Stackable cage heating question

[Mike.P]

I'm finally getting stackable cages! Yay! Decided to go with the ones form Repti-Racks. I have a question on heating though... No dedicated snake room yet, and the room they're in is typically around 72 degrees. I assumed that I would need radiant heat panels, as I need heat lamps for my current glass tanks. But after speaking to them on the phone about my order, and some of the custom things for it, he told me that I won't need RHP's, because their under cage heat pads will provide enough heat to warm up the air inside the cages as well, not just the bottom of the cage. The cages are 47 x 23 x 12. So not nearly as much air to heat as my current glass tanks. Plus, would obviously retain heat better.

So... Any thoughts? If I can avoid paying an additional five to six hundred dollars more for ten RHP's, I won't complain. But if I do need them, I won't hesitate to spend the money in order to make sure my snakes have the right environment.

Would appreciate any advice.

[Vypyrz]

I'm in the process of setting up some stackable PVC cages with belly heat as well, so I don't have a definite answer for you yet. I also have a dedicated room. But my initial thoughts about this type of set-up is that UTH/Flexwatt provides a warm basking spot, but has little to no effect on the ambient temps in tubs and tanks, so I assume that in a single PVC tank, the same would hold true. Now, for a stack of PVC cages, it stands to reason that the belly heat source for one tank should also warm the top of the tank below it, so, by my reasoning, it should at least somewhat affect the ambient temps on the warm end. Obviously not as drastic as a RHP would be, but it just seems that with all of the heat sources on one end, it would have to affect the ambient temps at least on that end. Hopefully someone with a definite answer will chime in...

[Exotic Ectotherms]

Since your cages will only be 12" tall I would think that you will be ok with just belly heat.

[Wh00h0069]

You will need a radiant heat panel (RHP) in each cage. If you were in a heated snake room, however, you could get away with belly heat.

[Mike.P]

Thank you. Guess I'll have to look into it a bit more. Maybe I'll call Pro Products today, see what they say as well.

[kitedemon]

I use a set (3) of PVCx cages in a room that in the winter (now) is usually under 68ºF I found that a hot side UTH works but it is not enough to get the ambient air temps up to where I am happy with them. It hits 74-6 but that is not really enough. I have a few solutions that are much less costly that RHPs.

The first is a second uth and T-stat per enclosure the second adds a correct surface temp to the system but also adds a few more degrees of heat to the air so 76 becomes 78-9 or so. It might require a bit extra insulation of the top of the enclosure.

The second was to install a 2 foot fluorescent light in the cage. It hits 94-6º on the shield over the tube and brings the ambient air temp up to 81 in a couple of hours. The problem is 12 on 12 off so it cools during the night, I found a blue LED string (directed towards the corner they are very bright) adds a few degrees too so when the 12 daylight hours are up the led kicks in and by the time the temps drops too much 78º the day cycle is about to start.

This is the two solutions I have used to be honest I have the second uth on 2 of the three but they almost never turn on. I have it as insurance for a very very cold night just in case.
I hope this helps.

[Mike.P]

Thanks Kite... That's a good thought. Are the snakes bothered by the lights when they kick on? I was thinking of having them add fluorescent lighting to the cages as well, for a day / night cycle. But they don't really care much for direct lighting, right?

lol... This whole idea was to make my life easier than the glass tanks. But now it almost seems it was easier to set up perfect husbandry in the tanks, than it will with these cages.

[kitedemon]

No they are quite easy to deal with. I don't really do much but check over t-stat and that is it I have not made a change to a t-stat in over a year temps are fully controlled. I can change ambient independent of surface temps or either surface temp alone. Nothing else offers that level of control.

The light I have set to kick on at 7-7. The snakes seem to completely ignore it all together. I have a few that every now and again at the 6-8 will have head out of the hide they don't seem to move when it comes on I don't get tons of refusals either in fact the best feeder (never skipped) is in one.