Large adult snake housing questions inside!

I am looking to condense my snakes into a stackable setup. I've narrowed my source down to Sentec cages (based on many good reviews amongst forums) but I had a few questions for anyone with comparable setups.

Sliding glass doors vs slam latch?

Are cage dividers for maintenance worthwhile?

Will flexwat heat tape alone keep a 72x30x22.5 enclosure up to temperature, assuming the room remains at a constant 70-72 degrees?

Flexwatt will not maintain appropriate ambient temperatures, especially if the cage is on its own (not stacked). I can't speak to whether temperatures would improve if your cages were stacked, but I doubt it. The easiest solution is to get some sort of space heater to keep the room at about 80 degrees. Flexwatt is most appropriate for belly heat such as a 90 degree hotspot.

I really like sliding glass doors as opposed to swinging doors for ease of feeding; I can open the door just enough to get a rat on tongs inside, and still have the glass between my hand / body and the snake. But substrate can get stuck in the ruts, so it's a toss up.

Depends on how much the dividers are. You really don't need a divider, though.

If you've got a good thermostat (Johnsons, Ranco, Herpstat, Helix, etc.), yes flexwatt will get basking temps where they need to be. Ambients can be more tricky, especially for arboreal snakes. I've got a space heater in my snake room, I keep the room at 70 and the UTH's in the cage are enough to bump ambients 5 or 10 degrees. The space heater also gives me peace of mind if any of my snakes get out, knowing they won't freeze.

If you're still shopping, I highly recommend Animal Plastics cages. I've been using them for all of my larger snakes for years and I absolutely love them.

I like sliding glass doors when safety is a necessity (or for flighty animals etc).

I don't use them, as it is no concern for any animals I keep. A bite from my biggest carpet python would suck, but the conveniences of swing doors for cleaning and cage access are wonderful for my situation.

+1 on animal plastics for cages. That's what I use. I've been thinking of trying boaphile lately, they make some fantastic products as well.

Thanks for the info guys- I'm gonna check out Animal Plastics as well.

Do you think a radian heat panel inside them would be necessary to supplement the flexwatt ? The room my snakes are in is generally 72-73 degrees.

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

Thanks for the info guys- I'm gonna check out Animal Plastics as well.

Do you think a radian heat panel inside them would be necessary to supplement the flexwatt ? The room my snakes are in is generally 72-73 degrees.

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Yes, the flexwatt will only heat the area right above flexwatt. You will need a RHP to heat the air. When using an RHP, there really is no reason to use flexwatt.

What size rhp would you recommend for a 72x30x18?

Do they get mounted inside or would a snake get burned touching it I have no exp with radiant heat panels.

I read up, looks like an 80w would make the most sense. These are pretty damn cool.. Seemingly more efficient than bulbs or tape.

I wouldn't get a RHP if you are getting more than one cage. It makes more sense to use a single space heater than to buy several RHPs which cost about $90 each.

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

I wouldn't get a RHP if you are getting more than one cage. It makes more sense to use a single space heater than to buy several RHPs which cost about $90 each.

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A space heater to keep the entire room warm?

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

A space heater to keep the entire room warm?

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Yeah. Works best if it's not your room, though. Most people don't like sleeping in 80 degree temperatures.

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Yeah. Works best if it's not your room, though. Most people don't like sleeping in 80 degree temperatures.

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You can, but space heaters increase your energy bill a lot. Mine in the winter was up over $100 each month to heat my snake room. I have since switched to RHP's, and it has gone down considerably. I keep them on a proportional thermostat, so they do not consume much energy.

To the OP, I use an 80 watt in my 4 foot cages. You may need to go a little larger. Your best bet is to call Rich at Reptile Basics about that.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

You can, but space heaters increase your energy bill a lot. Mine in the winter was up over $100 each month to heat my snake room. I have since switched to RHP's, and it has gone down considerably. I keep them on a proportional thermostat, so they do not consume much energy.

To the OP, I use an 80 watt in my 4 foot cages. You may need to go a little larger. Your best bet is to call Rich at Reptile Basics about that.

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You're right, it looks like the 80w is gonna be slightly underpowered for a 6 foot cage. I'll be going to the 120w RHP's instead.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

You can, but space heaters increase your energy bill a lot. Mine in the winter was up over $100 each month to heat my snake room. I have since switched to RHP's, and it has gone down considerably. I keep them on a proportional thermostat, so they do not consume much energy.

To the OP, I use an 80 watt in my 4 foot cages. You may need to go a little larger. Your best bet is to call Rich at Reptile Basics about that.

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Ah, I never even though about that. I don't actually use a space heater so I don't know how it affects the electric bill. Of course, it is still more practical to use a space heater or another method to heat the entire room than to buy 30+ RHPs for a large collection, right?

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Ah, I never even though about that. I don't actually use a space heater so I don't know how it affects the electric bill. Of course, it is still more practical to use a space heater or another method to heat the entire room than to buy 30+ RHPs for a large collection, right?

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I still think that it would be more cost effective in the long run to run 30 RHPs, because they would be on proportional thermostats. It would cost a lot to setup, but in the long run I believe it would pay off. I could be wrong though. It would be nice to know exactly how much it costs per month to run one RHP and how much it costs to run a space heater for a month. Then we could determine how many RHPs it would take to equal the amount of one space heater for a month.

Do you think a proportional thermostat is required for a RHP? I'm going to be needing a Boaphile soon. I have two Johnson thermostats already. They are on/off but they've been very consistent for my Flexwatt. However, RHPs are obviously different than Flexwatt. My room averages 70-72 during the day and 68-70 at night.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

Thanks for the info guys- I'm gonna check out Animal Plastics as well.

Do you think a radian heat panel inside them would be necessary to supplement the flexwatt ? The room my snakes are in is generally 72-73 degrees.

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It depends on your desired temps, and cage volume.

All the animals I have in large APs (4x2x2) get cooled in the winter, so I have no need for RHPs. There is no way that flexwatt would get a 4x2x2 up to "summer temps" with my cooler room temps in winter.

I have no experience with RHPs, but I'd bet that you'd be able to fully supply all needed heating with them. They provide a large basking spot and are known for raising ambient temps nicely. Talk to whoever you purchase a cage from for wattage suggestions.

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Do you think a proportional thermostat is required for a RHP? I'm going to be needing a Boaphile soon. I have two Johnson thermostats already. They are on/off but they've been very consistent for my Flexwatt. However, RHPs are obviously different than Flexwatt. My room averages 70-72 during the day and 68-70 at night.

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You would not have to, but I do suggest using proportional to save on the electric bill. With an on/off type, the RHP will be on 100%, then off 100%. It may take a while to heat back up each time, and kick on and off often. Although the proportional is on all the time, it is on a very low percent.