Questions on heating

[soad]

So I have a afterlife tub which I keep my rainbow boa in. I was wondering if one the sticky heat pads underneath will do or if there is a better alternative. I won't use lights for sure for they dry out the environment too bad what are other options? How do heat panels work? Or would flex watt tape be a good choice?

[millertime89]

Get a t-stat and a heat gun, only way to know. It should work ok but you always want it on a t-stat. I use flexwatt for everything.

[Snakesitter]

I'm a flexwatt guy too. I use thermostats for everything, mostly Herpstats -- pricey, but worth it. I use an IR gun for double checking. Radiant heat panels are also excellent, but pricier, and should also use a 'stat for control.

[soad]

So if I were to get flex watt tape, would I place it on the side of the sterlite tub? And would I still need a underbelly heat pad? And how much would I need for a tub 33" in length 13" in height and 19" in width?

[millertime89]

For that size I would get 18" strip of 6" tape to cover about 1/4th of the bottom of the enclosure. Place it under the tub, no underbelly heat pad is needed but you definitely need a t-stat.

[Snakesitter]

Agreed, place it under, not on the side. I'm sure Youtube has a good video somewhere. ;-)

[EL Ziggy]

I haven't tried the flex watt tape. I use an ultratherm heat pad for my tub. I think they're great.

Ultratherm Heat Pads (http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads)

[millertime89]

Ultratherms are great if you can get past the cost for laminated heat tape.

[soad]

Much appreciated everyone thanks

[Snakesitter]

Lol.......

[ParabikMiSr]

Is this product so good no one has any comments or questions? I'm loving mine and still learning all the different ways to figure out where the fish will be this fall and winter

[Niten]

The seller suggested me the use of a thermostat with a heating cable led into a flat brick 3/4 the size of the enclosure to leave 1/4 of cool space on a side, with 1 inch of substrate to cover it. The water bowl should be kept in the middle to spread humidity.

[reptiles=)]

Hey, so for heating, considering it is a tub, I would say stick to the heat mat, get a larger one. also what works great if that is not enough, is get a cheapo pocket size air humidifier from CVS, they are like 20 dollars, and then you could probably get like a 75 watt Ceramic heat emitter to help with heating, as they generally do not dry the air out as bad. Good luck, gotta love Rainbow Boas though.... :)

[Snakesitter]

^^ Cough cough liking the last line. ;-)

[SnoopySnake]

Hey, so for heating, considering it is a tub, I would say stick to the heat mat, get a larger one. also what works great if that is not enough, is get a cheapo pocket size air humidifier from CVS, they are like 20 dollars, and then you could probably get like a 75 watt Ceramic heat emitter to help with heating, as they generally do not dry the air out as bad. Good luck, gotta love Rainbow Boas though.... :)

To add to this, both CHE's and heatmats MUST be on a thermostat as temps over 90 can be fatal for rainbow boas. If the ambient temp is around 75 you should be okay with just the heat mat. I would also second the IR temp gun.

[Snakesitter]

Great point on the thermostats...but I'd recommend being safer and using 85F as the cutoff. 90F will kill them for sure, but even over 85F is risky.

[SnoopySnake]

Great point on the thermostats...but I'd recommend being safer and using 85F as the cutoff. 90F will kill them for sure, but even over 85F is risky.

Oh yes I agree. My hot spot for my CRB is kept at 83. I was just stating what I've commonly seen. :)

[Snakesitter]

Ah, OK, cool. :-)

[Snakesitter]

And on a completely unrelated note, does anyone else agree that "afterlife" may not be the best brand name for a line of pet enclosures? ;-)

[millertime89]

And on a completely unrelated note, does anyone else agree that "afterlife" may not be the best brand name for a line of pet enclosures? ;-)

HA! Yes, yes I do.

[soad]

And on a completely unrelated note, does anyone else agree that "afterlife" may not be the best brand name for a line of pet enclosures? ;-)

No wonder I've gone through so many snakes! Horrible joke there lol correction to that would be sterlite tubs!

[SSSSnakes]

I won't use lights for sure for they dry out the environment too bad

Using lights for heating does not have to dry out the air, if you set up the enclosure properly. Reduce the ventilation and put the heat light over the water bowl. This will cause the humidity to go way up and may cause condensation on the walls of the enclosure. Heating lights do create great basking spots.

[millertime89]

No wonder I've gone through so many snakes! Horrible joke there lol correction to that would be sterlite tubs!

Haha well played.

[Snakesitter]

Many more people have problems executing this than get it right, however, which is why the vast majority of rainbow breeders urge people to avoid heat bulbs.

[Snakesitter]

Lol! :-)