Currently keep my snake in a 20 gal aquarium. It works and all, but to keep the ambient temps up I have to use heat lamps. They look ugly and the red glow is starting to annoy me.

I like to build and am pretty handy so I'm thinking of making a cage. Had a couple of questions.

As for size, I'm thinking 36" long, 12" wide, 12" high. Does that seem big enough to last? I want this to be a permanent solution.

What about heat. I'm thinking of getting a radiant heat panel for the top. Will this be enough to keep the ambient temps up? Temp in the room gets down around 68 in the winter. I really want to do away with heat lamps. Should I still provide belly heat? Any good ideas how? Maybe I make the bottom out of plexi.

I'd like to hear any tips from people who have built their own cages, what worked? What didn't work?