Extra Heat for my rack.....let me know what you think!

do what the poster said above or throw some back heat in there with your belly heat. i would definitely put at-least 1/4" pip insulation on it. that will raise your temps a few degrees by itself!

My solution, which is simpler, much cheaper, and safer:

1 heating blanket, draped over the side of the rack.

safer? heck no... just what i want, a heating blanket on 24/7 :rolleyes:

They are designed to be safe for human use during the night, while you sleep. Check the blanket periodically for any changes that indicate it's wearing out. Since it's not being compressed or exposed to rough handling, it should hold up much better and be safer than one that's being used nightly for the purpose it was created for.

I've had 0 issues with mine. I use it on my quarantine rack, since it isn't in my snake room (snake room is kept at 80).
It has a dial to change the settings, and automatic shutoff if it overheats. It was under 30 bucks.
It warms the entire side of the rack, raising the interior temperatures into the appropriate range, even when room temperatures drop below 70F.

lamps are way more dangerous than a electric space heater.

with the added belley heat have you consider tarps/drop cloths/ blankets ?

Something thick can normally hold heat in really well

I don't think id worry about temp being 75 degrees during breeding season..... if they got a hot spot and need it, they will use it.

Last year confirmed for me that lowering temps for breeding is completely unnecessary for ball pythons. I had the same or better fertility compared with cooling.

Thanks for the replies guys. I have recently been considering a space heater on a timer to go off from 6am to 6pm but man, I get nervous thinking about nobody being home when it is on.

I have definetly decided against the heat lamps. If I do add the flexwatt down the inside side of the tub, it will be 3" and I was going to put it about 6 inches from the front.

Winged Wolf, my rack is melamine (you can see the pic on my first post obviously) so do you think a heat blanket would really do anything? Do you mean just drape it on the outside side? I do like the blanket idea considering they are safe for adults/kids, and they do get used and abused. I had one when I was a kid and put that thing through hell......it still held up and heated well. I don't see how it could overheat my racks either, especially if I set it on a timer to be on 12 hours a day.......hmmmm.

My house thermostat will be set around 73* so the tub should be 75* or so. Do you think that will be ok for day and night all winter? My hot spot is 93* or so right now and I planned on keeping it that way 24/7 in the rack all winter.

I keep my snakes in the un-used dinning room and hang a blanket to make the space smaller so the space heater is only heating a 7 x 12 area.
Keeps the heat trapped in the area of the snakes and not all over the house.