heat panels and a 4x2x4 cage? how to heat?

Sasha2 · 11-13-15, 05:37 PM

Okay Ive settled on building a 4x2x4 cage for my carpet python.
Actually I found a cheap entertainment center that is real wood that size and its going to be converted to his cage.
I want to use RHPs will those heat the air as well as a basking area. He will have shelves up high on both sides of the cage. But I cant put them in till I know how far to position them from a RHP.

Should I use two Smaller RHPS or one larger one, like a 80 watt? I notice ReptileBasics only carry up to 80 watts now so thats the largest I can get. I already have a spare thermostat(on/off).

Also should I add a heat pad at the bottom?

The room stays between 72 and 75.

trailblazer295 · 11-13-15, 06:20 PM

I'd suggest contacting pro products. When I was looking for panels for my cages after having heating issues with UTH alone I was looking for an RHP. They asked for cage size, how many/what size vents, room temps etc and recommended a panel based off that and it worked perfect.

Sasha2 · 11-13-15, 06:37 PM

Arent Pro products overpriced compared to Reptile basics? I hate wasting their time then buying somewhere else.
I guess my main concern is not overheating the basking site in order to heat the ambient air in the cage. I am thinking maybe I should just use a CHE for ambient and a small panel or uth for the main basking site.

trailblazer295 · 11-13-15, 06:49 PM

I don't know the cost difference I ordered their product because by law up here anything that plugs into the wall is supposed to be safety (UL, ULC,CSA, CE etc) tested although in the pet trade a lot of products aren't but still readily sold in stores here. I felt better having a test panel in the case of a problem my insurance company can't give me the finger.

A RHP won't heat the air directly. Infrared heat travels through the air and heats objects which in turn will heat the air.

In a wooden cage though it would be easy to mount a CHE or bulbs for a heat source. I was using a PVC cage so more work required for that.

Sasha2 · 11-14-15, 10:53 AM

I do have several 100 watt CHE laying around.But they dont look as nice as a heat panel would.
Ive been perusing the Aussie python forum site in their diy section(plenty of carpet python cages) and they have some awesome builds. But they seem to use alot of heat cable under or over the main basking sites.

Snake Plissken · 11-14-15, 04:51 PM

Before we even get to the heating question, the first question I have is what are you going to do to seal that wood??

toddnbecka · 11-14-15, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sasha2

I do have several 100 watt CHE laying around.But they dont look as nice as a heat panel would.
Ive been perusing the Aussie python forum site in their diy section(plenty of carpet python cages) and they have some awesome builds. But they seem to use alot of heat cable under or over the main basking sites.

How nice the CHE looks depends on the housing you use to enclose it to protect the snake. It would be fairly simple to make a good-looking housing for the CHE, with an ultratherm heat mat on the bottom.

Sasha2 · 11-18-15, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

How nice the CHE looks depends on the housing you use to enclose it to protect the snake. It would be fairly simple to make a good-looking housing for the CHE, with an ultratherm heat mat on the bottom.

This is the direction Im going at the moment since I already have all this. Not the ultratherm but plenty of flexwatt that hubby has soldered up for me.I also already have an extra thermostat(cheap hydrofarm but they work fine).

I already have the 1/4 inch plexiglass as well. So this build is going to be less then a hundred dollars all total..

I do have to buy some linoleum or tile for the bottom.

Then next year I can think about upgrading the boas.

As for sealing, I will either use a low voc latex house paint or waterbased polyurathane or both.