Large racks for ball pythons?

[Bogertophis]

Flex Watt is simply rebranded floating floor heating film (made by Calorique, which is primarily a floor heat system manufacturer). Contrary to a lot of belief, it isn't a specialty product (though the widths marketed for reptile use are indeed special). I assume there are heated floors in Sweden (I'd guess even more so than in the US), so such products probably exist there in a width that would be suitable for that size tub. It might also be that there are some North American vendors of Flex Watt that would ship overseas.

A heat mat that is the appropriate size (about a third of the footprint of the tub, in a room where the ambient temp doesn't get too low) would indeed work. Individual heat mats are expensive, and the wiring is messier (more cords), but the thin film ones are exactly the same sort of material as Flex Watt and would work exactly the same.

Gosh, I've used Flexwatt for decades but I've never heard of "Calorique"- I wonder what year they came into the picture? My understanding was that Flexwatt was originally used in greenhouses to warm the roots of plants starting up, but it got "re-discovered" for reptile use, & that made the original source of Flexwatt nervous about their liability for safety with "off-label" uses of their product. (I'm wondering if that's when Calorique bought them out?) Anyway, I've never had any complaints or safety issues with Flexwatt- mine has held up ridiculously well for many (!) years.

As long as you install it as indicated, & don't cause any damage to it. (I had one piece fail after it accidentally got bent during a long distance move. That's the sort of thing you need to prevent- & also avoid overheating w/ proper installation.)


To the OP- A few thoughts. I would avoid the individual "heat mats" for the same reason as above- expensive & messy wiring.

Also, if the room/house is kept on the cool side, you might need to heat 1/2 or 2/3 of the tub floor for adequate warmth, since BPs need to be pretty warm to stay healthy, & also be able to thermoregulate (have options). I think what might work best for you is to have 2 separately-controlled continuous Flexwatt tapes running under each tub- in warmer weather, use only one as needed- or if both are needed even then, one could be set higher than the other so there is a good range of temperature: 1/3 unheated (essential for safety!), then 1/3 heated moderately (27-29* C. -middle of tub) & the last 1/3 being warmest (about 32* C.). Something to consider, anyway. And 2 thermostats w/ 2 tapes would be safer; t-stats can fail too- so make sure you buy a quality brand- it's worth if for safety & reliability in the long run. You'll have to test this out, obviously, before any snakes move in. You might also want one wide heat tape (middle?) and one narrow one for the warmest end?

There's more than one way to make a groove (low area) in wood for the Flexwatt to sit in so it's not damaged by abrasion (tubs sliding over it). Not everyone is handy with a router tool- though some places you can rent one (or borrow?). An alternative is to laminate pieces cut to fit on either side of the Flexwatt track location to achieve the same thing- just so the tubs don't slide directly on the Flexwatt.

- - - Updated - - -

Just to clarify, since a recommendation was made: Giovanni told me he and Paula sold Bean Farm about a year ago. So, same 'company' but different owners now. Might make a difference, might not.

Thanks- it's been a while since I've bought from them. I hope they stay as reliable as they always were. They carried good products.