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I need opinions on flex watt vs an overhead radiant heat panel for a plywood snake cage approx. 4x2x2. I don't have any experience with either one - I've been using UTH's and overhead bulbs in my glass cages and Neodesha plastic ones. Wondering about cost, ease of set up, flexibility, or any other opinions you've got. Thanks.

Hey d -

-What species will be in the cage?
-What range of temperatures (highest to lowest) do you wish to maintain in the cage?
-What will be the lowest ambient temperature in the room?

-Joan

>>I need opinions on flex watt vs an overhead radiant heat panel for a plywood snake cage approx. 4x2x2. I don't have any experience with either one - I've been using UTH's and overhead bulbs in my glass cages and Neodesha plastic ones. Wondering about cost, ease of set up, flexibility, or any other opinions you've got. Thanks.

It will be for an adult Speckled Kingsnake almost 5 feet long. I'd like the temp gradient to run mid 70's to mid to high 80's. There are currently four other snake cages with UTH's and overhead bulbs so the room is pretty warm this time of year. In the winter, it was cooling off to around mid 60's I'd say but then I figure in its natural environment the same thing happens - temps drop 10-20 degrees in the winter at least. Thanks for your input.

Maybe someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t see you getting those temperatures with Flexwatt outside your plywood cage (underneath or attached to the back). And I can’t see putting Flexwatt inside a cage due to those do-it-yourself connectors unless you installed some sort of covering (a sheet of plastic?) over it. I have used Ultratherm UTH’s (same principle as Flexwatt but sturdier and preassembled) inside on the floor of a 4 foot Vision cage and controlled by a thermostat for a big gopher snake during the winter and it worked fine. I like the idea of belly heat for native colubrids; the ambient temperature can get pretty cool in their cages without problems while they stay as warm as they choose. However, I would think if the temps were going into the mid 60’s you’d just go with the flow and let the kingsnake brumate. The Bean Farm carries a large selection of sizes of Ultratherms at reasonable prices. Cobra heat mats are the same thing.

I’m a big fan of radiant heat panels for some species like pythons. Lots of people use the ones that Pro Products markets. If you call Bob with your requirements, he’ll recommend the appropriate wattage for your setup. I’m guessing that one large enough for your cage would run $75-100 plus you’d need a temperature controller. I love the proportional thermostats like those from Big Apple or Helix, but that’s another $100-$150. Some people just use a dimmer switch to control the heat output. But I doubt many people use heat panels for kingsnakes, anyway.

>>It will be for an adult Speckled Kingsnake almost 5 feet long. I'd like the temp gradient to run mid 70's to mid to high 80's. There are currently four other snake cages with UTH's and overhead bulbs so the room is pretty warm this time of year. In the winter, it was cooling off to around mid 60's I'd say but then I figure in its natural environment the same thing happens - temps drop 10-20 degrees in the winter at least. Thanks for your input.

Thanks for the great input. I was starting to lean towards heat panels for several reasons:
1) I agree that flex watt doesn't sound like it has the oomph to heat a high volume cage from underneath plywood. Most herpers seem to be using it to heat their rack systems with plastic tubs.
2) Seems like if you lay it on top of the plywood/under the substrate you've got to go to extreme measures to waterproof it to prevent zapping your snake.
3) My snake loves to wander about his cage and rearrange the substrate to his liking which usually involves exposing large portions of the floor. Not so great if the heater is laying under the substrate.