How to heat this cage???? - Page 2

AnniesMom · 10-29-03, 11:33 PM

I use mine when I have to take the snakes anywhere in their portable cages. I think to use for regular use, just put it under the cage, making sure that the cage is off the ground a bit so that there is airflow. The one that I bought is a wet/dry pad, so I could put it in the cage under substrate, as long as the heat was regulated by a thermostat

AnniesMom · 10-29-03, 11:45 PM

Linds, in a previous post, way long ago, you recommended flexwatt heat tape. I shied away from it out of fear, but the more I look at this cage, the more I think that I will have to use it. If I used the 11" wide tape, would I need to extend the tape down the entire length of the cage (4') or just for part of it? Or can it be attached to the BACK of the cage on the outside? My concern is the snake in the lower cage may touch the heat tape for the upper cage, which is exposed to his cage.

Grant vg · 10-30-03, 12:30 AM

Bob Pound at pro products is the place to go when buying heat panels...

He takes the time to talk and figure out what size heat panel you would need.

Pro products offers the 10 year warranty with no questions asked. i think Helix; is less, but dont quote me on that.
However, with my dealings with both helix and pro products, i can tell you that pro products definately has there act together more then helix.

The heat panels wont neccessarily heat your WHOLE enclosure, but they will heat a comfortable hot spot as well as up the ambient a bit if used correctly with a thermostat.

your basically spending less then a hundred bucks to heat a big cage for 10 years +
and from experience, heat panels beat flex watt, lights, uth's anyday.

gvg

Grant vg · 10-30-03, 12:32 AM

oh, and maybe i should add that you may want to consider upping one size from what bob reccomends... he usually reccomends a size that will run full blast to reach the temps. where as i prefer a hotter heat panel that wont need to be on 24/7.

gvg

AnniesMom · 10-30-03, 12:35 AM

Thanks for the info Grant! Can the panels be used to create a hot spot and use flexwatt to raise the ambient? As per my previous question, do you know if you can put flexwatt on the back of the cage?

Grant vg · 10-30-03, 11:02 AM

annie,
you shouldn't have a problem with just the heat panels as your only heating source, unless of course your ambient is below 75..

You CAN put flex watt on the back of the enclosure, however, in my experience, flew watt doesn't really provide too much ambient heat other then the spot that it is heating.
Even more so, if it was on the back of a cage...
you'd basically have to put the probe of a thermostat on the inside back wall, and that back side would reach the temp you wanted, but thats all it would do...
any ambient heat would be lost as the heat would rise and that hot spot on the back of the enclosure would do next to nothing for your snake.
Where as a heat panel, will radiate heat on one side to provide a 90 degree hot spot, then just to the left of it in the middle would be say 84 degrees and then the non heated side would be 80 degrees, giving you a great thermal gradient.
even in my old 4 foot melamine enclosures... the heat tape only really heated that hot spot. anything an inch or two away from it was the same temperature as 3 feet away.

gvg

AnniesMom · 10-30-03, 05:59 PM

Grant, thanks so much. I got an email from the BeanFarm and they said that I should put in 12x12 panels in the cages.