As with my current set ups, I use 17 inch flexwatt, and on this one, the top 6 tubs will have a strip and the bottom 4 tubs will have there own. I keep the lower ones off completely during the late spring through fall when I am cooling my animals down and I keep my males and rubber boas in those lower ones. In the early spring when my house is still 70 during the day or 65 at night, I turn the heat on super low to get a 78 degree warm spot but it still goes off completely at night.

The heat on the top cages is for my females or animals that don't mind it a little warmer. My house is kept at a constant 74 degrees and those cages are 82-84 in the hot spot and 75 in the cool spot. I have heard of people talking about heat accumulation in higher cages, but I have been using 17 inch flexwatt for back heat on dimmers or thermostats for about 4 years now and have seen no problem with this.

Also, Since my mother makes the side paneling for me out of pvc (she owns a sign shop), I always have her make a clean cut between the top heat and bottom heat so that I can remove the side panels from the bottom shelves if I decide to and allow more air flow, but I have yet to see a need to do so.

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