Heating wooden cages?

[Nick V]

I just purchased some nice boamaster wooden cages for my womas but the thing is I'm completely clueless as to how to heat wooden cages. They look great but I have never heated a cage with anything other than a heat lamp or heating pad, probably since I haven't kept anything in something other than a tank. My question is what is a safe and easy way to heat these nice new wooden cages I have so my snakes can have a 90 degree hot spot and not burn my house down in the process? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm not the best handyman haha. Thanks.

[Mr Lynch]

Radiant heat panels seem to be quite popular these days and work rather well in sealed wooden enclosures. Pro-Products heat panels are UL rated for safety, and in conjunction with a proportional thermostat, they make a great reliable source of heat for snakes.
Its a great place to deal with, you can call them up with what type enclosure "size-wise" you have, and they will recommend what size panel "wattage" would best suit your needs according to the target temps your looking for, number of vents in the enclosure, and where your enclosure will be located in your home i.e. basement/bedroom, and whether your room is heated or not etc etc. They can be a bit pricey for some ppl, but for how reliable they are, and how long they last, in the long run, their really hard to beat IMHO as they really need no maintenance . They will not burn your reptile as long as your plugging it into a proper/reliable proportional thermostat.

Search Pro products Heating Solutions as the forum wont allow me to post a link.

[Amadeus]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynch

Radiant heat panels seem to be quite popular these days and work rather well in sealed wooden enclosures. Pro-Products heat panels are UL rated for safety, and in conjunction with a proportional thermostat, they make a great reliable source of heat for snakes.
Its a great place to deal with, you can call them up with what type enclosure "size-wise" you have, and they will recommend what size panel "wattage" would best suit your needs according to the target temps your looking for, number of vents in the enclosure, and where your enclosure will be located in your home i.e. basement/bedroom, and whether your room is heated or not etc etc. They can be a bit pricey for some ppl, but for how reliable they are, and how long they last, in the long run, their really hard to beat IMHO as they really need no maintenance . They will not burn your reptile as long as your plugging it into a proper/reliable proportional thermostat.

Search Pro products Heating Solutions as the forum wont allow me to post a link.

Radiant heat panels are good but mucho danero...

I use ceramic heat emitters with a hydrofarm thermostats on my 4x2 cages and it will take more humidity out than a uth but it isn't so bad. Cheaper too.

[Nick V]

Thanks guys! I'll let you know what I do, I am kind of stuck now. It is cheaper to use ceramic heat emitters but these cages would have to undergo some construction. And the radiant heat panels seem great but it is a pretty damn expensive option, especially considering I will be getting more cages to stack on top of these in the future as my collection grows. I still have some time to heat these cages, I'll let you know what I do and keep yous updated. Thanks for the advice!

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by Nick V

Thanks guys! I'll let you know what I do, I am kind of stuck now. It is cheaper to use ceramic heat emitters but these cages would have to undergo some construction. And the radiant heat panels seem great but it is a pretty damn expensive option, especially considering I will be getting more cages to stack on top of these in the future as my collection grows. I still have some time to heat these cages, I'll let you know what I do and keep yous updated. Thanks for the advice!

Hey Nick, I know its hard to look at it this way when its so much money upfront, but in reality you will be saving alot and its much safer for both your reptile, and the cage. They last up to 10 years apparently, where as ceramics are typically 1 - 2 years depending on usage and can burn out any time. They are also not safe to the touch and 20 - 30 dollars anyways for just the bulb

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Hey Nick, I know its hard to look at it this way when its so much money upfront, but in reality you will be saving alot and its much safer for both your reptile, and the cage. They last up to 10 years apparently, where as ceramics are typically 1 - 2 years depending on usage and can burn out any time. They are also not safe to the touch and 20 - 30 dollars anyways for just the bulb

This. People seem to only consider the immediate costs. RHP's will save you money in the long run with a warranty for 10 years on a lot of them. Plus they are safer.

[franks]

I cut a 14"x14" square out of the bottom, silicone an 18"x18" stone tile over it, and attach the heat pad to that tile.

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Hey Nick, I know its hard to look at it this way when its so much money upfront, but in reality you will be saving alot and its much safer for both your reptile, and the cage. They last up to 10 years apparently, where as ceramics are typically 1 - 2 years depending on usage and can burn out any time. They are also not safe to the touch and 20 - 30 dollars anyways for just the bulb

Just as a reference i have had 7 CHE's running 24/7 for three years with no issues. And they are well guarded so neither me or the snakes can touch them

[Amadeus]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Just as a reference i have had 7 CHE's running 24/7 for three years with no issues. And they are well guarded so neither me or the snakes can touch them

What do you use to guard? I have a dome-lamp with this jurry rigged mesh on it, it's safe for the most part but it looks like a piece of ####

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

What do you use to guard? I have a dome-lamp with this jurry rigged mesh on it, it's safe for the most part but it looks like a piece of ####

I have one of these in each viv Pro-Rep Spot Bulb Guard, White USED EXCELLENT CONDITION | eBay

[Amadeus]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

I have one of these in each viv Pro-Rep Spot Bulb Guard, White USED EXCELLENT CONDITION | eBay

I was just about to place an order when I realized only ships to uk. Figures...

Do you happen to know the manufacturer? I'm assuming they ship worldwide.

Thanks =]

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

I was just about to place an order when I realized only ships to uk. Figures...

Do you happen to know the manufacturer? I'm assuming they ship worldwide.

Thanks =]

No idea, i actually bought mine from my local reptile shop. Pets at Home in the uk stock them too and i think they are affilliated with some chain store in the US?

[KORBIN5895]

I can pick up che for less than $10 each so as an initial cost they are way cheaper. The difference is in wattage. A che will cost you more in A month to run than a rhp.

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Just as a reference i have had 7 CHE's running 24/7 for three years with no issues. And they are well guarded so neither me or the snakes can touch them

The last one I bought burnt out in a week for unknown reasons and I lost the receipt. :/