Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm considering purchasing one of the ProProducts ProHeat panels - the problem is that I can't figure how to mount it with the light shroud in the way.

Any advice?

Thanks,
- Mark

Mark-

I have not used the Pro Products ones, but have used the Habitat Systems ones in 6' Visons. I LOVE them!! I currently have them waiting in a box for the return of my snake collection (had to sell all snakes and cages due to living situation), but will use them again when I get new Visions (and some more snakes ! I found the heat distribution to be real nice and even. I actually taped up the vent holes on the cage, and mounted these into the ceiling of the cage. Enough air flow got through the space between the doors, and my opening the cage, yet with the heat panel installed, my heat and humidity were great! I live in AZ where humidity is a huge problem. Hope this helps!

Brian

>>I'm considering purchasing one of the ProProducts ProHeat panels - the problem is that I can't figure how to mount it with the light shroud in the way.
>>
>>Any advice?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>- Mark

I'm also thinking about buying some heat panels from pro products and the guy recommended a 12"x24" one for my vision 422(4') The only place it would fit is on the side of the cage without the heat shroud but even there, there is no place where it could be completley flat. Is that a problem? Or is it ok for it to not be flat?

Cito –

No, the 12” x 24” heat panel will not fit properly in your 48” model 422 Vision cage. But Bob at Pro products usually knows his stuff. Perhaps because you have been posting in three different forums here about heating your SIX foot Vision cage, is it possible there might have been some confusion in communication with him on the phone? That size panel would fit in the 72” x 36” Vision cage I believe you have.

Describe to Bob exactly what your situation is, your cage model, the temperature you want to achieve, and the actual range of ambient temperatures in the room where your cage will be installed. Make sure if the cage is going on the floor against an uninsulated exterior wall that you measure the temperatures there, not at head level next to the interior door, for instance. And bear in mind that a cage or stack of cages against an outside wall is going to trap that cold air behind them. In the depths of a cold winter, there will occasionally be spots that measure in the high 50’s on the floor behind my cages, whereas the rest of the room is in the high 70’s. Just plan for the worst case scenario when sizing your heat panels.

You would install the panel on the right side of your 4 foot cage and on the left side on your 6 foot cage. The backs of the panel are metal so, no, it doesn’t matter that there is a depression in the surface of the ceiling (that groove that runs from front to back). The panel will still be snugged up “flat” enough against the ceiling, even with the damn bowing that the bigger Vision cages are prone to.

-Joan

>>I'm also thinking about buying some heat panels from pro products and the guy recommended a 12"x24" one for my vision 422(4') The only place it would fit is on the side of the cage without the heat shroud but even there, there is no place where it could be completley flat. Is that a problem? Or is it ok for it to not be flat?

I dont have a 6 foot vision and I havent been posting about a 6 foot vision in any of the forums, that was some one else with the same question. I emailed Bob with the same question I asked here about it being ok for the panel to not be flat on my 4 foot vision and he said it was ok for it to not be flat agaisnt the top. What is your opinion on why it would not work?

“What is your opinion on why it would not work?”

Cito –

The reason I said “No, the 12” x 24” heat panel will not fit properly in your 48” model 422 Vision cage” is because it would not fit properly in any of the #422 Visions which I own. I measure a CLEAR space on the right hand side of the ceiling of 20” x 22” MAXIMUM. It will not fit!!

Sorry about my confusion about you also having or intending to get a 6 foot cage, too.

It just seems logical that the heated end of the cage should be the end that is also lighted (wouldn't that just make sense to the snake too...?).

Hey – Logic doesn’t have much to do with it. Somebody produced the cage that way. Maybe he lived in southern California where it doesn’t get bitterly cold, didn’t have much experience with large pythons and didn’t exactly think it through before he designed the mold. So we either deal with it, buy a different manufacturer’s product, or build our own cages.

You put your heat panel on the left hand side of the cage. If YOU want light (after all, your retic would prefer the security of darkness), stick a small fluorescent fixture or low wattage incandescent in that light shroud. If you insist on all the heat emanating from the right hand side of the cage, then I’d suggest you go with UTH’s, perhaps a product like the Kane heat mat. Good luck.

-Joan

>>It just seems logical that the heated end of the cage should be the end that is also lighted (wouldn't that just make sense to the snake too...?).

I know a good many people with visions do this. Just cut the shroud off flush with the ceiling, and mount the panel on that side. If you need light, mount a small flourescent fixture ( like a under the cabinet type fixture, or like a ESU slimline ) Either that, or order visions without the shroud