Large adult snake housing questions inside!

[Wh00h0069]

Yeah. Works best if it's not your room, though. Most people don't like sleeping in 80 degree temperatures.

You can, but space heaters increase your energy bill a lot. Mine in the winter was up over $100 each month to heat my snake room. I have since switched to RHP's, and it has gone down considerably. I keep them on a proportional thermostat, so they do not consume much energy.

To the OP, I use an 80 watt in my 4 foot cages. You may need to go a little larger. Your best bet is to call Rich at Reptile Basics about that.

[Slyther83]

You can, but space heaters increase your energy bill a lot. Mine in the winter was up over $100 each month to heat my snake room. I have since switched to RHP's, and it has gone down considerably. I keep them on a proportional thermostat, so they do not consume much energy.

To the OP, I use an 80 watt in my 4 foot cages. You may need to go a little larger. Your best bet is to call Rich at Reptile Basics about that.

You're right, it looks like the 80w is gonna be slightly underpowered for a 6 foot cage. I'll be going to the 120w RHP's instead.

[jason221]

You can, but space heaters increase your energy bill a lot. Mine in the winter was up over $100 each month to heat my snake room. I have since switched to RHP's, and it has gone down considerably. I keep them on a proportional thermostat, so they do not consume much energy.

To the OP, I use an 80 watt in my 4 foot cages. You may need to go a little larger. Your best bet is to call Rich at Reptile Basics about that.

Ah, I never even though about that. I don't actually use a space heater so I don't know how it affects the electric bill. Of course, it is still more practical to use a space heater or another method to heat the entire room than to buy 30+ RHPs for a large collection, right?

[Wh00h0069]

Ah, I never even though about that. I don't actually use a space heater so I don't know how it affects the electric bill. Of course, it is still more practical to use a space heater or another method to heat the entire room than to buy 30+ RHPs for a large collection, right?

I still think that it would be more cost effective in the long run to run 30 RHPs, because they would be on proportional thermostats. It would cost a lot to setup, but in the long run I believe it would pay off. I could be wrong though. It would be nice to know exactly how much it costs per month to run one RHP and how much it costs to run a space heater for a month. Then we could determine how many RHPs it would take to equal the amount of one space heater for a month.

[jason221]

Do you think a proportional thermostat is required for a RHP? I'm going to be needing a Boaphile soon. I have two Johnson thermostats already. They are on/off but they've been very consistent for my Flexwatt. However, RHPs are obviously different than Flexwatt. My room averages 70-72 during the day and 68-70 at night.

[mainbutter]

Thanks for the info guys- I'm gonna check out Animal Plastics as well.

Do you think a radian heat panel inside them would be necessary to supplement the flexwatt ? The room my snakes are in is generally 72-73 degrees.

It depends on your desired temps, and cage volume.

All the animals I have in large APs (4x2x2) get cooled in the winter, so I have no need for RHPs. There is no way that flexwatt would get a 4x2x2 up to "summer temps" with my cooler room temps in winter.

I have no experience with RHPs, but I'd bet that you'd be able to fully supply all needed heating with them. They provide a large basking spot and are known for raising ambient temps nicely. Talk to whoever you purchase a cage from for wattage suggestions.

[Wh00h0069]

Do you think a proportional thermostat is required for a RHP? I'm going to be needing a Boaphile soon. I have two Johnson thermostats already. They are on/off but they've been very consistent for my Flexwatt. However, RHPs are obviously different than Flexwatt. My room averages 70-72 during the day and 68-70 at night.

You would not have to, but I do suggest using proportional to save on the electric bill. With an on/off type, the RHP will be on 100%, then off 100%. It may take a while to heat back up each time, and kick on and off often. Although the proportional is on all the time, it is on a very low percent.