Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got 20 feet of zoo-med heat cable and need some idea's on building a rack for my geckos, both hatchlings and adults. If anyone has any plans or ideas please give me some help. I can't figure out the best way to heat anything with this cable, I'm use to using flexwatt heat tape. I appreciate any help in advance.
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Chad
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Hi Chad,

Are you looking for detailed plans? To use the heat cable will likely require use of a router or some shims the route the cable inbetween. I don't know of detailed plans showing any of that.

If you're comfortable modifying plans to suit your needs then we can probably help.

But I won't get into that if it won't help.

If you do need the help, we'll need the following info:

1) What size box for the adults do you prefer?

2) How many levels to the rack do you want?

3) What substrate do you use?

4) What are the coolest temperatures your room experiences throughout the year?

>>I recently got 20 feet of zoo-med heat cable and need some idea's on building a rack for my geckos, both hatchlings and adults. If anyone has any plans or ideas please give me some help. I can't figure out the best way to heat anything with this cable, I'm use to using flexwatt heat tape. I appreciate any help in advance.
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>>Chad
>>Contact Me
>>
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1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

I need it really just for hatchlings. I want to get as many boxes you think I can get in with the twenty-three feet of cable I was thinking about 5 shelves 4 feet long, as deep as a shoe box is long. I use paper towels as substrate for my hatchlings, and the coolest the room ever gets is 70, usually stays in the mid 70's. Let me know what ideas you might have for me.

Thanks in advance.
Chad

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Chad
Contact Me

Chad,

That many 4' shelves will be very difficult to heat with 23' of cable. That's a guess on my part, though, not having any specific experience with the cable.

Why don't you buy some boxes and test the product a bit before you decide?

Really all you need to do is nest the cable between some 1/4" thick strips of wood and set your boxes directly on top. Take temperatures all over the floor of the box.

If it's not warm enough, or conversely, the heated area is too hot to achieve warm areas at the cooler end, then just loop another coil under the tubs.

If you find that you need two loops per box, for example, then you should be able to get away with three levels.

If it's not as efficient as you want you'll have to consider other products.

Otherwise, I really like the plans for the hatchling rack at ARBreptiles.com -- I'll include a link below.

You may have to modify the dimensions depending on the size of your boxes. Also, you'll have to include a groove or some shims for the cable.

Since leopard geckos are not the greatest escape artists you can have pretty nice gap between the box and shelf above. Trust me, better too big of a gap rather than too small.
ARBreptiles.com hatchling rack

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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Thanks a lot Chris you've been a lot of help. I am gonna duplicate his idea to the t except I want to use belly heat. I think IM just gonna go ahead and order some 3 inch flex-watt. Maybe I can find something else too do with the zoo-med heat cable. I do have another question for you any plans on building a big snake cage for a low cost. To house a full grown blood python.
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Chad
Contact Me

I don't think you can get much cheaper than the plans on the Finegtps.com site.

Basically MDF covered with contact paper. Sure it may not hold up extremely well over the years, but it would be super cheap to replace it.

For a bit more money you could swap the MDF for melamine (still use the contact paper) and have a more finished look.

A full face frame is probably not completely necessary. For a blood I would also consider not having a solid floor and instead staple/silicone a piece of plastic flooring or expanded PVC onto the bottom.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)