I got my Animal Plastics cage. Now what?

[Moshimaru]

I got my AP cage and put it together on Saturday. I followed directions and then added the sealant silicone that came with it to the corners. The instructions on the sealant said it would take 2-6 days to completely dry. So I will not put him in until Saturday, just to be safe.

I got a radiant heat panel installed. I remember reading something somewhere about not using the on/off thermostats, but using a dimmer thermostat, instead. I plan to get a dimmer, but I don't have one yet. Can I use my on/off thermostat until I purchase the dimmer, or is there something wrong with doing that?

I got flexwatt belly heat too. Nothing in the instructions said anything about making sure that the cage was elevated. It's probably not safe to leave the flexwatt sandwiched between the wooden table and the cage, right? Should I at least put rubber pads to lift it a little? In that same vein, do I even need to use the flexwatt if I have the RHP? I know snakes digest from warmth on their belly, but others have said both are not necessary. I would rather not use it if I don't need it.

Lastly, does anyone have any feeding techniques (frozen) for a front door cage? I only have experience with the fish tank top feeder. I'm nervous it will be easier for him to get out while I'm trying to feed him, now.

I am excited that he is moving to his new enclosure, but I just have so many questions about it!

[paroxysm]

i don't know about the radiant heat panels but for the flexwatt, if you choose to use it, my AP T8 cage came with an indented space on the bottom where the heat pad and probe could fit nicely. do you have that?? i have mine directly on a wooden table and no issues so far.
as for feeding, i personally feed mine in a different enclosure (container) just because he makes a mess sometimes (i have to brain my rodents for him). but i would imagine that you would just open the glass door opposite to the side he is on so he could strike diagonally almost, if that makes sense. after he strikes just close the glass, you shouldn't worry about him escaping.
good luck!

[BR8080]

Congratulations on your AP enclosure - you got one of the best "PVC" enclosures on the market.

I can speak to the RHP as I use 6 of them; "on/off" thermostats are fine but "ramping or dimming" are a better option as they gradually increase the power to the RHP and provide a more even heat - instead of full on then cooling down then full on (you get the idea). You may not even need the flexwatt - try without it first. I hang my probe from the middle vents in the rear about 2-3" above the substrate on the "cool" side and dial in the stat that way. I use Herpstat to control mine and have absolutely no issues. (Side note - if you have a Reptile Basics RHP I've heard people say they need to off gas or cycle them before using with their animals - As I said I've heard this, I do not have any RB RHP's - I only use Pro Products RHP's)

Feeding is a breeze - I used to feed in a separate tub but that became a real PITA with 6 snakes - it also led to me getting tagged 3 different occasions moving the snakes with the scent of feeders in the air - and yes, they can smell it even if they're in another room. Since feeding in their enclosure, no more bites!!! Just thaw your feeder, hot air or water whatever your procedure is, open the door and hold it with the tongs...no worries. If you've got a really aggressive feeder, open the opposite door to give yourself a bit more room. You should be just fine.

Good luck!!!!

[L.West]

I have all AP cages too and I only run RHP's in mine. My room temp stays 74-75 degrees year round though. Never had any temp issues.

As for feeding - I have the glass sliding doors on my cages and it makes feeding very easy. Just open the opposite side that they are sitting on - use tongs to offer and its done. No threat of escaping.

Best of luck to you. I know you will love your AP cage - I have six and am very happy with them.

[Moshimaru]

Thank you, everyone! This is all great information!

paroxycm, the instructions said that there should be a spot to put the flexwatt on the bottom of the cage, but there is nothing on the bottom! I got the T10, but that is the same as the T8, except that it is a little bit taller. Maybe they stopped doing that and forgot to take it off the instructions? I feed him in cage, so I will try my luck, and see how it goes! <Imagining myself holding a piece of cardboard below the tongs in the open space looking like an idiot >

BR8080, I have a ProProducts RHP as well. I will use the on off themostat for now, but I definitely think the ramping and dimming therm would seem more natural for them. I am also going to leave the flexwatt off for now, and see how he does with digestion, etc, and also if the enclosure stays warm enough. He currently has a special corner where I always dangle his food. He looks to that corner when he's hungry, actually! Thanks for the info on the probe, too!

