Basement Set-ups

[ladywhipple02]

I have FINALLY moved into my new house and FINALLY have room to expand my collection out a bit, and FINALLY have some money to do so as well!

I am currently keeping my two BPs on the main floor of our house in a spare room with heat tape running on a VE-200 thermostat. The area is small so there's not a lot of room for growth, and I'd rather make it into an office (which I'm also in need of).

We DO have a fully finished 1800 square foot basement part of which is now my husband's obligatory man cave, and part of which will be my new reptile room. The only issue is that, while the basement remains a bit more humid than the rest of the house, it also stays quite a bit cooler - average temp has been around 66-67 degrees.

Most of my experience with scale kids has been in keeping them in tubs/rack systems, but I'm going to be moving away from that and getting PVC cages for the current animals, as well as a couple for future purchases. Not having a lot of experience with these cages, I'd like advice on keeping them in cooler conditions - will I need to purchase a fixture in the cage for a ceramic heater as well as belly heat? Would a radiant heat panel produce enough heat to keep temps where they need to be? The space is big and not partitioned off, so a space heater is probably out of the question.

Looking for thoughts from people that have conquered this?

[Godzilla78]

I have FINALLY moved into my new house and FINALLY have room to expand my collection out a bit, and FINALLY have some money to do so as well!

I am currently keeping my two BPs on the main floor of our house in a spare room with heat tape running on a VE-200 thermostat. The area is small so there's not a lot of room for growth, and I'd rather make it into an office (which I'm also in need of).

We DO have a fully finished 1800 square foot basement part of which is now my husband's obligatory man cave, and part of which will be my new reptile room. The only issue is that, while the basement remains a bit more humid than the rest of the house, it also stays quite a bit cooler - average temp has been around 66-67 degrees.

Most of my experience with scale kids has been in keeping them in tubs/rack systems, but I'm going to be moving away from that and getting PVC cages for the current animals, as well as a couple for future purchases. Not having a lot of experience with these cages, I'd like advice on keeping them in cooler conditions - will I need to purchase a fixture in the cage for a ceramic heater as well as belly heat? Would a radiant heat panel produce enough heat to keep temps where they need to be? The space is big and not partitioned off, so a space heater is probably out of the question.

Looking for thoughts from people that have conquered this?

Partitioning off the reptile “room” would be ideal. I would strongly consider constructing some basic, somewhat insulated walls, doesn’t have to be fancy.
Then you can use a space heater, or radiant heat panel, but either way you are going to waste a ton of electricity/heat to the ambient basement temps if you don’t partition off the area with insulated walls of some sort.
Could even just be large foam panels attached to floor and ceiling.


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[ckuhn003]

Following this thread because I'm in somewhat of the same position as you. I have PVC enclosure in a finished basement (600sq ft) but I have a wall mounted heating system that I've been running at 79 degrees to maintain the ambients. I'm fearful that once it gets colder outside, I may have to turn it up or worse yet it could stop functioning if it gets too cold outside. Do you have any means for heating the basement?

You mentioned an RHP..I've been told these work wonders for PVC enclosures. I've considered getting one but I was 'hopefully' saving it for a time when I need to upgrade my enclosure. I don't want to fuss w/ trying to install it now and messing w/ temps, etc.... This may be a good option for you. I would suggest calling BOB at Pro Products to discuss your options.

[dakski]

I too have a finished basement. It is heated and cooled (partially). In the winter it is a stable 68-70 (whatever I set it too), but I keep it around 69-70 most of the time.

I had some molded cages and it was difficult to maintain temps ideally.

I recently got a full Boaphile set up (5 tanks - stacked). One tank, for my Blue Tongue Skink, is 17.5 inches high, while the other four are 11.5 inches high. All have a 6'X2' footprint.

I am about to write a review (will post momentarily), but having 2X (as Jeff at Boaphile Plastics calls it) heat tape on the left side with a radiant heat panel and 1.5X heat tape on the right side, I am having zero issues maintaining proper temps and humidity. I am using his redundant/dual thermostats.

These tanks vent on the side (if you choose vents) and around the doors, so heat and humidity retention is phenomenal.

I imagine, but would ask Jeff Ronne at Boaphile, that you could easily maintain temps down to the 65-66 (although the tanks will work harder to maintain that I would guess).

I know others make similar tanks, but I do not have experience with those.

Bottom line is with the proper setup, you should be fine.

Good luck!

[ladywhipple02]

Thank you!

The basement is on the same thermostat as the rest of the house, but even if we keep the entire house at a steady 72 degrees, the basement is always going to be a few degrees cooler (and my husband, who runs hot, curses me for it being that warm). I might consider keeping them all in the office if I can talk him into it - but we're also planning on having children, and who knows how the spare room space will work out then lol

I appreciate the feedback!

[larryd23]

If your home has hydronic baseboard heating and your boiler is in your basement, the most economical solution might be to create a separate heating zone and install baseboard radiators around the perimeter of your snake room. I would also guess that it would be less expensive in the long run than electric heat.

[dakski]

I too have a finished basement. It is heated and cooled (partially). In the winter it is a stable 68-70 (whatever I set it too), but I keep it around 69-70 most of the time.

I had some molded cages and it was difficult to maintain temps ideally.

I recently got a full Boaphile set up (5 tanks - stacked). One tank, for my Blue Tongue Skink, is 17.5 inches high, while the other four are 11.5 inches high. All have a 6'X2' footprint.

I am about to write a review (will post momentarily), but having 2X (as Jeff at Boaphile Plastics calls it) heat tape on the left side with a radiant heat panel and 1.5X heat tape on the right side, I am having zero issues maintaining proper temps and humidity. I am using his redundant/dual thermostats.

These tanks vent on the side (if you choose vents) and around the doors, so heat and humidity retention is phenomenal.

I imagine, but would ask Jeff Ronne at Boaphile, that you could easily maintain temps down to the 65-66 (although the tanks will work harder to maintain that I would guess).

I know others make similar tanks, but I do not have experience with those.

Bottom line is with the proper setup, you should be fine.

Good luck!

UPDATE

Last night my in-laws came over for dinner. We hung out in the finished basement, where the Boaphile tanks/reptile area are.

My father in-law, did his "dad" thing and turned the heat down (without telling anybody) to 66.

When I went down this morning, I realized it was cold, and turned the heat back to 69. In the meantime, I checked the tanks, and they kept the temps. They were probably working harder, but good to know no one was worse for the wear, especially since I fed the snakes the day before and they are finishing digestion.