Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need to build a couple hatchling racks. I don't want to deal with wiring heat tape. The Repti-Heat cable looks like it might be a lot easier if I put foil tape over it to make it smoother. I think the boxes should just glide over it fairly well. I'll need the 23 foot, 50 watt length for the size of the racks. Does anyone know if this puts out enough heat for balls? I've never built a rack. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot. Ryan.

I used it with a Vision Rack, although it may have been a different brand of cable. I like it.

If you can't router a groove for the cable to rest in I have another suggestion. When you build your racks have the gaps be about 3/16" wider than what you planned. Then find some 3/16" hardboard or other material and attach strips of it to the shelves. The heat cable can then wind inbetween these strips and the boxes will slide on the strips.

First thing, order the cable and then pick out a material that is slightly thicker. Then build your racks with the thickness of that material in mind.

I don't know if the specific product you mentioned will get hot enough for BP's.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

I do, Since I live in cold IL, I have that and flex watt on my 4ft long racks. I have the flex watt on the back wall of the rack. Then I have the cable going up and down on each side. I have the cable looped through those copper hook things for pipes that you can nail in. I also have a door on my rack, and the air temp in the front is 85 and in back 92. I can go hotter if I need to. Oh ya I also have the whole thing covered with that pink insulation on the outside. Its ugly but it works real well.
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
1.0 Amel Retic
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa

I too live in cold Illinois and I've used the heat cable in some racks that I built. It works okay but would work much better if it was backed by a reflective insulation medium like Reflectix. In my racks it barely worked to raise the temps. I think it may have given a very weak high 70's hot spot but not a hot spot in the high 80's that you'd need for most snakes.
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Matt Campbell

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir

Better late then never to respond I suppose but I use heat cord as well and so far I like it. I basically took my rack system design based around the idea of using heat cord because of the fact that flexwatt for me added to many obstacles and costs. I simply purchased a metal rack at home depot and wrapped the heat cord around the self, one thing about heat cord is the closer you wrap it the hotter it will get the looser the cooler it will get. My system is using a thermostat as well because heat cord gets hot, I recorded it at 110F. Right now mine is a steady 85, in the coolest room of the house. I have NOT however used the system in winter but because I use an external heat source to heat the room it shouldn’t be an issue.

Hope this helps.