Heating your enclosures

[JungleHabitats]

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[JungleHabitats]

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[Sasheena]

The major way I heat my enclosures is heating pads, mostly because I haven't yet built a rack... even if/when I do build a rack, unless I have someone FAR more intelligent than myself do it, I won't use heat tape, because I'm not sure I could figure that out. Too complicated. Have a couple of heat rocks (I know, I know) mostly I use them to heat enclosures from the outside. For 8 months of the year, however, there's no real need for heat for most of our snakes, ambient room temperature will do, because if our AC can keep the temp below 85, it's a good day!

[BryonsBoas]

I use heat tape , 11" the 3 and 4 " tape wasn't cutting it , for my sweater boxes and a combo of heat tape and dome lamps in my larger cages . On my rack I'm building I'll use heat tape ( 40 w ) for my BPs , tubs are the 43" L sterilites , and will use heat rope on a sweaterbox rack. I want to use heat tape for my boas in their new cages during the summer and a ceramic panels for fall and winter.

[WingedWolf]

I also use human heating pads, which you don't have listed. ;)

They work great, and they're very safe so long as you don't set anything directly on top of them (I use 2 pads to heat a 30 gallon tank, and I just have it up on wood strips to elevate it above the pads). Most have some temperature control built in, with 3 heat levels.
They also cost about 10 bucks...can't beat that.

[vscampbell]

I have several standard under tank heating pads, commonly found at Petco and such, but my favorite source is to use rope lights. Usually less than ten bucks for an 18' long cord but Lowes has them on sale right now for $5. Red lights are available, probably not visible for snakes. If I put a 10 gallon aquarium so that one end of the tank is resting on the rope I get a perfect 80 - 85 degrees of belly heat at that location. I usually rest one end of the tank on the light, sometimes I set the tank so the side is resting on the rope. I use pine shavings in the cages. FYI, I also make cage tops out of acrylic that I buy from TAP plastics. I think they are a national company? I have the equipment to cut the acrylic for the tops, but they can do it for you for a small fee.

[mightymello]

I generally heat my enclosure with a CHE (250 watt) its a 175 gallon reptatium in a pine 3 wall enclosure. a 150 W basking bulb and a 100 W Red light. No prob;ems with any of them, and it works quite well.
-Matt

[coyote]

Human heat pads have hot spots, rather than diffuse the heat over the surface of the pad. Evidence that they get hot enough to burn. The pad that caused this was only on medium. This is on linoleum.