Radiant heat panels UP's and Down's

I'm looking to heat my new 432 vision cage with a radiant heat panel or another good alternative heater so could you share your experiances with these type of heaters. Also advise on the size and wattage. Size of cage is 54" l x 36" D x 18" h

I have a few of these. They work great and will easily keep up with winter room temperatures. The down side is that they cost much more to purchase and to operate than flexwatt or a uth. I have 2 by Pro Products and 1 by Reptile Basics. The Pro Products work great but I think that the better thought out design of the Reptile Basics is nicer. www.reptilebasics.com also has an FAQ page for their radiant heat panels which tell you what size that you need for your particular application.

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Originally Posted by drugaria

I'm looking to heat my new 432 vision cage with a radiant heat panel or another good alternative heater so could you share your experiances with these type of heaters. Also advise on the size and wattage. Size of cage is 54" l x 36" D x 18" h

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I run them in all my cages. I also have a V432.

Size and wattage depends on the species you are keeping and the ambient temperature of the room the animal is in. Call Bob Pound at Pro-Products who will ask you these questions and give you the proper advice.

I have three RHP's made by Rich at Reptile Basics and they are great!! :D
While the initial cost is greater than the cost of flex watt, I have not seen them being more expensive to run; they turn off and on as needed to maintain the temps set by the t-stat.
I actually like them much better than flex watt....

I'm thinking about picking up a rbi cage with a 40 watt RHP. I'm not entirely sure how to set these things up....when using a RHP does that mean I no longer need a UTH... and in winter will this keep the correct temps for both the hot and cool side??? my room gets real cold..prob around 74 F.
Where would u put the thermostat probe???

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Originally Posted by chetman7

I'm thinking about picking up a rbi cage with a 40 watt RHP. I'm not entirely sure how to set these things up....when using a RHP does that mean I no longer need a UTH... and in winter will this keep the correct temps for both the hot and cool side??? my room gets real cold..prob around 74 F.
Where would u put the thermostat probe???

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If it's a 4' cage with normal ventilation, in a 74 degree room and not sitting on a bare floor, the 40 watt panel will heat your hot spot to your desired temp and probably raise the ambient in the far end of the cage 4 to 6 degrees.

Again, it depends on what you set your hot spot to. The higher the hot spot, the higher the cool end of the cage.

As for the probe, I put it under the panel on the floor of the cage. I drill a small hole in the bottom and pop the probe up so I can get an accurate hot spot reading where the snake will be.

I wish someone could find a way to make a RHP for a rack..........

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

I run them in all my cages. I also have a V432.

Size and wattage depends on the species you are keeping and the ambient temperature of the room the animal is in. Call Bob Pound at Pro-Products who will ask you these questions and give you the proper advice.

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Agreed.

Theres a lot of things that will determine what fits your application. I recommend talking to Bob at pro-products. He recommended a 55w for my 421d boaphile. My temps are identical as yours although animal requirements and where/room(ie upstairs,downstairs; carpet or tiled room) the cage also needs to be known to once again determine how many watts and size.
Again, dont guess ask someone who really knows or a professional of course.
Bob from pro-products will ask you a lot of questions to make sure he provides you the best size and watt for your application.
Not sure about Rich at RBI, but im sure he knows aswell, just havent done business with him with heat panels.
Btw I have a heat panel if the sale thread. :D

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Originally Posted by dsirkle

I have a few of these. They work great and will easily keep up with winter room temperatures. The down side is that they cost much more to purchase and to operate than flexwatt or a uth. I have 2 by Pro Products and 1 by Reptile Basics. The Pro Products work great but I think that the better thought out design of the Reptile Basics is nicer. www.reptilebasics.com also has an FAQ page for their radiant heat panels which tell you what size that you need for your particular application.

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Ok, I got a 120w one from Rich @ RBI and it's working great for my V 432cage. Also got a another v332 cage with a 64 watt pannel from Pro producrs. I'll have to say that the pro products one seems to be better build and is UL certified, but it's also more expensive .
Thank you all for the help

I am getting in on this a little late, but here are my thoughts...

