I need help with my boaphile setup

[K9handler]

I just received my boaphile PVC cage for my BP. I'm new to all this so bare with me. I ordered the cage to have a RHP and the flexwatt tape at the suggestion of boaphile. I was told that both can be controlled via the supplied thermostat via one probe. I have since read that is both unsafe and unnecessary to have both the flexwatt and the RHP. I just ordered a herpstat 1 and plan to only use one of the heating options. I live in southern california so I don't deal with crazy winters. Which heating method is the best and safest? Right now my little critter is in there using just the RHP plugged into the Ranco thermostat set to an 85 degree ambient temperature. Ive been running it since Thursday to get rid of that smell from the RHP, it still smells but not as bad.

I have read that some RHP's arent all that safe and I'm not sure all the safety features that the boaphile one includes. lastly If I just use the UTH flexwatt how will I tape the probe to the matt without making the PVC cage all wobbly and off centered? I was told it needed to rest directly on the desk or floor (its currently on a desk). Thanks for the help its much appreciated. This snake is my 6 year old so I would really like not to kill it.

[GoingPostal]

You want to run each heating source on its own probe and thermostat, I have flexwatt and RHP in most of my cages, the heat tape is only going to create a hot spot, not raise ambient. So if your room temps are warm enough you can run only the heat tape. If you need the entire tank heated the RHP will do that. Both are extremely safe methods of heating as long as they are controlled by a thermostat and are fine to be used together or separately. The probe isn't going to make your cage wobbly, you can't even notice but I would have it raised off the ground personally.

[dakski]

I have 13 Boaphile tanks and I run my hot side heat tape and RHP off the same thermostat. I cannot speak for other manufacturers setups, but Jeff (the Boaphile) and I discussed that I wanted both and set wattage accordingly to be run off the same thermostat. I have had zero issues in 2+ years with his tanks. In my 4X2' tanks I run all 3 heat sources - Two flex watt heat tapes and RHP off the same thermostat. Again, the wattage of the smaller heat tape on the cool side is less so they balance.

I probably could run all three on my 6X2' tanks as well but I use a separate thermostat for the cool side of those. They are stacked and I have them all on the same thermostat for the cool side.

Do I check temps religiously, yes, but again, zero issues in years.

If you want to run one heat source, run the RHP, as that heats the tank as well as creates a hotspot. The flex tape only heats what it touches.

I run redundant on/off thermostats I got from Jeff/Boaphile, but I cannot imagine it's different with another thermostat.

The RHP probe (and heat tape probe if you run them together) should be placed in the middle of the RHP halfway down the tank to the ground.

Having said all this, you can, of course, run each heat source off its own thermostat. There is nothing wrong with that. However, with 13 tanks, that would be a lot of thermostats to keep track of.

Of course, if all one species/requirements, you can run multiple tanks off one thermostat as well - at least the same heat source(s).

Finally, call Jeff if you have questions. He's been doing this longer than virtually anyone in the industry.

[K9handler]

Thank you for the replies, Its just hard sifting through the different "opinions." As far as the RHP it seems like there are several different manufacturers of them, are they all the same? Are some safer than others? Lastly, I have a bedding question. I started the PVC cage out with forrest floor that was dried out for a few days and it made my humidity high in the 80's and fogged up my cage. I now have aspen in there with a large water dish on the cold side and its hovering around 49-58 depending on the time of day. Any suggestions?

[CALM Pythons]

Thank you for the replies, Its just hard sifting through the different "opinions." As far as the RHP it seems like there are several different manufacturers of them, are they all the same? Are some safer than others? Lastly, I have a bedding question. I started the PVC cage out with forrest floor that was dried out for a few days and it made my humidity high in the 80's and fogged up my cage. I now have aspen in there with a large water dish on the cold side and its hovering around 49-58 depending on the time of day. Any suggestions?

I use Pro Panels myself. They do not Off Gas. Not sure what brand you have. You need to know the Wattage of the Panel though to make sure it can heat the enclosure by itself. If you have a 4’ or less enclosure you should be fine just running the RHP if your home is kept at a normal heat range.
If your home is normally below 65 you need the Heat tape also if you have a smaller panel, they have a hard time once the rooms/house is to cold. I had to upgrade my panels from 88 watt to 120 watts and 150 watt because I run central air and my 4’ enclosures are a bit larger in depth and hight than Boaphile.
I love Herpstats, you cant go wrong. You can see how I hang and come in with my Herpstat probes in the picture below. Your on the right track and it sounds like you have great products. Your going to have a happy snake... ohh and I use Butcher Paper no wood substrate. It smells like piss and is hard to clean imo. Also i do full cleans and its cheaper and easier to buy 1000’ rolls of paper for $60 than mess with wood chips and all the problems I’ve seen them cause. I hate bugs and wood mites get into wooden substrates, also I dont want any of my snakes swallowing anything as they eat..
Humidity I control easy with large 5qt bowls from Tractor Supply Company.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk