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It would be 4ft long X 2ft deep X 1 ft tall, made of melamine except sliding glass doors in front. I would have two vents on the side and an Enerjoy Heat Panel on the top (12"X12" on one side) and an Ultratherm Heat Pad (11"X23" on the same side). Does this sound alright? It is Striking Serpents one on their page - great job btw, cant wait till the whole thing is done so i can see! - well i was wondering if the heating issue would be fine? thanks!

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kdrkreatures.com
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Signature file edited; oversized banner removed. Please update/correct. [phw 8/31/04]

it sounds pretty hot in that cage. Are you going to run both all the time or are you going to put on a Helix or the like? I saw the melamine cage and it looks fine, it should work well for you.
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IF YOU HAVE IT SHOW IT. IF YOU OWN IT FLAUNT IT!!

Should i only use the heat pad?

Thanks! (that would save on costs, the Heat panel is expensive!!)
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kdrkreatures.com
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Signature file edited; oversized banner removed. Please update/correct. [phw 8/31/04]

I am not sure if you should use the heat pad in a cafe like that? On the post for the cage did they suggest a heating set-up? You don't want the pad to get wet! You might go with a light with a guard or the heat panel. Better safe than sorry.

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IF YOU HAVE IT SHOW IT. IF YOU OWN IT FLAUNT IT!!

I built a multi-cage unit with each cage having those dimensions and I only use the Ultratherm heat pads, mounted on the inside wall of the cage on one end. I have them set up on a Helix thermostat, set to 91-92F, sometimes up to 94F if the AC is really cranking or for this winter when the house will be cooler. The snakes seem to do quite well with just them. Floor temps of the cages along side the Ultratherm read about 90F, the far end reads about 80F. The only time any of the snakes appear to hang around the Ultratherms is just after a meal. Also, if you read the packaging for the Ultratherm heat pads, it states that they are not designed to be used outside of thick materials like plywood or melamine as the heat does not transmit through it well, and also that they should not be placed on the floor of the cage where they can become wet - from animal waste or spilled water. Humidity or slight moisture are fine, as they would be subject to on a wall, but submersion - even partial - is to be avoided.

Raven

with different set-ups. I think you'd be fine with the Ultratherm under some linoleum (sealed with aquarium sealant around the bottom edge) and running a thermostat set to shut off around 95 degrees or so, depending on snake room temperature. I am currently building a 2x2x7'6" out of plywood and I recently ran a test of two Ultratherms (11x29" side by side on one end of the cage underneath Linoleum for 48 hours wide open. I took digital readings day and night placing the temp gun right ON the hottest part of the linoleum and never did I get a reading of more than 105 degrees. Now, of course, I will run a thermostat set to around 95 degrees and I also need to repeat this test with the linoleum sealed, but so far it is comforting to know that in the case of thermostat failure, the temps will hopefully not skyrocket and (bad things, ect.) When you run a test, put the cage exactly where it's going to be (height ect.)