The Up's:
I have had 3 RBI RHP's for a few months now and for the most part I like them a lot. They do a much better job of keeping ambient temps up. Before I had the RHP's, I had to heat the entire room up to 82 deg or so and then had UTH's to heat a hot spot. As far as power usage goes, it is much less expensive to heat 3 cages then an entire room.

The Downs:
Here is the down side for me. I had the cages stacked and found that there was WAY TOO MUCH heat transfer from the top of one cage to the floor of the cage stacked on top of it. I was seeing floor temps of around 102 deg. Mind you this is through 1" of PVC (AP cages). I had to put 2" spacers between the cages with insulation in between in order to correct this problem. Just something to think about if anyone plans on using these in stacked cages.

I finally gave in and bout a 3x2 RBI cage with 80 watt RHP and fluorescent llight and their hides. I can't wait to get it in the mail.

I"ll be sure to post up a nice review as soon as I get my temps correct and constant

total came out to around 320 USD.....I must really love my snake.

CHETMAN7 - I bought the exact same RBI cage with RHP and absolutely love it. I was using a glass aquarium which turned out to be a nightmare with temps and humidity but with the new RBI cage - I've been able to keep temps where I need them and the humidity is fine also.

Good luck with your new purchase - I'm sure you will love it.

And one other point - I think my snake loves it also - since she has been in the new cage she poops much more regularly - and I would think that is much better for her system - just thought I would mention that - LOL

I am looking forward to her first shed in the new cage - I am hoping for a good one piece shed.

Thanks West. I hope I do love it.

I am usign a 20L glass viv right now.. IT is a nightmare. i can't wait to get this cage in so I can transfer him over.

Going from a glass viv to the RBI cage - you will be amazed at how much easier it is. I had sooo much stress with worrying about the fluctuating temps and humidity in the glass viv.

I was told that the heat from the RHP panel would actually penetrate the snakes muscles (very healthy for them) and when I first took Bella out of her new RBI cage I could actually feel the difference in her body temperature - she was warm all thru her body. She's been in her new cage now for two weeks and appears happy and healthy.

One thing I will also mention - I switched to using the indented craft paper from Uline - it was the best suggestion I got on this forum. I line the entire bottom of the cage with one large piece of paper and then as the days go by and I notice she has pee'd or pooped - I simply cut out that area of paper and replace it - very easy and quick and the cage is spotless. Once a month I do plan to totally disinfect the entire cage also but for inbetween spot cleaning the paper is awesome.

My 2x3 RBI cage with 80W RHP should be here sometime this week. I purchased a Herpstat to control the heat. For those of you that are using these RHPs in the RBI cages, where are you placing the probes? I would think I'd want the probe on the bottom of the cage where the snake would be, but I don't want the snake to pee on it or dump it's water over and then cause the probe to think it's colder than it is. Since my BP has been on cypress mulch, I figured I'd continue to use it. Does anyone see an issue with putting the probe on the bottom of the cage along with the cypress mulch?

HEy Vgibbens.

I just got my 3x2 RBI today with 80 RHP and I am also running an herpstat
Check out my review ad u can see where I put my probes..I dunno if its the best spot but Im' still playin around with it.

MY REVIEW OF RBI W/ RHP CLICK CLICK

I've got to ask...why 80w panels in 3x2 cages?

I use 40w panels in 48" boamasters, and I have PLENTY of firepower. I keep a steady hot spot just fine...

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Originally Posted by snakewrangler

I've got to ask...why 80w panels in 3x2 cages?

I use 40w panels in 48" boamasters, and I have PLENTY of firepower. I keep a steady hot spot just fine...

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I go to school in upstate NY and I'm heating thermostat is set to 70 b/c I have roommates that think its warm out wen its snowing out. and back home i live in a furnished baement, so it gets prety cold. my ambient can drop to low 70's as well

I use 80 watt panels also.
I live in the high desert where our night time lows are around 40F in the summer and in the winter? Brrrrrr!!
Also, I don't keep my house at summer temps in the winter time- we wear sweaters and it can get chilly. The 80 watt panel bumps the ambients to where they ought to be for the ball pythons and the boas :gj:

Got it. I'd probably go that route if I didn't heat the whole room too.