Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've read many conflicting opinions about the best way to heat a melamine cage. I'm about to wrap up my enclosure build and haven't decided on the safest and most practical way to create a hot spot. The ambient temp in my snake room is around 75 degrees. This is for a Colombian boa. Ideally I'd like a heat pad or mat inside the cage. Some say it's perfectly fine and others say no way. It would, of course, be attached to my thermostat. Oh yeah, the cage is 4x2x2. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Radiant heat panel is the best and safest. Yes they are costly, but like any good tool , once you have it you will wonder how you went w/o it. Makes keeping a boa easier. Really easy to control the temp with any herp-related controller.

Thanks markg. If I installed it on the underside of the lid, where exactly would the thermostat probe go?

I place the probe (dangle it) about 8 inches above the cage floor just off to the side of the RHP. You will have to experiment with the thermostat setting. Heat panels radiate heat downwards, so air temperature is not always indicative of how much a snake below the heat panel can warm up to. Obviously, you need some limit. I set the limit to 84, and I find that works well.

I use a wood platform to allow the boa to be about 8 inches below the heat panel. The platform is larger in area than the heat panel. The boa moves around on the platform according to its needs, or goes below it if wanting cooler temps. Works quite well. I find that boas like to sit elevated on a platform much of the time. Boas like grainy wood surfaces too, more than paper. They like texture.

During times of lower room humidity, I put a plastic tray on the platform filled with wet cypress mulch.