L.West, I also have the sliding glass doors. I'm just going to have to try it. He loves to eat, but often looks beyond the rat to the feeding person, possibly seeing body heat coming off of a human, and gets confused. No one has been tagged by him yet, but he is quite derpy about where the rat is, sometimes.

[ckuhn003]

BR8080, I have a ProProducts RHP as well. I will use the on off themostat for now, but I definitely think the ramping and dimming therm would seem more natural for them. I am also going to leave the flexwatt off for now, and see how he does with digestion, etc, and also if the enclosure stays warm enough. He currently has a special corner where I always dangle his food. He looks to that corner when he's hungry, actually! Thanks for the info on the probe, too!

As someone who just started using a ProProducts RHP in an AP T10 this week, I would strongly advise taking your time in recording temps in all areas of the enclosure. You may also want to experiment with the TSTAT probe on both the cool and RHP side and see what works best. I was convinced the the cool side was the way to go until I started to get some extreme fluctuations on the hot side. I think this was due to moving my enclosures closer to a wall mounted heating unit so I switched the probe to under the RHP and it's working much better now. Good luck!

[CALM Pythons]

Congrats. Your going to love it. What size AP did you get? What watt Pro Panel?
I put my Probe on the Hot Side 1/2 way in-between enclosure floor and ceiling. My home temps can get cool (65-68) at night so i CAN NOT put the probe on the cool side or it will run so hard to keep the cool side at 80 that the Hotside will get over 96 degrees. I only recommend to people putting the probe on the Hot side because of this. That way if you set the TStat to 90 and the probe is right under the RHP half way to the enclosure floor the panel will not get that area hotter than the set temp.
As far as feeding... if you have been feeding this Ball from above, this is actually easier. The snake will not come flying out hahaha its not a Cobra..I have Burms too and i just make sure to open the doors just enough to allow the Tongs and Rodent in...
Basically all my snakes eat from their Hides anyway so I’m only careful with Large constrictors as the balls just pop their heads out of the hides and strike.
Your Tstat is ok for now. Save for a Herpstat 2. Id never get a Herpstat 1 as if you ever want to run the RHP for 78-80 ambient and Heat tape for Hotspot then you can run the RHP and Heat tape off the Herpstat 2 .
Ohhhh and the spot under the AP ENCLOSURES for heat tape are on the right side only and its only a recess for the Tstat Probe to be sandwiched under the Heat tape.


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[ckuhn003]

I put my Probe on the Hot Side 1/2 way in-between enclosure floor and ceiling. My home temps can get cool (65-68) at night so i CAN NOT put the probe on the cool side or it will run so hard to keep the cool side at 80 that the Hotside will get over 96 degrees.

This is what I was seeing when the probe was on the cool side. Once the probe is on the hot side, do you see the need for TSTAT adjustments when your home temps change?

[ryknoll3]

Congrats. Your going to love it. What size AP did you get? What watt Pro Panel?
I put my Probe on the Hot Side 1/2 way in-between enclosure floor and ceiling. My home temps can get cool (65-68) at night so i CAN NOT put the probe on the cool side or it will run so hard to keep the cool side at 80 that the Hotside will get over 96 degrees. I only recommend to people putting the probe on the Hot side because of this. That way if you set the TStat to 90 and the probe is right under the RHP half way to the enclosure floor the panel will not get that area hotter than the set temp.

When your house is that cool, what do your cool side temps measure with your thermostat probe set up like you describe? I'm going to get an AP cage and was planning to run RHP for heat. My house gets to similar temps in the winter and wanted to make sure I had enough heat for proper cool side ambients.

[CALM Pythons]

When your house is that cool, what do your cool side temps measure with your thermostat probe set up like you describe? I'm going to get an AP cage and was planning to run RHP for heat. My house gets to similar temps in the winter and wanted to make sure I had enough heat for proper cool side ambients.

2 years ago it was -15 in NY.. my enclosure dropped to 76.5 on the cool side however my Hot side stayed 90 and they all just go to the Hot Hide when they need it.
90% of the time they stay in the cool hide (80) unless they ate a big meal.
The size enclosure matters a lot and the size RHP.
My 8’ enclosure has 2 panels. One small panel for cool ambient and a Large 200 watt on the Hotside.
All my 4’x2’x2’ have 150 watt panels even though 120 would have worked. Id rather have the extra if i need it and Herpstats have a Power output so i can run them at 80% power if they are over kill.


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