Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've seen several pictures of flexwatt used inside of enclosures as heat source. Has anyone done this? I'm running a room of background temp of 70-80 degrees. Is this just making a hot spot to lay on or does it raise the ambient temp as well enough for red tail boas? I'd rout a depression for it to sit in and cover it with tile/plexi/something. I'd prefer to heat 2 new cages for $10 rather than $200 for RHPs
Or would you need an additional heat source to bring the background temp up in which case I'd just go with a RHP over this.

What is the enclosure made from? Sounds like wood. Not a good idea to have Flexwatt inside on the wood floor. Not that it will cause a fire, but heating wood by conduction is not your best approach. It can be done, especially if plywood, but I still would not choose to do it if I could help it.

A Kane heat mat is a much better choice if you want a heat pad, assuming the cage is large enough. An 18x18 Kane is a pretty good sized heat pad. It can be pooped on or misted with no worries. A boa can't harm it, even a huge adult boa. Oh, and it does not heat the bottom of the cage. It forces heat up.

If the room temp is 75 deg or more, a CHE will do the trick (cover it with hardware cloth) in place of the heat mat. Especially in a wood cage. If the room is cooler, an RHP is better.

Boas are expensive to heat, but the heaters mentioned will last a very very long time if controlled properly. I have a Kane over 10yrs, CHEs at least 5 yrs, RHPs one of which may be 10yrs. They keep going.

It's going to be made of melamine. I've used CHEs for years, I've had a 60W since 2004 still going strong. The more I think I am either going to use a CHE or RHP for the cage.

>>What is the enclosure made from? Sounds like wood. Not a good idea to have Flexwatt inside on the wood floor. Not that it will cause a fire, but heating wood by conduction is not your best approach. It can be done, especially if plywood, but I still would not choose to do it if I could help it.
>>
>>A Kane heat mat is a much better choice if you want a heat pad, assuming the cage is large enough. An 18x18 Kane is a pretty good sized heat pad. It can be pooped on or misted with no worries. A boa can't harm it, even a huge adult boa. Oh, and it does not heat the bottom of the cage. It forces heat up.
>>
>>If the room temp is 75 deg or more, a CHE will do the trick (cover it with hardware cloth) in place of the heat mat. Especially in a wood cage. If the room is cooler, an RHP is better.
>>
>>Boas are expensive to heat, but the heaters mentioned will last a very very long time if controlled properly. I have a Kane over 10yrs, CHEs at least 5 yrs, RHPs one of which may be 10yrs. They keep going.

That is a good decision. Makes things easier and provides a gradual temp gradient.

If you ever decide to use floor heat, consider Kane or Stanfield heat mats. They are the best for big snakes, no worries with moisture or debris getting on them.