RHP Size/Wattage?

[Dmurphy95]

Heyo all, finally coming alive in this place again now that we have finally moved and started to settle into our new home in South Carolina!

And what do you know, my first post back in here is a question. XD

To make it simple: I have come to the conclusion that I need a RHP for Mopani's enclosure.
I'll be buying two, since I do plan on using up that other "half" of the one big 6 foot enclosure Qizil used to live in for another noodle when we eventually move into our "final" abode in about a year or two. I only need info on one since both "sides" are the same length and width.

Reasoning is literally because, even with all the other things I've tried, including BIG UTD's, and UTD combos, I still can't get the temps to where they need to go. At this point humidity is perfectly fine, and it will continue to be considering where we live now.
But the higher ambient temps just in general mean we now have air conditioners going all the time...And I kind of just have to accept that this is my last/final option now for these dang Boaphile cages. X'D

Now, for more in-depth things: The enclosure I have is the 6322D Combo Cage from Boaphile Plastics. Which, as mentioned, can separate into two separate smaller enclosures.
The separate halves are both 3ft by 2ft by 1.5ft.

I am looking for help in understanding what preferred size, and definitely wattage I would need for them to have the temps get up to where they need to go: Specifically with the hot spot being 90 Fahrenheit.
There are of course the RHP's Boaphile Cages sell, but I've heard very good things about the Reptile Basics ones too.

Anyone got input on this?? X'D I am going into this completely blind and would appreciate the help! I already did some research on both but I don't know where to go from here, or how to determine what I need!


(Sorry this is so long~ X'3)

[Andy_G]

You should contact the manufacturer of the radiant heat panel brand that you'd like to buy directly to get an accurate answer. They usually want the following information: enclosure material/approximate amount of ventilation, your ambient room temp where the enclosure is being kept, and the desired temperatures that you want to have inside the enclosure. Going straight to the manufacturer eliminates a lot of guess work and would also eliminate the possibility of someone here unintentionally give you incorrect information.

[pet_snake_78]

I use reptile basics RHP's and I think they work well. Most of mine are in 12" cages though so I cannot say how far down the heat will still be 90F in a 18" cage. Best to find someone with a similar setup and ask I think. RHP will raise the overall ambient some too though unlike heat tape so be careful not to overdo the size of the thing, too.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I'm not sure how small Pro Products goes, but even the smallest panel from RBI is going to be too big for that cage split in two. Especially considering there isn't enough height to split it into a warm top and cool bottom like I've done in my 4'x2'x2's.

Even a 40 watt will take up the entirety of the length of both sides, which means there will be no thermal gradient, and the likelihood of the snakes overheating becomes very high.

Is there any reason you wouldn't be able to use another enclosure for the other snake you plan on getting? It will need to be quarantined in a separate enclosure (and room, preferably a different house if possible) from Mopani for at least 6 months when you first get it anyways.

Originally Posted by pet_snake_78

I use reptile basics RHP's and I think they work well. Most of mine are in 12" cages though so I cannot say how far down the heat will still be 90F in a 18" cage. Best to find someone with a similar setup and ask I think. RHP will raise the overall ambient some too though unlike heat tape so be careful not to overdo the size of the thing, too.

I have 80 watts in my 2' tall cages, and it's almost overkill. Panels are designed specifically to send heat down first and foremost, they are designed for belly heat. The ambient temp rises as the heat comes off the objects below it.

I've even had no problem having panels heat objects up to 3' below them. Now, the only issue here is, at that height, it doesn't raise the ambients very efficiently, but it certainly can heat pretty far down.

[trailblazer295]

I would contact Bob at proproducts, he'll need cage size, material, venting, ambient conditions, and what is being kept in it. I have an rhp in a smaller cage now. So yours won't be an issue.

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

I'm not sure how small Pro Products goes, but even the smallest panel from RBI is going to be too big for that cage split in two. Especially considering there isn't enough height to split it into a warm top and cool bottom like I've done in my 4'x2'x2's.

Even a 40 watt will take up the entirety of the length of both sides, which means there will be no thermal gradient, and the likelihood of the snakes overheating becomes very high.

Is there any reason you wouldn't be able to use another enclosure for the other snake you plan on getting? It will need to be quarantined in a separate enclosure (and room, preferably a different house if possible) from Mopani for at least 6 months when you first get it anyways.



I have 80 watts in my 2' tall cages, and it's almost overkill. Panels are designed specifically to send heat down first and foremost, they are designed for belly heat. The ambient temp rises as the heat comes off the objects below it.

I've even had no problem having panels heat objects up to 3' below them. Now, the only issue here is, at that height, it doesn't raise the ambients very efficiently, but it certainly can heat pretty far down.

ProProducts does make a small enough RHP. I have one of theirs in my 2x2x1 pvc and it has a 90-80 spread.

[Dmurphy95]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

Is there any reason you wouldn't be able to use another enclosure for the other snake you plan on getting? It will need to be quarantined in a separate enclosure (and room, preferably a different house if possible) from Mopani for at least 6 months when you first get it anyways.

