radiant heat panel

scottyy · 10-11-11, 09:27 PM

so i got a 6x3x2 cage that i am putting a retic in and i just got the heat panel in the mail 2 day and it doesnt even heat the cage that good. i dont get it. does there have to be items in the cage for it to heat up or does it take like 24 hours to heat an entire cage up?

**millertime89** · 10-11-11, 11:58 PM

it takes some time. What size heat pad did you get? I'm looking into how to set up an SD retic viv and need some advice from people with larger vivs.

Jenn_06 · 10-12-11, 04:51 AM

where did you get it from? and what size. have one for my GTP and it got everything to the right temp in about 2 hours.

scottyy · 10-12-11, 05:01 AM

its a reptile basics and its a 12.5"x32.5" and i left it in the cage on full blast all night and it didnt even get past 82 degrees. and miller as far as setup mine is very basic it is just linoleum tiles laid down and made out of melamine and it has a light with a switch on the outside with the rhp which was supposed to heat the cage

Gungirl · 10-12-11, 05:15 AM

I have a small RPH in a 4' x 2' x 18" and it heated up in about 2hrs no issue. Do you have a lot of vents or any right near the RHP? If its not heating it up maybe you just have to much air flow going through the viv. Otherwise its not working right....

**millertime89** · 10-12-11, 11:31 AM

post pics of your setup.

scottyy · 10-12-11, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gungirl

I have a small RPH in a 4' x 2' x 18" and it heated up in about 2hrs no issue. Do you have a lot of vents or any right near the RHP? If its not heating it up maybe you just have to much air flow going through the viv. Otherwise its not working right....

the only ventilation i got is 4 1 inch holes and 2 of them r for wiring

scottyy · 10-12-11, 01:05 PM

and here are some pics miller.if you are looking to build your own cage its really not that hard. this is the fist cage i have ever made and it didnt turn out 2 bad.

scottyy · 10-12-11, 02:08 PM

well the guy at rbi was very generous and sent me a bigger panel and is letting me keep the one that he originally recommended that i should get. this has been an adventure lol. first fedex lost the first panel and now when i finally got it it didnt heat up enough. its one of the panels that was slightly discolored but it will still work great in another cage

TMacie · 10-15-11, 08:27 AM

Scottyy, do you have items in the viv when you are trying to heat it? Thinks like substrate, plants, hides etc? The RHP needs to heat "stuff" to be able to heat the air.

Travis

scottyy · 10-15-11, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMacie

Scottyy, do you have items in the viv when you are trying to heat it? Thinks like substrate, plants, hides etc? The RHP needs to heat "stuff" to be able to heat the air.

Travis

I only have a rock and a water bowl right now im thinking about putting some other decor in there but i am not quite sure what else to put in there. or should i just break down and use substrate instead of linoleum tiles?

TMacie · 10-16-11, 09:01 AM

You can put in fake foliage, a log hide or two, etc. All that will help the heat and help your snake feel comfortable. We like to use a cypress/aspen mix as it will help with heat and you can use it to control humidity if needed.

If you use Cypress, make sure you dry it before you put it in the viv. When you get a bag its usually super wet. If you dry it first then you can control how much water it has.

Also, I dont really care for the linolium tiles because junk can get down between them and rot, cause mold, hold mites and such. If it was a solid piece it would be ok.

Travis

scottyy · 10-16-11, 04:06 PM

How much is it for a bag of aspen? i know the cypress is like 3 or 4 bucks a brick.

Nismo89 · 10-16-11, 04:15 PM

I've never seen cypress in a bag but it can get pretty spendy. The big bag of the stuff I typically use is $15-$20 depending on where you go and its zoo med forest floor cypress mulch. The big bag will fill up a 40b with a few inches my guess would be you would need 2 bags for that size viv and then you would have some extra for spot cleaning as needed.

TMacie · 10-16-11, 04:21 PM

Nismo...I think you meant to say you've never seen Cypress in a brick...correct me if I'm wrong.

I dont remember the size of the last big bag I got, but mixing it with a bit of Aspen I get a little over 2 fills of my 2'x4' viv at about 2" deep, a bit deeper in spots.

Nismo is right on with the prices too. Don't forget, you dont have to change the whole viv every week or anything. Scoop out the poop and pee areas and only doa complete change every so often. With a little practice you'll know when that is needed.

Travis