Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I am building a cage for my RTB and this is my first snake and I was wondering what would be the best way to heat the cage and maintain the moisture the cage is going to be 4 foot long and 2 foot wide and 2 foot tall. I was hoping that some one would have a good suggestion about how to keep the humidity up with out having to mist it every couple of hours. For the heating I was going to use heat panels since out of all the research that I have done leads me to that being the best heat source but I am open to any other imput.

Jake

When building your cage, just make sure that you keep ventilation to a minimum. To keep humidity up, you have to reduce air exchange. Of course you still need to let some air get in your cage, but not very much. Most screen-topped cages are poor for holding moisture for that reason - too much airflow. Only small vent areas are needed to let in enough fresh air for your snake to be healthy.

Having heat lamps or ceramic heat emitters to heat a cage can cause a reduction in moisture as well, better to use heat pads, heat tape, or heat cable, which don't "bake" away moisture. Heat lamps and CHEs usually need ventilation anyway to avoid fire hazards, which make them very hard to use with high-humidity setups.

A cage that holds humidity well should only need to be misted once every day or every other day. Consider using a humid hide (a tupperware or other plastic box with a hole in the side to allow your snake to get in, with damp sphagnum moss inside). This will help your snake shed.
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Lauren Madar
www.ophidiagems.com
1.1 Hog Island Boas
1.1 Hypo BCI
0.1 Sorong-type GTP
1.0 Normal Ball Python
1.1 Surinam BCC

Radiant heat panels would probably be great for a cage that size .. just remember to use a thermostat as a backup. Post a photo when you're done!
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Lauren Madar
www.ophidiagems.com
1.1 Hog Island Boas
1.1 Hypo BCI
0.1 Sorong-type GTP
1.0 Normal Ball Python
1.1 Surinam BCC

Hey thank you for you imput I will start building it probably saterday so when it is down I will post a picture.