I won't be getting the other noodles yet-- as mentioned I only have Mopani right now, and will be getting the other snakes once we move into our actual house in about a year or two, though maybe earlier. I am just trying to get some things done in advance right now.

To answer your question, I do not want to but another permanent enclosure simply to make it "easier" for me to house them if I already have an enclosure I could suite up for them and use. I do understand that either way, work has to be done to make things ideal, but I see no real reason to spend more money on an enclosure I don't actually need to buy.
There is also the things I mentioned above about quite literally no other tactics working for heat, so my only other options now are RHP's or CHE's.

I do plan on getting at least one or two quarantine enclosures for when I get them, but I am pretty sure I won't have a separate room to house them in for that time being so I will likely just be housing them on the other side of my room and being VERY meticulous with them until they are deemed healthy and disease/mite free.

---
This all being noted, I have decided that I will likely contact Pro Products and get some help from Bob to see what would work best!
Again thank you all for your replies, it's greatly appreciated!

[bigsnakegirl785]

Originally Posted by Dmurphy95

Thank you everyone for your replies!



I won't be getting the other noodles yet-- as mentioned I only have Mopani right now, and will be getting the other snakes once we move into our actual house in about a year or two, though maybe earlier. I am just trying to get some things done in advance right now.

To answer your question, I do not want to but another permanent enclosure simply to make it "easier" for me to house them if I already have an enclosure I could suite up for them and use. I do understand that either way, work has to be done to make things ideal, but I see no real reason to spend more money on an enclosure I don't actually need to buy.
There is also the things I mentioned above about quite literally no other tactics working for heat, so my only other options now are RHP's or CHE's.

I do plan on getting at least one or two quarantine enclosures for when I get them, but I am pretty sure I won't have a separate room to house them in for that time being so I will likely just be housing them on the other side of my room and being VERY meticulous with them until they are deemed healthy and disease/mite free.

---
This all being noted, I have decided that I will likely contact Pro Products and get some help from Bob to see what would work best!
Again thank you all for your replies, it's greatly appreciated!

I would imagine a bp would outgrow one half of 6' enclosure in the matter of a year or two, it's more about providing enough room for all your animals, and less about "making it easier on you." I know a lot of people keep adults in shoeboxes, but that isn't necessarily the healthiest for them.

In the end, they're your animals, but I wouldn't consider a second enclosure to be unnecessary, hence why I mentioned that option.

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

ProProducts does make a small enough RHP. I have one of theirs in my 2x2x1 pvc and it has a 90-80 spread.

I figured they probably would, but I've never ordered from PP. lol

[kudzu]

Bigsnakegirl, you said you believe a 40 watt panel would be too big for the OP. I'm a novice so would appreciate an explanation of your reasoning.

Using Reptile Basics as an example, their 40 watt panel is 12"X12". That is the size in my 24"x24"x24" cage. I would think that a good size for 1/2 of the OP's cage. My larger snake has a 42"x24"x24" cage with an 80 watt panel. That panel is about 12"x24" and seems to work well. There are several thermometers in his cage and there is a good temperature gradient.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Originally Posted by kudzu

Bigsnakegirl, you said you believe a 40 watt panel would be too big for the OP. I'm a novice so would appreciate an explanation of your reasoning.

Using Reptile Basics as an example, their 40 watt panel is 12"X12". That is the size in my 24"x24"x24" cage. I would think that a good size for 1/2 of the OP's cage. My larger snake has a 42"x24"x24" cage with an 80 watt panel. That panel is about 12"x24" and seems to work well. There are several thermometers in his cage and there is a good temperature gradient.

Well I had written out a more in-depth answer...but I went camping and lost the reply. :/

Basically, I'm thinking the height (at only 1.5') is really short, and may pose some problems getting the right temps.

I have 80 watts in my 4'x2'x2's, but they're almost overkill. It took a lot of tweaking to get the enclosures so that the entire thing wasn't at 85F+. I ended up putting the thermostat probe under the basking shelf and setting the thermostat to just a couple degrees above ambient temps. That gives me a hot area of about 90F, a hot spot of 95F, and ambients of about 80F below the shelf. Those ambients can drop a little lower if the panel stays off for an extended period of time.

I was honestly thinking about putting 40 watts in my 4' enclosures instead, but I'm going to keep the 80 watts for now, just in case something happens and I need the extra heat. It was -8F last winter! :0

My 6'x3'x2's have 120 watt panels, which are also roughly half the length, but I had a much different experience with them. During the winter, I had to also run 100 watt CHE's and space heater to keep ambient temps up. During the summer, the panels alone were enough to keep temps up.

So, with those 4 enclosures, height seems to affect the ability to heat most. The panels can heat objects below them no problem, even at 3' of height. The problem I ran into was maintaining proper ambient temps at that height. At 2' there were no problems whatsoever keeping them warm, but it was much harder to keep them cool enough.

[pet_snake_78]

awww I missed the cage being split. I use the 40 watt panels in 4x2x1. if the cage were split in half, it would be no good as it would overheat the thing, it raises the cool end of the cage even with the 4' long cage and a tstat controlling it so it doesn't even pump out full blast.

[kudzu]

bigsnakegirl, thank you for that explanation.