Advice for New Enclosure Order

Hi All,

I'm looking to purchase a bigger enclosure for my girl, as she has grown in the last couple of years and needs bigger hides and could probably use a bit more room over all. A bigger enclosure would also allow us to make her enclosure more interesting for her. I'm looking to buy a 4'longx2'deepx1'tall (or maybe 18"tall to allow for something for her to climb on a bit) to replace her existing 3'x2'x1'. Her existing enclosure has heat tape under the warm side and I use paper towel as substrate, so her warm side has always been a good temperature, but her cool side has never been quite warm enough. I am ordering her new enclosure from Cornel's World, as we're in the same city, and thinking of getting heat tape and/or radiant heat panel installed with the build, as they offer that now (and I am terrible at setting this stuff up after market).

I was thinking of getting the radiant heat panel to control the ambient temperature in the enclosure and the heat tape would just increase the ground temperature a bit more on the warm side - does that make sense? Should I get 40W or 80W heat panel for that size enclosure? Should the RHP go on the warm side or the cool side, or does it matter since it's to increase the ambient temperature anyway. Also, I assume I'd want them both hooked up to their own thermostats? Any flaws with this plan? Thanks!

Unless the room she's in gets very cold, a RHP will be all you need for heat. They are very efficient at warming the entire enclosure while leaving a natural gradient if installed on one side. But yes it should be on a thermostat just as any other heat element should be.

For a 4ft long cage you will need the larger RHP but the answer is just not that simple. You may not be able to heat both sides with the RHP without creating a spot under it that is above the desired range.

I would get a cage taller than 12 inches. At 12 inches they are an absolute pain to clean, imho. I like no shorter than 15 inches.

So I would decided what size you are going to get made and then figure out the heat needed for that size in the environment it will be in. ProProducts would be the ones to reach out to for that and they can tell you the best options for you, the cage, and the snake. Most builders will let you drop ship items and they will install it so talk to the builder about that....or maybe they use them already. ProProducts are very thin and are top notch.

I was actually thinking of going for an 18" tall one, so I could add some climbing elements for her. And you are right, even with my skinny arms, it's a pain to clean the 1' tall one. The builder I was thinking of uses Vivarium Electronics radiant heat panels - are those good? I'm in Canada, and not all U.S. companies ship here. I may give the builder a call to chat about proper heating for an enclosure for my ball python.

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Originally Posted by Myrmida

I was actually thinking of going for an 18" tall one, so I could add some climbing elements for her. And you are right, even with my skinny arms, it's a pain to clean the 1' tall one. The builder I was thinking of uses Vivarium Electronics radiant heat panels - are those good? I'm in Canada, and not all U.S. companies ship here. I may give the builder a call to chat about proper heating for an enclosure for my ball python.

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I think they are. I believe that is who makes the ones I have in my GTP and ETB cages. I have had no issues with them. They are just deeper than the ProProducts but if you get the 18 inch cage that will not be a bother.

And for each heat device you have it will need a tstat. Of course there are tstats that can control multiple things as in the Herpstat 2, 4, and 6. I have a couple 2s and a 4, on top of two 1s and have never had an issue with any of them. They are made by Spyder Robotics. I think you can get them up there but I am not sure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Myrmida

I was thinking of getting the radiant heat panel to control the ambient temperature in the enclosure and the heat tape would just increase the ground temperature a bit more on the warm side - does that make sense? Should I get 40W or 80W heat panel for that size enclosure? Should the RHP go on the warm side or the cool side, or does it matter since it's to increase the ambient temperature anyway.

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I don't think RHPs are designed to raise ambient temps. From the VE website, "This Infrared Heat tends to heat objects more than the air, much like the natural sunlight outdoors." I would use the RHP for the hotspot and the heat tape on the cool side to keep it from getting too cool.

