Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For years I have used the older style Exoterra Heat Wave pads under Vision and Barrs cages and they were perfect with zero problems. I control them with the Zoo Med rheostats and when set on "low" I had no problem getting a steady, consistant temp of 90-92 degrees basking spot for my boas and pythons.

Just got a new baby Peru BCC and Barrs cage for her and had to buy one of the new style Exoterra pads. They now come in either a rainforest version or desert version. Tried the rainforest one first and could not get a temp gun reading above 84 with the rheo highest setting. I did find that the center of the pad sustained a small burn mark and melted plastic. Not good as the Exoterras are not known for burning up. So I bought a desert one to obtain more heat. No burn out with the desert but I am only getting 88-89 out of it.

Any thoughts or experience on this would be appreciated. Has Exoterra designed their new pads so low as to make them useless? I can't imagine these new pads working at all under a thicker Vision cage. I keep consistent room temps in my snake room and during winter it is always a few degrees cooler so I adjust the rheos accordingly. Any suggestions for another commercial UTH that may work better? Thanks-Bill.
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

For the Visions, you will likely have better results under your ambient conditions with the 11-inch wide 20 Watts/ft Flexwatt product. It has a bit more heat output per square inch than the mylar heat pads.

I struggle with trying to keep a boa in an unheated room during the colder months. The approach that works best for me is using a radiant heat panel (RHP). Those are fantastic for heating larger snakes. I still use a heat pad on one end of the cage opposite the RHP because the floor would be too cold over on that side. I just heat it to 80 deg or so. The RHP is the basking spot, and boy do they work nicely. Alot easier to work with too.
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Mark

Thanks for the good suggestions Mark. During the spring, summer, and fall the ambinet snake room temps are 72-76. During the Pennsylvania winter the room temps are 65. Never had a problem with the old, higher capacity pads-just would adjust them up. I have always been intrigued with the RHP and hear they are the best source of heat. What size and brand do you recommend in your experience? Can the RHP be used with a rheo and closely monitored or do they require a thermostat? Thank you very much for your help. Bill.
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

For the absolute best heat panel for your specific application go to pro-products.com You will have to contact them to figure out what you need. You may notice that not one specific size/wattage panel is listed on their site. That's because they will ask all about your cage/animal/temps/room temps etc. to get the right panel for your application.

I have 24 of them in three different sizes. 2 in small melamine cages for breeding BRBB's, 6 in large melamine cages for breeding BCI's and 16 in oak cages for breeding BRB's. Different requirements for the species and bought at different times. Each time they worked with me to figure out the best solution for my application.

My snakes are thriving with them. Soft, gentle overhead heat just like the sun. The "basking spot" is truly a basking spot where their darker backs are absorbing the radiated heat. And yeah, the floor underneath gets warm as well.

For myself, a good quality proportional thermostat is the BEST way to go. No need to tweak rheostat(s) as temps change and no worry that a warm day temp spike will cause a temp spike in the cage. I love the Herpstat PRO T-stats. Four seperate channels with built in night drop capability. It's like four T-stats in one package. I litterally have one herpstat pro controlling...
1 - RHP's in a pair of cages (BRB)
2 - Flexwatt under a pair of tubs (BRB)
3 - Heat cable in two racks (BRB)
4 - Flexwatt in a 30 slot hatchling rack. (BRB or BCI depending on current needs)
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count (05/26/2009):
36.51 BRB
29.42 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I agree with what Dave said. I have a few Pro-Products panels going on around 8 yrs now. Great products. However, experience with RHPs has enabled me to get whatever RHP and it works.

My last two panels I purchased from the Bean Farm. The 40-watt 11x11 size radiant heat panels.

I ordered them because I just wanted a heat panel, soon, without having to bounce emails back and forth. Conditions change, I don't need a panel fine-tuned to my cage at a given point in time. If I have a 3ft x 2ft x 1ft high cage, then a 40watt 11x11 panel is great. If I have a 4ft x 2ft x 1ft high cage, then the 11x11 panel is fine much of the year except Nov-Feb, and then I wish I had an 11x17 for those colder months. That is when I add a heat pad.

All in all, RHPs are effective heaters for larger-bodied reptiles. The panels direct heat downward and penetrate objects, just like the sun does. It can warm up a boa from the top down like a heat pad does from the bottom up. Results are the same. Gradiant is better with an RHP.

For your heat pad question, you will have to use the 20 watt/ft Flexwatt or else insulate around the cage. Otherwise, an RHP may be your better solution for a hefty snake like a boa.
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Mark

NP
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.