Nythain
New member
So I totally snagged a great deal on a bigger home for Isis until I can afford a proper AP or CNW enclosure for her. But there's a few dilemmas I'm running into trying to think of how to heat it.
First, it's size. We're talking almost 6' by 3' by 3'. That's a lot of ambient air to warm. Not the biggest problem, but definitely a compounding factor.
Next, it's wood. This leaves out proper UTH usage. Still one of my options, but will require some extra care to install.
The final problem is, it still has a screen top. Not like, a removable aquarium type screen top, but two doors on the top with screen instead of just wood or plexi.
Now, I have a few options, and all of them are gonna run me about the same financially so money isn't an issue. But I need some expert opinions on which option would best bring up the air temperatures while hopefully avoiding drying the air too much.
First, there's the UTH. Using some foil tape, slate or ceramic tiles, and bathroom or silicone caulk I can very easily make the installation work. My only concern with this route is the UTH's ability to heat more than just the substrate. While many people believe all a snake needs is belly heat, I'm of the school of belief that proper ambient temperatures are just as (if not more) important than only under belly heat. Sure the belly heat might help with digestion, but it provides less in the way of full exothermic regulation and illness prevention. So, my question here is, does anyone know if a large UTH would be enough to raise the warm side air temperature decently in such a large enclosure?
Next, there's flexwatt. This would be installed similarly to the UTH, and presumably suffer the same pros and cons. So the same question really applies concerning air temps, with the added question of "Would flexwatt be more effective in that regard than a UTH"
Next up there's Ceramic Heat Emitters. Honestly, these would be perfect if it wasn't for their effects on relative humidity. So my question here would be, Does anyone have any experience actually using CHE that could chime in on how big of an impact they have on humidity levels? My understanding is it's slightly less than a heat bulb but considerably more than a UTH or RHP.
Lastly there's the Radiant Heat Panel. Many pros and cons here. VERY effective at heating objects/surfaces. Minimal impact on humidity levels. Sounds great. Unfortunately, from everything I've read, while they are great at heating objects/surfaces (excellent for basking) they do hardly anything for the actual air temperature. That makes them almost useless for my needs. If they are in fact fairly effective at raising air temp too, the next problem is the screen top. I was thinking I could either zip tie through the screw holes and some of the screen, keeping it in place but not as securely as if it was screwed into a solid surface. Or, alternately I could just place it on top of the screen. The only problem I foresee with that is again, they are GREAT at heating objects and I fear the screen would get hot enough to burn my poor girl if she rubbed on it. So my questions here are A. Does anyone with experience using these have any input on their effectiveness to raise air temperatures. And B. Has anyone ever actually tried just laying one on top of a screen top?
Every ounce of my being wants to go with the CHE in this situation, but humidity is already tricky to keep up with the screen top as is. I really can't chance a major decrease from heating elements too. It just wouldn't be possible to maintain a healthy level for her lungs.
First, it's size. We're talking almost 6' by 3' by 3'. That's a lot of ambient air to warm. Not the biggest problem, but definitely a compounding factor.
Next, it's wood. This leaves out proper UTH usage. Still one of my options, but will require some extra care to install.
The final problem is, it still has a screen top. Not like, a removable aquarium type screen top, but two doors on the top with screen instead of just wood or plexi.
Now, I have a few options, and all of them are gonna run me about the same financially so money isn't an issue. But I need some expert opinions on which option would best bring up the air temperatures while hopefully avoiding drying the air too much.
First, there's the UTH. Using some foil tape, slate or ceramic tiles, and bathroom or silicone caulk I can very easily make the installation work. My only concern with this route is the UTH's ability to heat more than just the substrate. While many people believe all a snake needs is belly heat, I'm of the school of belief that proper ambient temperatures are just as (if not more) important than only under belly heat. Sure the belly heat might help with digestion, but it provides less in the way of full exothermic regulation and illness prevention. So, my question here is, does anyone know if a large UTH would be enough to raise the warm side air temperature decently in such a large enclosure?
Next, there's flexwatt. This would be installed similarly to the UTH, and presumably suffer the same pros and cons. So the same question really applies concerning air temps, with the added question of "Would flexwatt be more effective in that regard than a UTH"
Next up there's Ceramic Heat Emitters. Honestly, these would be perfect if it wasn't for their effects on relative humidity. So my question here would be, Does anyone have any experience actually using CHE that could chime in on how big of an impact they have on humidity levels? My understanding is it's slightly less than a heat bulb but considerably more than a UTH or RHP.
Lastly there's the Radiant Heat Panel. Many pros and cons here. VERY effective at heating objects/surfaces. Minimal impact on humidity levels. Sounds great. Unfortunately, from everything I've read, while they are great at heating objects/surfaces (excellent for basking) they do hardly anything for the actual air temperature. That makes them almost useless for my needs. If they are in fact fairly effective at raising air temp too, the next problem is the screen top. I was thinking I could either zip tie through the screw holes and some of the screen, keeping it in place but not as securely as if it was screwed into a solid surface. Or, alternately I could just place it on top of the screen. The only problem I foresee with that is again, they are GREAT at heating objects and I fear the screen would get hot enough to burn my poor girl if she rubbed on it. So my questions here are A. Does anyone with experience using these have any input on their effectiveness to raise air temperatures. And B. Has anyone ever actually tried just laying one on top of a screen top?
Every ounce of my being wants to go with the CHE in this situation, but humidity is already tricky to keep up with the screen top as is. I really can't chance a major decrease from heating elements too. It just wouldn't be possible to maintain a healthy level for her lungs.
