right size hides

[nighttrain_1991]

What size reptile basics hide would be appropriate for a juvi about 22" 150g and at approx what weight would you need to go up to next size? Should I just order the small and the medium and have them ready to go or would the medium be ok to get now and last for a while? I want to get everything ready for my new t8 so that when it gets it i'll have everything else ready to go.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Smalls. At 350-400 grams you can move up to mediums.

Mediums will be way too big. I would get both to save on shipping.

[nighttrain_1991]

Thanks. On your thread with the t-8 it doesn't look like you use rhps. How do you control ambients--do you just heat the room? I've been struggling like crazy with temps and want to make sure I have the right set up. I have emails out to pro products and animal plastics since they aren't open on the weekends. Just doesn't seem like one strip of heat tape in the middle would be enough to heat the whole enclosure. The ambient in my house ranges from about 65-72. I'm wondering if I should get the flexwatt on both sides so that half of each side is covered with the tape. I'm guessing this is like the 1000th+ you've been asked this stuff.

[Rob]

X2 buy all the sizes you will need. Saves on shipping and they aren't expensive, besides you know your going to need them anyway.

[Rob]

Thanks. On your thread with the t-8 it doesn't look like you use rhps. How do you control ambients--do you just heat the room? I've been struggling like crazy with temps and want to make sure I have the right set up. I have emails out to pro products and animal plastics since they aren't open on the weekends. Just doesn't seem like one strip of heat tape in the middle would be enough to heat the whole enclosure. The ambient in my house ranges from about 65-72. I'm wondering if I should get the flexwatt on both sides so that half of each side is covered with the tape. I'm guessing this is like the 1000th+ you've been asked this stuff.

The flexwatt won't effect your ambient temp. If you get your t8 with the fluorescents they will actually bring ambients up. I keep my house around 70 and my t8's ambient is 81-82.

[nighttrain_1991]

Thanks. Yeah I'll try to make one big order from reptile basics get as much as I can in one shot to save the shipping. Do you just use papertowel for the substrate then? It seems anything more than that and the uth can't even get the surface temps up. I have about 1/2" of aspen right now and when I had my uth regulated with a thermostat I couldn't even get the temps to 80. If I run it unregulated the temps get to 90 but the temp at the glass is like 150, so I currently don't use it at all just two ches. One of which just broke. Ok sorry for rambling. Really appreciate everyone's help on here. I just want to get the husbandry down pat without all the high maintenance so I can actually enjoy my bp lol

[Rob]

Yep I'm pretty basic. I use paper towels for substrate. I think it just makes everything easier for me.

sent from my Galaxy s3 using tapatalk2

[BPGuy]

Thanks. On your thread with the t-8 it doesn't look like you use rhps. How do you control ambients--do you just heat the room? I've been struggling like crazy with temps and want to make sure I have the right set up. I have emails out to pro products and animal plastics since they aren't open on the weekends. Just doesn't seem like one strip of heat tape in the middle would be enough to heat the whole enclosure. The ambient in my house ranges from about 65-72. I'm wondering if I should get the flexwatt on both sides so that half of each side is covered with the tape. I'm guessing this is like the 1000th+ you've been asked this stuff.

FWIW, I e-mailed Bob at Pro Products yesterday. The information I gave him is that I have two adult BPs and was thinking about putting them in a T8 with a divider. i told him that the room temperatures in my house are between 68 and 72 during the winter and between 78 and 82 in the summer. Here is the response Bob sent me:

For the cage you describe with the specifications given and a room temperature that can get down into the high 60's, I would recommend our Pro Heat model PH-102, 120 BTU/h, 35 watt, 10 1/2" x 12" radiant panel on each side of the cage. They will be able to create a variable basking area in the middle of the cage and a gradual gradient toward each outside end. The panels should be mounted to the inside top of the cage next to the divider. Our panels can be controlled with any brand of thermostat to create a desired temperature range. Pro Heat radiant panels are the only panels sold that can be mounted directly to the inside top of the cage against any surface without any risk of damaging the material or ever causing a fire.The cost of the model PH-102 is $79.95. S&H to the lower 48 is $12.95 for the 1st unit and $4.00 for each additional panel. We can drop ship these to panels to AP if you want them to install the panels.

I replied to Bob's e-mail and asked him whether he thought I also would need belly heat (Flexwatt) if I went with the RHP. I'll try to let you know what Bob says. I also know that Animal Plastics offered to install the RHPs for me; I just can't recall whether Ali said there is a charge for that. Sounds like you and I are in a very similar boat.

[nighttrain_1991]

Yes it does. Thanks a lot for all the info. Seems like you'd have the rhp directly over the flex watt. If your hot spot is in the middle of the tank wouldn't you need to put your hide there? So many variations and decisions. I'm starting to think it might be easier just to get a space heater and keep the whole room warm. Not thinking I want my office to be 80 degrees though. I'll be very interested to see what he has to say about the flexwatt. My only concern is if you don't have any belly heat how warm does it get inside the hide which is sheilding the surface from the heat of the rhp.

[BPGuy]

Yes it does. Thanks a lot for all the info. Seems like you'd have the rhp directly over the flex watt. If your hot spot is in the middle of the tank wouldn't you need to put your hide there? So many variations and decisions. I'm starting to think it might be easier just to get a space heater and keep the whole room warm. Not thinking I want my office to be 80 degrees though. I'll be very interested to see what he has to say about the flexwatt. My only concern is if you don't have any belly heat how warm does it get inside the hide which is sheilding the surface from the heat of the rhp.

I was thinking that one hide would go right next to the divider and under the RHP (this would be the hot side hide) and the other hide would go on the far side of the T8, near the exterior side wall (this would be the cool hide). You make a good point about how warm the hot hide would get if there is no belly heat, which is why I asked whether the Flexwatt would be necessary. I really wonder whether I could get away with just the Flexwatt and not the RHP. The problem is that if you start with just Flexwatt, adding the RHP later seems, IMHO, to be a real pain (a lot easier to have the folks at Animal Plastics install the RHP ). In any event, I'll let you know what Bob tells me.