Building new Cage question on Lighting

Hi,
I've decided to build myself a cage that will need a heat source. The cage will be 36'' wide and will be separated in to 12'' sections (basically a box with three rooms) and I was thinking I could get one fixture to provide the heat for all three rooms. I was just wondering what people here consider the best heat options: heat rocks, CFL, UVB? I'm just in the planning stages so any replies would be appreciated.
Thanks

Since you did not say, I am going to assume that you are building this setup for ball pythons. If that is the case then you do not want to use a heat rock. :colbert: And it is my opinion that belly heat or a UTH (Under Tank Heater) is the best.

Thanks for getting back to me. UTH seems like a very good heat souce but how would that work with a wood cage? The way I'm planning the enclosure the bottom, sides, and back is going to be wood and the top and front are going to be plexiglass. The only UTH units I found are for use in glass terrariums. And yes this enclosure would be for ball pythons.

I have never built a wood enclosure but I have seen where other people put down the UTH and then cover it with ceramic tile or plastic flooring, and then use a sealant around he edges to keep it in place. And then if you need to replace the UTH you can scrape away the sealant replace and re-seal.

I also saw a design where someone framed out the bottom of the enclosure and then put down a piece of plexi-glass for the floor.

Also you will want to make sure and use a thermostat with your UTH, so that it does not get to hot.

OK, with a wooden enclosure, UTH or Flexwatt heat tape are good heating options. Since BPs do not do well with lamps as heat sources, and NO snake or reptile should EVER have a heat rock (they should destroy them all and stop selling them), UTHs are the way to go. Of course, there are radient heat panels which work very well...but are expensive.

Anyway, in a wooden enclosure the best way to go about heat is to place the UTH on the wooden floor with some holes drilled into the wood underneath for ventilation/thermostat probe placement. Then, place vinyl flooring, tiles, or ceramic tiles over the UTH and hot glue/silicone around the edges to secure. That way, you can still easily get to the UTH for replacement without going through a lot of trouble.

I'm not clear on your cage dimensions, though. Do you have three hatchlings?? And what height are you planning on making this?
Oh, and there really is no one source that would heat three enclosures, no to mention that cages that small would be impossible to regulate and have a temp gradient in. A clearer description of the cages would help. :)

Thermostat? I understand what thermostats do but my question is do they make some that will shut off the UTH automatically and start it up when it gets too cool or is it a separate entity that you connect to the heater so that is will turn it off so it doesnt get too hot? What kind of thermostat do you use?

I use a lamp dimmer so you can control how much energy is going into the heat source. It never shuts off, just stays around one temp depending on where you set it. You can get them at Lowe's, Menards, Home Depot, I'm sure.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

I'm not clear on your cage dimensions, though. Do you have three hatchlings?? And what height are you planning on making this?Oh, and there really is no one source that would heat three enclosures, no to mention that cages that small would be impossible to regulate and have a temp gradient in. A clearer description of the cages would help. :)

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What I'm building is going to end up like three 20gl long tanks side by side. Granted the Rear, sides, and bottom of the tanks are going to be wood and the top and front of the cage is going to be plexiglass. At least thats the idea. It'll probably change a few times before I get the final plans down. Each enclosure wass going to be 12'' X 20'' but instead I'm thinking of doing each the size of a 20 gl long footprint. That would be 30'' X 12'' for each of the three enclosures.

With what you have described I would lean towards flexwatt. You could run one length of flexwatt along the bottom/back side and control all three enclosures with one T-stat.

Check out these sites:

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/products/index.html

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Flex-Watt-Heat-Tape

The Herpstats are expensive but well worth the money. You can however find cheaper T-Stats.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rije682

Thermostat? I understand what thermostats do but my question is do they make some that will shut off the UTH automatically and start it up when it gets too cool or is it a separate entity that you connect to the heater so that is will turn it off so it doesnt get too hot? What kind of thermostat do you use?

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That is exactly what it does.

I use a johnsons controls thermostat which is a bit pricey at $70. The cheapest one is $30 which is the reptitemp 500r.

To be clear, these are thermostats designed specifically for use with reptile enclosures.

what I did when I had built my 4x2x2 cages was made the base and then taped th flexwatt down then used that roll on bedliner paint to cover the flexwatt and he wood ( prevent/slows the rotting ofthe wood from wate spills and such) then I just laid my aspen over that I did use a dimmer contol( like from lowes ( but all 3 failed me I guess I was either unlucky or a bad batch.) I since use the ranco /johnson controls and they work great. no close ot cooknig the snakes since). I will forwarn you draw it out and check te measurement befoer you assemble cause ifoff just a little it a pain ot figure it out later . also make sure to count the 2x4 ( or whatever you use for framming) when you cut the dividers out.

Thanks for the help ya'll, I'm sure I'll be asking more questions in the comming weeks. Thanks again.

I've decided to go with the 11" flexwatt but when I did a seach to see how people installed it in their tanks I saw that some people had the flexwatt on the side of the tanks/tubs instead of on the bottom. From what I can see this would still provided the heat however the snake would no be sitting on the flexwatt. Anyone have any views on this?