So, im building a cage for my snakes. It's going to be 48Lx24Wx18H. Should I put the heat tape on the bottom of one side of the cage like most traditional cages ive seen are, or should I run the heat tape along the bottom of the back of the cage from end to end. If I do it the second way I could put a Hide in each back corner for the two snakes, and the water dish could be in the center towards the front of the cage.

If I do it the second way also plan on making the cage in a way where if I want to or I find it necessary to separate the snakes, or maybe use this cage in the future for a different reptile, I could slide something down the middle to create 2 separate cages of 24Lx24Wx18H.