Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I dont know if you have habistat heaters in the US but Im in the UK using a habistat reptile radiator in by boa vivs. I dont know if it will be enough to heat the new big vivs. Does anyone know if they are big enough to heat 6 foot vivs?

Also where is the best place to put the thermostat - the heater is on the ceiling and I always keep the stat directly under neath at the bottom of the viv. I have heard it is possible to put it a bit further down the viv to ensure the gradient is maintained and set the stat a little lower. Im worried this will make the warm end too hot.

any advise appritiated

Sam

Sam,

Do those only come in 75 watts? If so I just can't see them heating a 6' cage. They are the same principal as the Radiant Heat Panels we use in the states and I don't see a 75 watt RHP heating a 6' cage. I'd guess you'd have to use two of them, I don't know. If the room where your boa cages are is heated one might be fine.

You should ask around in the UK as I'm sure they will run on 220V so maybe that makes a difference. I don't think so but you should check.

Also where is the best place to put the thermostat - the heater is on the ceiling and I always keep the stat directly under neath at the bottom of the viv. I have heard it is possible to put it a bit further down the viv to ensure the gradient is maintained and set the stat a little lower. Im worried this will make the warm end too hot.

This is a tricky question. It really depends on what the cage is constructed of, the amount of placement of the ventilation, and the temperature of the room where the cage(s) sit. Even with that information it's a bit of a guess.

Really it just takes a bit of experimentation on your part. And understand that what works in the summer might not work in the winter.

In general I would say use the Tstat to creat a usable basking area and then increase room temps and/or insulate the cage to create a suitable temperature gradiant. You can also partially cover the cage ventilation if you have too much.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Last paragraph was a bit vague...

In general I would say use the Tstat to create a usable basking area and then modify room temps, cage insulation, and ventilation to create a suitable temperature gradiant.

That might mean increasing OR decreasing ambient temperatures, insulation, and ventilation as needed.

>>In general I would say use the Tstat to creat a usable basking area and then increase room temps and/or insulate the cage to create a suitable temperature gradiant. You can also partially cover the cage ventilation if you have too much.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Cheers Chris for clearing that up - Cant wait to move into my new house and get the new vivs set up - the room will be heated so I dont recken the gradient will be a problem..

Sam

If you keep a number of snakes room heat is probably more efficient anways.

Another thing I neglected to mention is that some thermal mass inside the cage can affect how heat is distributed around the cage. Placing heavy rocks, clay hides, etc. near the heat source can help distribute heat to the far ends of the cage.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Cheers as always for the innput chris, would you personaly use one of these for a 4x2x2 - bearing in mind the room has a constant heat source - (oil radiator, so not maintaining same temp but enough to keep the snake room warm. Would you use a backup heat source?

I know there is no definate answer as it depends on the room temp but I just want to make sure the vivs are designed right before I make them.

Sam

I would if the snake room was around 80*F or more. Lower than than that and I'd want more wattage.

Only reason I would use a backup heat source is if I traveled a lot or if the room would get dangerously cold in case of a total outage.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

What would you use in this size viv - are ceramic bulbs better? Sorry if Im going over the same ground as others have previously in the forum but it helps to get as many opinions as poss

cheers

sam

For Boas I still like Radiant Heat Panels, just not 75 watts.

So I guess either two of the 75 watt products or find what else is available in the UK. What do other keepers use?

You're 220 voltage only in the UK, correct? I suppose you could e-mail Bob at ProProducts and see if he can wire some for you. I know their larger panels come in 220V so I assume their smaller onces can be wired that way.

You may have to wire the plug yourself.

If that does not work or is too expensive then ceramic bulbs are very nice. You just have to keep the snake away from them.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

What sort of price do you pay for the larger panels in th US?

I have only priced small panels or the VERY large panels from ProProducts. By very large I mean the types used to heat rooms. I believe the 2'x4' ones were over $300. Probably not very helpful to you.

I believe Helix has a large panel that is about 1'x3', 150 watts or so and sells for $125 to $150. All of those numbers are a guess, so you should look up the dimensions, wattage, and price to be sure.

Pro Products tend to be a bit higher. I don't remember how much.

I would ask around and see if anyone has been able to use two of the 75 watt UK product. There are so many UK forums I'm sure you'll be able to get an answer.
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Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)