flexwatt heat.

[Evenstar]

That's COMPLETELY wrong! Not sure if you ever even had a RHP, but RHPs are made exactly to provide ambient heat for an enclosure.

OP: If you need to raise your ambient temp in you PVC enclosure, RHPs are a great way to go. Just make sure they're hooked up to a thermostat.

Pardon me. I DO have RHPs. And I use several. I also have talked about them extensively with Rich at Reptile Basics and the good folks at Pro Products. Please do a little more research on the subject and please do not assume or make such strident accusations. Your response is rude.

[Evenstar]

Mr Misha, I shouldn't have to do your research for you, but here is some basic information.

From Reptile Basics:

"RHP's are similar to Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHE) - they both project IR (infra red) heat into the cage. Unlike CHE's that get very, very hot on their surface, these RHP's maintain temperatures safe to use inside the cage. This Infrared Heat tends to heat objects more than the air, much like the natural sunlight outdoors. This type of heat mimics real sunlight both in the direction it comes from and its penetration into the muscle tissue. IR heat has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on sick and injured animals as well. Your reptiles will spend less time basking and receive a much greater benefit from it."

From ProProducts:
"Radiant Panels replicate the sun’s direct radiant warmth from above that reptiles have evolved with, allowing them to properly thermo-regulate...."

Notice they use the terms "IR heat" and "radiant heat". Radiant heat (which IS IR heat) is like the sun's rays - it heats the surface below. There IS some minimal heating of the enclosure. Of course there is. Any heat source is going to affect the overall internal temps of the enclosure due to the enclosed and insulated space. But an RHP does not work well to heat the ambient air temperature, it just doesn't heat that way. Personally, I LOVE my RHPs. They are fantastic and I would like to switch all of my boas over to them instead of belly heat. Maybe one day.

I'm not trying to be rude here, but frankly I do not appreciate being talked to like I'm wet behind the ears. I see you have 5 snakes in your signature. Not sure how long you've been keeping reptiles and snakes in general, but I've been maintaining them for nearly 20 years and have almost 40 snakes. Most of them are boas. I also use RHPs in all of my Green Tree Python enclosures. Sorry, but I've been around the block just a few times. I do kinda know what I'm talking about here.

[Mr. Misha]

Pardon me. I DO have RHPs. And I use several. I also have talked about them extensively with Rich at Reptile Basics and the good folks at Pro Products. Please do a little more research on the subject and please do not assume or make such strident accusations. Your response is rude.

If you've done your research, then you should know that RHPs are used to heat ambient air in enclosures.

My response is rude because I don't like when people speak about something they have no knowledge about and teach new members wrong information.

[Evenstar]

If you've done your research, then you should know that RHPs are used to heat ambient air in enclosures.

My response is rude because I don't like when people speak about something they have no knowledge about and teach new members wrong information.

And I do not do that. Ask anyone here about the kind of advice I give. You, sir, need to reconsider your approach.

See above. I showed you some research.

[Mr. Misha]

And I do not do that. Ask anyone here about the kind of advice I give. You, sir, need to reconsider your approach.

See above. I showed you some research.

Are you serious??? RHP are mostly used to heat ambient air. I don't understand how you don't get that after reading the information you provided for "my" education. Think about it! What to the sun rays do? They heat the air. Right?

[Evenstar]

I am done with you. Leave it alone.

[DooLittle]

If you've done your research, then you should know that RHPs are used to heat ambient air in enclosures.

My response is rude because I don't like when people speak about something they have no knowledge about and teach new members wrong information.

Wow.... perhaps you should check into a bit of Kali's posts. She is very knowledgeable. And very helpful. And someone I would 100% trust for sound advice. And there is no need for being rude.

[Gio]

If you've done your research, then you should know that RHPs are used to heat ambient air in enclosures.

My response is rude because I don't like when people speak about something they have no knowledge about and teach new members wrong information.

The last part of this is absolutely poor on your part. You admit you are rude, and on purpose.

