Thinking of building an enclosure

Currently keep my snake in a 20 gal aquarium. It works and all, but to keep the ambient temps up I have to use heat lamps. They look ugly and the red glow is starting to annoy me.

I like to build and am pretty handy so I'm thinking of making a cage. Had a couple of questions.

As for size, I'm thinking 36" long, 12" wide, 12" high. Does that seem big enough to last? I want this to be a permanent solution.

What about heat. I'm thinking of getting a radiant heat panel for the top. Will this be enough to keep the ambient temps up? Temp in the room gets down around 68 in the winter. I really want to do away with heat lamps. Should I still provide belly heat? Any good ideas how? Maybe I make the bottom out of plexi.

I'd like to hear any tips from people who have built their own cages, what worked? What didn't work?

One other question as well. How big should the RHP be (wattage wise)? And where is a good place to get them? Reptile basics sells them, but I have no idea if that is a good price or not.

I would go with a 36 x 18 x 12 for an adult BP. That little extra width will be beneficial - especially if you have a female. That is approximately the dimensions (of floor space) of a 41qt tub or 40gal breeder tank which are considered standard for adult BPs.

A 40 watt RHP will probably be fine. I would order from Reptile Basics. Rich is terrific and you could ask him to recommend a size if you aren't sure. He's really helpful in figuring out what you should have and he won't try to sell you a larger size than what you need. His prices are decent.

An RHP should be enough to keep the ambient temps up, but it might not. It'll depend on how well the cage is insulated. What material are you going to use? I kind of like the idea of using plexi for the bottom - if you find you need the UTH, you can add one later.

Oh! Pics when you're done will be great! LoL.....

I have 4 x 2 x 1 cages for my ball pythons, but 3 x 2 x 1 would also be fine they need 1 square foot of floor space per foot of snake.

To heat the cage I would get a RHP to maintain the air/cool side temperature and use Flexwatt to provide the basking spot.

This thread might give you some ideas: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Cant help you with building the enclosure. I built my own rack outta melamine so if u choose to go that route id be able to help :)
I would just check other sites besides RB for rhp's...Although i have never heard a bad review of RB so if you order from them you wont be disapointed!

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Cant help you with building the enclosure. I built my own rack outta melamine so if u choose to go that route id be able to help :)
I would just check other sites besides RB for rhp's...Although i have never heard a bad review of RB so if you order from them you wont be disapointed!

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The best places to get RHP's are Reptile Basics and Pro Products. I wouldn't buy from anyone else.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I have 4 x 2 x 1 cages for my ball pythons, but 3 x 2 x 1 would also be fine they need 1 square foot of floor space per foot of snake.

To heat the cage I would get a RHP to maintain the air/cool side temperature and use Flexwatt to provide the basking spot.

This thread might give you some ideas: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

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I wanted to post this exact information :D For some while, I was planning on using a 4 x 2 x 1 PVC enclosure for one of my ball pythons. After some difficulties regarding space, I decided to sell the enclosure. I used a RHP from Pro-Products, and after emailing them with my room's temperatures, my enclosure's dimensions and material, they recommended with an appropriately sized RHP for my enclosure. However, when I set it all up and was testing it all out, I realized I didn't have a proper way to fasten a thermostat probe to measure the hottest absolute spot under the RHP. Here's a picture:

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3...cageinside.jpg

Keep in mind, it wasnt finished. I wasnt getting perfect temperatures with JUST the RHP. The cool side was around 75-76, and the hot side was around 80-82 ambient. The hot spot right under the RHP was about 90-95, but it was difficult to get a consistent temperature reading. I definitely agree with what Aaron said about using Flexwatt as your hot spot, and using the RHP just to control ambients, which means you will also need two thermostats.

I've always wanted to create an awesome enclosure for one of my ball pythons, but now that Im getting more and more snakes, theres no way I can do it in terms of space and money.

as far as the flex watt for the belly heat there a couplde different ways to do this. you can get a piece of plexiglass a little bit larger than the piece of flex watt you're going to put down. mark it out on your plywood face route out all the material insde your marks so that the flex watt and plexiglass are at the same level as your cage. if you don't have a router you can always foil tape the flex what to a piece of plexiglass use a aquarium grade silicone to stick it down make sure you seal it well. and just drill your hole in the back of your cage for your wires and hot glue them down and seal it up. Glue your probe down on top of your plexi glass and your done.

i just finished my 1st enclosure ( 30 x 20 x 18 ) and purchased the 40 watt rhp and was the best investment i've made , temps and humidity are perfect , i mounted my rhp where it's 16 inches from bottom of enclosure to get 95 degree basking spot ...so if i had to do it again enclosure height would not be any greater than 14 to 16 inches high ..

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Originally Posted by mshadows

i just finished my 1st enclosure ( 30 x 20 x 18 ) and purchased the 40 watt rhp and was the best investment i've made , temps and humidity are perfect , i mounted my rhp where it's 16 inches from bottom of enclosure to get 95 degree basking spot ...so if i had to do it again enclosure height would not be any greater than 14 to 16 inches high ..

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95 is a little too hot, 88-92 is ideal