Quote Originally Posted by Isis View Post
I never thought about back heat. I'm not well versed on it. I understand it's good for ambient, and that snakes don't necessarily need belly heat, but there's just something in my head that forces me to think they need belly heat

I don't know it would be enough to tape along the edges, eventually you would think the tape would wear down or rub off?
Back heat is good because the only part of the tub that actually touches is the rim around the top of the tub. It is definitely easier to trust belly heat for obvious reasons, but I am having great success with back heat so far. As far as the tape over the metal edges, this is where the shock will be coming from. If you cover the exposed areas it will close the circuit. What do you have on the edge of the heat tape that is opposite of the end with the clips? And yes I would check the heat tape from time to time for wear. I would actually tape it straight to the shelf also. Electrical tape is pretty easy to work with. 14 hour shifts good luck with that