Purchase RHPs. They are really great heaters. Pretty much like a ceramic heat emitter in terms of the heating effect. The RHP surface does not get as hot, so it is safe if an animal touches it, whereas a CHE would burn flesh if touched for longer than a few moments. You can achieve a nice temp gradient using this type of heater.

The heat waves from an RHP are long wavelength infrared. They penetrate into muscle tissue quite well. If you hold your hand under an RHP (keep a little distance, more about that later..), you will feel warmth on your skin of course but also feel it within your hand.

The temperature can be deceiving. The air temp in the cage can still be cool but an animal below the RHP can be warming up effectively. That is why your thermostat probe needs to be placed appropriately. I place it near the perimeter of the RHP lense near the cage floor, hanging there. Also, RHPs should be used in cages that are large enough so the animal can be completely away from the RHP if desired.

There is a distance limitation - the lense surface cannot be too close to the cage floor, otherwise some heat will reflect back up and potentially damage the RHP. Leave at least 8 inches between the cage floor and the RHP lense. 10 or 12 inches is better. Too much distance and the heat will not reach the floor as effectively, meaning more energy used. I tend to stay within the 10-13 inch range, and it works well. For taller cages, build a wood rectangle spacer and mount the RHP to that to lower it down some. You can hang them with chains (like in a turtle cage), but snakes will get tangled in the chains for sure. You can use long brackets but snakes will probably climb up and sit on top of the RHP. So a wood frame spacer with no openings is best with snakes.

The top of an RHP gets a bit warm - less than a heat pad, but there is a slight warmth that increases as the ambient temps increase. So the cage floor above the ceiling of a cage with an RHP will warm up some. Not much, but some. That is why you may want air space between successive compartments to better isolate each cage from its neighbor below it.

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