??? My house could've seriously burned down. We were going to be gone all day and then my hubby called while we we still gone at like, 630 and he wasn't going to be home till even later.Usually he home by about 5 or so. YUK!!
I think about a lot of things, but this NEVER crossed my mind. I don't know how it slipped off the 2x4. It was one of the heavier lights, rather than just a regular bulb. Who knows?
Anyway I thought I would pass it on.
Happy New Year!
Na

 

[Isa]

OMG Nay, I am so glad this story has a happy ending and that you are all doing good. What a scary story!

 

[webskipper]

Recently, a girl had surrendered her beautiful snake and aquarium to the store after the clip on sun lamp had dropped into the tank and scorched the mulch/chips. Half the tank must have ignited because the chips were blackened on top. The snake had managed to get burned but was not sore. The lamp just temporarily ruined an area of the skin. Probably will be fine after the next molt. Weird, she had a screen top.

Anyone had mishaps with the Zoomed Deep Dome type fixtures?

I have one and a mini dome for the IR heat lamp and will be using them with the Zoomed light stands. I don't see how they could possibly fail and drop.

 

[chadk]

Good reminder. All lamps should have a backup plan... Lamps on stands should be wired so they can't be knocked over (by tort, child, cat, ect). And lamps help by the clams only should be zip tied or something so that they can't slip. Ideally, you should have thing plugged in to a GFI outlet as well.

 

[sammi]

I have a zoo med deep dome mini, and have had it for about a month or so, and so far no probs. However, there are no kids or other pets present..

 

[webskipper]

On these lamp stands there is a hook to hang the lamp.

I supposed I can can devise a way to prevent little hands from lifting the wicked hot lamp from the hook. A simple metal strap with 2 holes and then a nut driven onto the metal stock as a keeper. A little spray paint or acquired black finger nail polish and voila. Virtually little person theft proof.

I had a cool aquarium stand built by a private welder. It was for a 90 gallon turtle tank made from simple 1 inch stock with no gussets and powdered coated. Solid.

I bet a custom motorcycle shop would take a personal interest in building reptile cage and light stands and such. They are some of the most creative craftsmen around.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

That is scarey. Need some fire sprinklers... Someone should invent mini ones. heh