Perhaps you should have brought your point up in a different manner.

I was tracking this and wanted to mention that my RHP's DO provide FULL heat to my enclosures. I have 2 cages that use Pro-Products heat panels and nothing else. So in a sense I agree they can, and in my case DO heat a cage fully. I'm also not a heating and cooling guru so I won't go into why or how as I'm not interested in that as long as they work for me.

Whatever "wrong" info you think Evenstar is giving out could have been questioned much differently. She and a few others here have more quality advice regarding boa constrictors than most others on this board. The majority, including yourself, unless you are not listing all of your animals, keep royals.

So instead of waltzing into this section of the forum with a less than friendly attitude, consider discussing the topic in a more mature manner.

I was actually going to mention to Kali that I am successful heating my cages with RHP's, and I'm certain her response would have been open and willing to discuss how or why. Then I saw your post, and frankly it pissed me off. There are other knowledgable members in the royal forum (Kitedemon) that agree with Kali and her view on RHP's, so she is not making things up.

There are a lot of variables with caging/heating. Not everything works for everybody and not everybody uses the same techniques to house their animals.

[Mr. Misha]

The last part of this is absolutely poor on your part. You admit you are rude, and on purpose.

Perhaps you should have brought your point up in a different manner.

I was tracking this and wanted to mention that my RHP's DO provide FULL heat to my enclosures. I have 2 cages that use Pro-Products heat panels and nothing else. So in a sense I agree they can, and in my case DO heat a cage fully. I'm also not a heating and cooling guru so I won't go into why or how as I'm not interested in that as long as they work for me.

Whatever "wrong" info you think Evenstar is giving out could have been questioned much differently. She and a few others here have more quality advice regarding boa constrictors than most others on this board. The majority, including yourself, unless you are not listing all of your animals, keep royals.

So instead of waltzing into this section of the forum with a less than friendly attitude, consider discussing the topic in a more mature manner.

I was actually going to mention to Kali that I am successful heating my cages with RHP's, and I'm certain her response would have been open and willing to discuss how or why. Then I saw your post, and frankly it pissed me off. There are other knowledgable members in the royal forum (Kitedemon) that agree with Kali and her view on RHP's, so she is not making things up.

There are a lot of variables with caging/heating. Not everything works for everybody and not everybody uses the same techniques to house their animals.

You're absolutely right I did come off very rude and I apologize to her for that.

However, my comments regarding the RHP still stand. I wasn't attacking her knowledge in boas, but she's doesn't have the proper understanding in how RHPs work.

This is what she originally wrote. Please tell me if this is correct:

" be aware that, like flexwatt, RHP's do NOT heat the ambient air temperature. They work using radiant heat which is directed downward and heats the surface immediately underneath the unit. So if your ambient temps are too low, an RHP will not help you - with or without flexwatt."

Then she proceeded in suggesting for the OP to get a space heater... So not only did she provide incorrect information, she suggested for the OP to buy unnecessary equipment.

Anyway, I again apologize for being rude and I apologize for hijacking OP's thread but the info Evenstar provided regarding RHPs is completely wrong.

[Eric Alan]

My worth:

The short version:

• "Radiant heat energy is emitted from a warm element, such as a floor, wall or overhead panel, and warms people and other objects in rooms rather than directly heating the air."

The long version:

• "Radiant panels heat a room through thermal radiation rather than convection. That is, a radiant heat panel transmits energy as photons in the infrared section of the electromagnetic spectrum. On the other hand, a furnace or boiler transmits energy via thermal excitation of air molecules. Although the example is unrealistic, a radiant heat panel could work in the vacuum of space where other heating systems would not. A radiant ceiling panel does very little to warm the air, but will warm any object in its direct line of sight. Radiant heat panels usually operate between 150 to 170 degrees F, but can go as low as 85 degrees F or as high as 300 degrees F. The ideal temperature is a function of the room size as well as the panel's surface area and wattage."