Building a new cage. Heating?

[Soterios]

I local cage builder is making me a new cage(s) for my bp's. It will essentially be a wooden cage with two separated 2x2 cages.

The question is: What heating element should I use. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put a lamp in to heat one side, but I thought I'd get the opinions of some other keepers.

Thanks in advance,
Paul

PS. I've read the heating threads, just curious about this specific application.

[Lucas339]

pro products radiant heat pannel. i have a 2X2X2 pvc cage and the pannel rocks!!

[Wh00h0069]

I suggest either radiant heat panels or flexwatt heat tape. Radiant heat panels would be better if the ambient temp in your room is low, and flexwatt if your room it is high.

[boasandballs]

I took one of those radiant heat panels apart once and all they are is heat tape with insulation on the back. So I made my own heat panels with heat tape and the foam board insulation you can get at home depo. Light bulbs burn out fast. So I would go with heat tape.

[Soterios]

I keep this room between 80-85 degrees.

Those suggesting the tape. What would your idea be for placement? The bottom of the cages are pretty damn thick.

[Lucas339]

I took one of those radiant heat panels apart once and all they are is heat tape with insulation on the back. So I made my own heat panels with heat tape and the foam board insulation you can get at home depo. Light bulbs burn out fast. So I would go with heat tape.

pro products heat pannels are actually nickel chromium wire on the inside. nothing at all like flex watt. if you made a heat pannel out of flex watt it will burn up....i have seen it more than once!! i would rethink that idea fast!!

[suzuki4life]

I keep this room between 80-85 degrees.

Those suggesting the tape. What would your idea be for placement? The bottom of the cages are pretty damn thick.

if your room is kept that hot, you don't need additional heat at all.

[Argentra]

Ditch the lamp and use flexwatt or a UTH on the warm side. Drill some air vent holes under the spot where you want the heat, place the pad Inside the cage before it's completed, and cover with vinyl flooring, plexiglass, or tile. That becomes the floor of the cage and the holes underneath also serve as a spot to place the thermostat probe.

That's what I plan to do with the 4 stackable cages I'll be building this summer, and I did something similar with my corn snake enclosure system already.

And since your room is that warm, you don't need additional heat at all for the cool side.

[chapskis1]

That's pretty much what I did with my cage -- the plexiglass and heat tape. Except I just made the floor out of plexiglass, and I drilled a hole in the middle of it to put the thermometer probes.

You can check it out on here -- I posted a thread earlier today.

Chapskis

[Soterios]

Ya, I thought about the second floor thing, I was just worried about the permanence of it. Did you just place it under the panel or actually tack it down?