Belly heat is usually the most economical method of heating. For large snakes, it is not as effective if the room gets cold. Looks like where you live, that is not as much a problem, so belly heat could work for you.



If using belly heat, like Flexwatt under the AP cage, make sure you elevate the cage up a little for air, use a thermostat/controller and you will be fine. Proportional controllers are the best for belly heat, hands down, period, and keep your energy usage to a minimum. Also, use a thin layer of substrate if using belly heat.



Overhead heat is a great way to heat large areas and big snakes, and you certainly can go this route, as it is often alot easier to deploy in a big cage or wood cage. A ceramic heat emitter with a wire cage around it makes a great heater. With a proportional controller, you will reduce energy usage compared to an ON/OFF thermostat. Radiant heat panels are also great, and you do not need a wire cage around them. Red heat bulbs work well too. For plastic cages, radiant heat panels heat the cage top the least, so I advise that for AP cages.



If using bulbs, make sure to mount the bulb fixture on a metal outlet box. This helps to heat-sink the cage ceiling. ESU Reptile makes a Bi-Light fixture. You can mount it to the inside ceiling of the cage (use washers to space it so it doesn't touch the cage top directly), clip some screen across the opening, and you're good. You can use 2 bulbs with it, one for day and one for night if you get timers. Or use both with low-wattage bulbs (like 40 watts) and use one controller for both.
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Mark

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