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I have four 40" x 24" x 16" (LxDxH) melamine enclosures I've built. I need to heat them for Ball Pythons. So one side has to be about 85-90 degrees. Will heat tape be enough inside the enclosure with a thin sheet of plexi over it and thermostat or will I need a ceramic bulb fixture mounted to the ceiling? If I use the ceramic bulb what should I use to cover it up so the BPs dont wrap around it?

Thanks
Rick

Here it is in process:

another pic

Hi Rick,

That looks very nice. Why did you not provide a lower lip in addition to the upper lip? Even a relatively small lip will keep feces/urates and water spills out of the track.

Just curious, not a criticism or anything.

You could use heat tape on the floor but I would not use acrylic. Instead I would use expanded PVC (the boaphile material) available from sign shops.

If you're worried about burning I would spend a bit more cash and go with radiant heat panels rather than ceramic heat emitters. Helix seem to be the favorite RHP's of those that have used different types.

Whether the heat tape will be enough really depends on the temp of your room and the amount and placement of the venilation in the cages.

Hope this helps.

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I have four 40" x 24" x 16" (LxDxH) melamine enclosures I've built. I need to heat them for Ball Pythons. So one side has to be about 85-90 degrees. Will heat tape be enough inside the enclosure with a thin sheet of plexi over it and thermostat or will I need a ceramic bulb fixture mounted to the ceiling? If I use the ceramic bulb what should I use to cover it up so the BPs dont wrap around it?

>>Why did you not provide a lower lip in addition to the upper lip? Even a relatively small lip will keep feces/urates and water spills out of the track

I was waiting to adjust the size of the lower lip for the size of the doors. I original thought I'd find a place that would have precut and finished sizes. I found a place in my town today that will custom make them for me so I'll probably install a 3/4 in square piece of molding as the lip and put the track on top of that. I could only find black tracks online so I'll have to spray paint em white. Thanks!

>>I have four 40" x 24" x 16" (LxDxH) melamine enclosures I've built. I need to heat them for Ball Pythons. So one side has to be about 85-90 degrees. Will heat tape be enough inside the enclosure with a thin sheet of plexi over it and thermostat or will I need a ceramic bulb fixture mounted to the ceiling? If I use the ceramic bulb what should I use to cover it up so the BPs dont wrap around it?

FWIW, I've been making cages very similar in size to your own (42"w x 24"d x 18"h). I use 65W Helix radiant heat panels in mine. In the cold of winter, running the panel full-blast, I got a perfect 90-degrees directly under the panel, falling to 80-degrees at the opposite end of the cage. That's with 1/4" thick glass sliding doors and no additional venting. Temp was measured at the cage floor.

>>FWIW, I've been making cages very similar in size to your own (42"w x 24"d x 18"h). I use 65W Helix radiant heat panels in mine. In the cold of winter, running the panel full-blast, I got a perfect 90-degrees directly under the panel, falling to 80-degrees at the opposite end of the cage. That's with 1/4" thick glass sliding doors and no additional venting. Temp was measured at the cage floor.

Thanks for the help. I looked up those heat panels and they might be exactly what I need. So you use the 11x16" 65W panel in that size enclosure? What is the ambient room temp in the winter. My temps probably get down in the low 60's F. Maybe a bit cooler on a really cold night. I've had no problem with a Ceramic bulb and uth in a 55 gal at those ambient temps. I just wanna make sure I get the correct size heat panel since they are a bit more expensive. What do you use to control it (thermostat)?

Thanks!

>>Thanks for the help. I looked up those heat panels and they might be exactly what I need. So you use the 11x16" 65W panel in that size enclosure? What is the ambient room temp in the winter. My temps probably get down in the low 60's F. Maybe a bit cooler on a really cold night. I've had no problem with a Ceramic bulb and uth in a 55 gal at those ambient temps. I just wanna make sure I get the correct size heat panel since they are a bit more expensive. What do you use to control it (thermostat)?

Yes, I used the 11x16" 65W panels from Helix. When I did my tests, I just plugged the heat panel directly into the wall. Once I have the cages finished, I'll probably control everything with a Helix or GCS thermostat. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact temperature when I did the test. Definitely in the 60's, probably low 60's.