Thanks Chris,

I have actually found plate glass to be a great heat transfer and it has worked great for me in the past. In another forum I discussed about doing the sides and back in formica, it comes in a lot of different colors and textures and it cleans easy. Like I said it has been a long time since I kept snakes, but I never liked to use harsh chemicals in cleaning due to residue odors. If you are giving the snake the attention it deserves there isn't much that can't be cleaned up with warm water, or mild dish soap. When I change my substrate I may use a weak bleach solution but quickly follow up with warm water and dry rags.

As for the top, I am going to use a sliding panel, that will slide into a dado on the sides and back panels. I will leave the top as solid as possible with only enough screened section to clear the radiant panel or other heat emitting device. So one end will be heated from above with either a radiant panel or heat emitter, this will probably be the hot end, the other end will be heated by the UTH and will be the cooler end. Both will be controlled by seperate thermostats. Additional venting can be done by installing plastic louvered vents at the top of the back and or ends. I will post some pics when I get it built.

[ Show Entire Thread ]