I use an 80w VE RHP in a 3'x2'x14.5" plywood enclosure. It creates a 88-92 degree hotspot on one side of the enclosure, but it doesn't really raise the ambient temps. The cool side is room temperature.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/dsc03345.jpg

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I use an 80w VE RHP in a 3'x2'x14.5" plywood enclosure. It creates a 88-92 degree hotspot on one side of the enclosure, but it doesn't really raise the ambient temps. The cool side is room temperature.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/dsc03345.jpg

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That's been my experience with them as well. I keep a cold home though so while I can't make it with some people can. Since I couldn't that's why I now have a heated snake room. I actually don't even use my RHPs in my large cages any more as they have bely heat too. The only ones I use RHPs for is my GTP and ETB, but that's only providing a hot spot on their top perch of 85. Nothing close to being able to heat the cage.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I don't think RHPs are designed to raise ambient temps. From the VE website, "This Infrared Heat tends to heat objects more than the air, much like the natural sunlight outdoors." I would use the RHP for the hotspot and the heat tape on the cool side to keep it from getting too cool.

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Pro Products must have sent me one specifically for that purpose then. When I placed my order the guy on the line asked where it the house it would be, and when I said basement they must've sent a more "powerful" one for lack of better words.

It's December and even on the cool side it's remained in the mid 70's with no additional heating.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

Pro Products must have sent me one specifically for that purpose then. When I placed my order the guy on the line asked where it the house it would be, and when I said basement they must've sent a more "powerful" one for lack of better words.

It's December and even on the cool side it's remained in the mid 70's with no additional heating.

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They are the place to go to get it right.

My problem was I like a cold home and my large cages are built out of thin melamine. I'm sure in my thicker AP cages I would have better results.

You say it's December like that means it's cold. It was 80 here today. Lol! Where are you? Just curious. Having a basement suggests up north.

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Originally Posted by KMG

They are the place to go to get it right.

My problem was I like a cold home and my large cages are built out of thin melamine. I'm sure in my thicker AP cages I would have better results.

You say it's December like that means it's cold. It was 80 here today. Lol! Where are you? Just curious. Having a basement suggests up north.

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Central Ohio. While it hasn't been "consistently" cold here as of yet since it's been anything from a low of 20's to a high of almost 60's the past couple of weeks (schizophrenic is this state's modus operandi when it comes to weather patterns no matter the time of year) it's been chilly long enough that the enclosure should've been noticeably affected by now if the RHP wasn't sufficient.

There's always lots to learn. I live in a cold climate (Canadian Prairies), although the indoors of my house is roughly the same temperature year-round. It's more of a 72F, though, rather than the warmer temps that are best for a ball python. It sounds like giving Pro Products a call is the way to go, even if they don't ship to Canada, they may be willing to give me a bit of advice or recommend a Canadian supplier.

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Originally Posted by Myrmida

There's always lots to learn. I live in a cold climate (Canadian Prairies), although the indoors of my house is roughly the same temperature year-round. It's more of a 72F, though, rather than the warmer temps that are best for a ball python. It sounds like giving Pro Products a call is the way to go, even if they don't ship to Canada, they may be willing to give me a bit of advice or recommend a Canadian supplier.

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At 72 you're not far off from what you need so a RHP for a little boost may work perfect. I try to keep my snake room between 75-77 but with the temp flux through the day it has some swing both above and below that at times. Today my swing was from 75 to 82. Over this year I have tracked from 73 to 88.

I have a wifi thermometer that will alert me to highs and lows so I can make adjustments. That may be using my central air over wifi or simple cracking or closing the door to my snake room. During the hot months it stays open a couple inches. Then stays closed during cooler months.... All two of them.

RHPs will warm ambient air of the terrarium. I have three differen Animal Plastics terrariums and have a setup of 5 different RHPs for a large enclosure I'd recommend going the the VE 80 from Reptile Basics. Those things are great!

The other week I had to air out my snake room and the ambient temp in the room was in the 60s. The terrariums stayed at 82.

Don't worry about temp gradient. I know it's a thing that is sometimes recommended, but all large breeders and keepers just focus on keeping the necessary ambient temp. Your BP will do great with one static temp.

If you're going with AP caging, I have the AP 8, 10 and 12. The 10 is probably my favorite but the 12 is pretty cool if you have the space. Let me know if you have any questions.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8c560eb195.jpg

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