Reptile Basics Radiant Heat Panels

I've been testing the new radiant heat panels from Reptile Basics for the last few weeks. I am very impressed with their performance.
I've been wanting to try some heat panels for a good while but haven't been satisfied enough with any that have been on the market to actually put down the money to try them.
I had corresponded with Rich about these heat panels when they were still in pre-production and the design and features of them had me interested. I liked the fact they were designed by a snake keeper specifically for use in snake cages, rather than just being adapted for use in cages from other applications.

Being unfamiliar with the usage of this type of heat source I wanted to test it out fully before exposing an animal to it. The more I tested in in various situations the more I liked it.
I had been thinking about starting a product review section on my website for some time and I was impressed enough with this product to use it as my first subject. You can read my full review here http://www.arbreptiles.com/products/...atpanels.shtml

So far I have found these heat panels to be superior to flexwatt and any other heating source I've used in cages so far. I intend to switch most of my conventional caging over to this type of heating.

They look like they have the lip like the Helix panels. I had problemswith animals climbing up and resting on the lip (even animals you wouldn't think this would be a problem with). Have you noticed any problem like that so far?

Perhaps it's the angle of the photograph, but there is no lip to support anything. It isn't possible for an animal to climb up and sit on it.

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

Perhaps it's the angle of the photograph, but there is no lip to support anything. It isn't possible for an animal to climb up and sit on it.

Thanks. It must be the way the picture is.
It looked like it had a lip running around the edge that an animal could get up on. Glad it doesn't. That was a major drawback to the Helix panels.

Clay that is an awesome review!

The lip is not a problem. I have had the same experience you are describing. These panels mount "upside down" relative to what you have so there is nowhere to climb. This also eliminates the hardware. Just two stainless steel screws (included) to mount it.
Rich

I just bought one of these and think that it is overall a very good product. The removable guillotine type plug is a great idea. The supplied mounting screws easily bite into 1/2" PVC and don't poke all the way through. Controlling this panel with a Ranco set on given temperature easily provides the desired temperature in the floor space in a 15" high cage. The on indicator light is located where it is easy to see. The price is better than the competition. The operating temperature of the panel is around 157 degrees to provide 90 degrees at floor level which sadly is more expensive than flex-watt to operate but the same would be true for any radiant heat panel. Also I only have terrestrial creatures and somebody with arboreal type animals probably wouldn't be concerned about that at all.

I just got my Animal Plastics T10 (4'x2'x15") with the belly heat installed, and a Herpstat ND (for my BCI). I tested this setup and it only raised ambients by about 3-4 degrees. In the summer this isn't really a problem, but during the colder months I like to keep my home at 65-68 degrees in the day, 60 at night (cheaper to heat my boas cage than my whole house ). I went ahead and ordered the 80w heat panel figuring the 40w wouldn't cut it in the colder months. I'll have it next week so Hopefully between the belly heat and the heat panel it will it will keep my boa nice and cozy (while I freeze my off ).

I've been using these heaters for about 3 months now. Initially I suspected that I would see a decreased amount of time spent basking as compared to using flexwatt.
I have found that this indeed is the case. I've been using them in three boa cages and have noticed a definite decrease in basking activity. The snakes spent much more time on the flexwatt that they do under the heat panels.
I think this is just due to the heat panels being a superior form of heat.
Being a penetrating heat, I think these heaters warm the snakes deeper in the tissue allowing them to reach their preferred temperature more quickly than when being heated with flexwatt.

I have three of the mid size 80 watt panels still in the box waiting on me to get some new cages finished. I've run into repeated delays with the new cage unit I'm building, but I think once it's finished these heat panels will be an excellent method of heating the big 5 foot wide cages.

Thanks for updating this clay, im really interested in getting one of these and building a cage myself.

I think youve just sold me on it