Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I will have a ball python in one, a redtail boa in another and a Bluetongue in the third...How do I know how much flexwatt to buy? It comes in 3 sizes and Im not sure how much will heat the cages to the right temp..Can someone tell me exactly what I will need to buy to get these heated to the right temps? The cage sizes are 48x26x14..And I will have a basking light for the blue tongue..Thanks so much for any help
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The prewired flex watt heat pads, 11" X 17" work great.

It is best to use a rheostat or a thermostat to control the heat.

...........scott j. michaels/serpent city.he's a vet with a lot of experience with heat tape application.have fun!

>>I will have a ball python in one, a redtail boa in another and a Bluetongue in the third...How do I know how much flexwatt to buy? It comes in 3 sizes and Im not sure how much will heat the cages to the right temp..Can someone tell me exactly what I will need to buy to get these heated to the right temps? The cage sizes are 48x26x14..And I will have a basking light for the blue tongue..Thanks so much for any help

I'd suggest buying 11-inch wide Flex-watt. Put a good thermostat on it and you can always dial the power down. I had mine located at the very back of the cage and ran it across the full width of the enclosure. It worked for me, but I didn't have anything that was particularly shy in the cages. A better design might be to run the heat tape down the left or right side of the cages from front to back. My snake room got cold enough in the winter that that I couldn't keep a proper gradient without a bit more tape...

25" Would be alot easier to work with. While the 11" would be cheaper it is 20 watts per foot and the 25" is 17 watts.. A thermostat is a must, you can pick one up for 85 shipped that will run all those cages.. Shoot me an email if you need any help,
-MG
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www.mgreptiles.com
CBB Herps and Heating Supplies

why would 20 watts be worse than 17 watts? Does the wattage mean a higher heat level per foot? Please, I know nothing about how electricity works..I know a 60watt bulb puts out a good source of heat, how can 20 watts of tape heat up enough to heat a 4ft enclosure to at least 85 degrees without getting to hot on the bottom? Im sooo stupid.....This is really frustrating me...thanks for your help
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>>why would 20 watts be worse than 17 watts? Does the wattage mean a higher heat level per foot? Please, I know nothing about how electricity works..I know a 60watt bulb puts out a good source of heat, how can 20 watts of tape heat up enough to heat a 4ft enclosure to at least 85 degrees without getting to hot on the bottom? Im sooo stupid.....This is really frustrating me...thanks for your help

Have to admit, I'm curious about this recommendation, too. Sounds like the 25" heat tape produces less heat, but over a larger area than the 11" heat tape. To be honest, I'm not sure why you'd want that... I always use the 11" and just put it on a good thermostat.

11" tape would be perfectly fine. On a 2' section of 11 flexwatt there is a 1.5" gap inbetween the sections of element. The 25" of course does not have this. Both the element would work like a charm. But instead os 80 watts you would have 34, this is more than enough to heat the cage. If you can heat an enclousure with less wattage that is always better. I agree that a good tstat is a must no matter what the setup is.. Just my .02
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www.mgreptiles.com
CBB Herps and Heating Supplies