Chicken coop heater in snake enclosure?

So I'm in the process of building my own enclosures and got kinda stuck on heating... VE RHP's are out of my budget at the moment. Since I know it's going to be suggested, so are DHP's (OK the bulbs themselves aren't... The dimming thermostats to keep them from burning out quickly are, the ones I have in mind are analog (simple on/off) which would cause DHP's to burn out rather quickly). My current solution was to add 2x CHE's internally to each enclosure with a wire mesh installed to keep the snake from coming into direct contact with it (Which would work... But would make changing bulbs a PITA)



A post on reddit from a guy in Germany who couldn't get VE heat panels linked a chicken coop panel and it got me thinking... So I checked amazon, and sure enough there's a 200w chicken coop heater for ~ half the price of an 80w VE panel. I could easily build a mounting system for it (PVC for the walls, screen for the face) to keep the snake from coming into direct contact or hitting the power button. Assuming I used it with a thermostat (since 200w is way too powerful), would this work? Does anyone see any glaring issues as to why I shouldn't do this?

You would need a dimming thermostat for that as well. Operational temp of 130 degrees and 200 watts? You'd be baking anything in there every time it turned on. If you can't afford proper heating and thermostats, how are you going to afford snakes or their care? Heating and thermostats are not the place to cheap out on when it comes to reptiles. CHE's would suck your humidity out and cause you constant issues with that.

Gotcha, so just make sure to add a rheostat turned down to at or below half between the thermostat and the RHP. I can make my own rheostat for a few bucks, so that's still cheaper than a name brand RHP, I'll take it.

If you have a TSC (tractor supply store) near you, they have the panels in the clearance section. The panels can be screw mounted or free standing (they come with feet). My kids use them for the brooder. The newer ones have a built in thermostat set at 97 ish IIRC.

They can work but wouldn't heat tape be cheaper?

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by 303_enfield

If you have a TSC (tractor supply store) near you, they have the panels in the clearance section. The panels can be screw mounted or free standing (they come with feet). My kids use them for the brooder. The newer ones have a built in thermostat set at 97 ish IIRC.

They can work but wouldn't heat tape be cheaper?

Good luck!

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Thank you! I'll have to check that out, the one I was looking at does't have screw mounts so I'd have to set up a whole rig with PVC to hold it in place... If I can find one with screw mounts that'd be even better!

Heat tape would definitely be cheaper but unfortunately I don't think it'd work for me. That was my original plan actually, but everyone keeps telling me they do absolutely nothing for ambient temperature... And since the room I'm keeping the snakes in will get down to the 60's in winter, having a stronger heat source capable of affecting ambient temps will be necessary or their cool side is going to get way too cool :(

E- I actually found the exact same model I was looking at on Amazon for a few bucks cheaper and the nearest store is like 6 miles away. I'll have to swing out there and see if they have anything like this on clearance, that'd be awesome :D

Depending on the number of animals being kept it may be easier to just heat the room. You’re honestly going to run into a lot of issues trying to retrofit a piece of farm equipment to suit a tropical species kept in a box, not to mention the increased chance of fire hazard using that item for a non intended purpose.


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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Depending on the number of animals being kept it may be easier to just heat the room. You’re honestly going to run into a lot of issues trying to retrofit a piece of farm equipment to suit a tropical species kept in a box, not to mention the increased chance of fire hazard using that item for a non intended purpose.


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I'd only be keeping 2 for now, but if my collection grows it's something I'll look in to. It'd definitely be a lot easier, and hardware would be cheaper, (would just be able to use flexwatt) but right now it just wouldn't be cost efficient to heat an entire room for 2 snakes :( I won't even have the 2 til next month probably tho, going to pick some up at a reptile show but wanted to get enclosures for them both squared away first rather than wasting money on a cheap setup I'd be getting rid of almost immediately.

And yeah I'm aware of the risks, and would definitely test run everything before actually putting any animals in (Let it run all set up for a few days and check temps everywhere & frequently, make sure nothing is getting to hot or smells funny) but honestly little projects like this are half the fun. Plus I end up learning a lot in the process, and knowledge is power. The more I read up about this product the more I like it tho - Apparently it has a built in thermostat and a low setting, which reading reviews on TSC the low setting cuts off around 105ºF, so I might not even need the rheostat. I'd definitely still use the thermostat with it for obvious reasons, and designing the compartment is going to take some trial to make sure it stays snug in place but doesn't overheat, but like I said that's half the fun :P

I agree that DIY type projects are a lot of fun. But I’d be very careful doing so with electrical equipment. Also it’s very important to find out what that built in thermostat does in the event that it fails. Does it go wide open full power, or does it turn off completely?

This is why we often stress the importance of quality thermostats and proper heating elements for the job. Sure the on/off lower cost thermostats on Amazon can do the job (I have one for backup purposes). But when they fail they stop regulating power to your heat source and can quickly burn, cause neurological damage, or even kill your animals.

Not trying to be a fear monger, just hoping to shed light on why it’s best not to skimp on these sorts of supplies. Yes, they’re expensive up front. But the good stuff comes with plenty of safety features, warrantied parts/services, etc. These animals can live upwards of 15-20+ yrs, so in the long run you’re likely to save money going with tried and true supplies.

Example: I just spent $260 on two 100watt RHP from Pro Products. Big chunk of change up front. But they’re under warranty for 10yrs. $26/yr or $2.17 per month over the warranty period. Well worth it in my opinion. Same goes for quality thermostats. I use Herpstat and love them. VE thermostats are also said to be great but I’ve never used them.

Moral of the story, be sure to thoroughly research your husbandry equipment. Your animals would thank you if they could. Best of luck.


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