Built my dream enclosure! Tips on heating?

[lionheartHC]

I just finished up building my enclosure with ideas I found on this forum. I’m in love with how it came out but tomorrow I’ll start with the temps and humidity. Each cubical is 6ft long, 3ft depth and 3ft in height. I’m building this for my Sulcata hatchling and to house my Russian during the winter.
What’s my best bet on maintaining the proper temps and humidity in something of this size? I know I’ve read @Tom ’s posts stating floodlights work best but at all my local Lowe’s and Home Depot they only carry LED ones that give off little to no heat. Will I need several heat sources for the day and CHE for at night?

I’m headed to the store tomorrow so I know this will be a lot of trial and error, but does anyone know a good lace to start? Price isn’t a big deal if there’s better alternatives.

 

[Maro2Bear]

It won’t last very long for your Sulcata. ? Under optimum conditions, Sullys grow up very quickly.

Check out a nice large Radiant Heat Panel. Easy to install, use a probe, and are great at maintaining a nice ambiant temp in your enclosure.

These work great - https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

 

[lionheartHC]

It won’t last very long for your Sulcata. ? Under optimum conditions, Sullys grow up very quickly.

Check out a nice large Radiant Heat Panel. Easy to install, use a probe, and are great at maintaining a nice ambiant temp in your enclosure.

These work great - https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

This is just for one hatchling. I have a two acre fenced in back yard with a dedicated shed once the time comes.

 

[lionheartHC]

It won’t last very long for your Sulcata. ? Under optimum conditions, Sullys grow up very quickly.

Check out a nice large Radiant Heat Panel. Easy to install, use a probe, and are great at maintaining a nice ambiant temp in your enclosure.

These work great - https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

& I actually emailed the company that makes the heat panels and they told me that they’re great for basking but do not raise the ambient temps in enclosures at all. Also that they need to be no more than 18 inches away from the bottom of the enclosure.

 

[Srmcclure]

& I actually emailed the company that makes the heat panels and they told me that they’re great for basking but do not raise the ambient temps in enclosures at all. Also that they need to be no more than 18 inches away from the bottom of the enclosure.

I have a rhp in my young leos 2x4 enclosure and it works perfectly for ambient. I have a flood light for basking.

 

[lionheartHC]

I have a rhp in my young leos 2x4 enclosure and it works perfectly for ambient. I have a flood light for basking.

I honestly might just try the biggest RHP they offer then! I feel like it’s the most practical solution to heat most of the enclosure. Thanks for the info!

 

[Maro2Bear]

& I actually emailed the company that makes the heat panels and they told me that they’re great for basking but do not raise the ambient temps in enclosures at all. Also that they need to be no more than 18 inches away from the bottom of the enclosure.

Hhhmmmm,. Are you sure about the RHP info. Many of us here on TFO use these in our enclosures. From @Tom to @Yvonne G to @Markw84 & many others. Me too, A nice large RHP mounted to the ceiling really works well to maintain the ambient temps in an enclosure. I wonder if there is some confusion here. Bulbs are normally associated with BASKING temps and RHPs and CHEs (on thermostats) are used to maintain ambient temps. Something has to be lost in translation here. The RHPs are made to maintain ambient temps in an enclosure.

Info on the RHPs

How does this thing work? Why is it better than other methods of heating?

RHP's are similar to Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHE) - they both project IR heat into the cage. Unlike CHE's that get very, very hot on their surface, these RHP's maintain temperatures safe to use inside the cage. This Infrared Heat tends to heat objects more than the air, much like the natural sunlight outdoors. This type of heat mimics real sunlight both in the direction it comes from and its penetration into the muscle tissue. IR heat has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on sick and injured animals as well. Your reptiles will spend less time basking and receive a much greater benefit from it. The RHP has been the heat of choice for the bird community for years due to these benefits. We at Reptile Basics Inc want to see the RHP gain this popularity in the reptile field.

Unlike CHE's, the surface temperature of the Reptile Basics RHP is not hot enough to instantly burn you. At full power our RHP will reach approximately 175-200 degrees on the lens surface at full power. While this temperature sounds very high- you can hold your hand on it for 10 seconds or more without getting burned. I have done it myself and so have several of my human guinea pigs. When installed properly it would be nearly impossible for your reptile to stay on the heat for even that long. At worst the animal may bump into the panel while exploring the cage. If your RHP is properly set up on a thermostat you will not generally see even these temperatures. Our tests of three other RHP manufacturers products show very similar, sometime greater, surface temps. A higher surface temperature will project the heat farther BUT it is a trade off on burn safety. We carefully tweaked our wattage density of the custom manufactured element to get a safe compromise between surface temps and effective range.

 

[Srmcclure]

Hhhmmmm,. Are you sure about the RHP info. Many of us here on TFO use these in our enclosures. From @Tom to @Yvonne G to @Markw84 & many others. Me too, A nice large RHP mounted to the ceiling really works well to maintain the ambient temps in an enclosure. I wonder if there is some confusion here. Bulbs are normally associated with BASKING temps and RHPs and CHEs (on thermostats) are used to maintain ambient temps. Something has to be lost in translation here. The RHPs are made to maintain ambient temps in an enclosure.

Info on the RHPs

How does this thing work? Why is it better than other methods of heating?

RHP's are similar to Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHE) - they both project IR heat into the cage. Unlike CHE's that get very, very hot on their surface, these RHP's maintain temperatures safe to use inside the cage. This Infrared Heat tends to heat objects more than the air, much like the natural sunlight outdoors. This type of heat mimics real sunlight both in the direction it comes from and its penetration into the muscle tissue. IR heat has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on sick and injured animals as well. Your reptiles will spend less time basking and receive a much greater benefit from it. The RHP has been the heat of choice for the bird community for years due to these benefits. We at Reptile Basics Inc want to see the RHP gain this popularity in the reptile field.

Unlike CHE's, the surface temperature of the Reptile Basics RHP is not hot enough to instantly burn you. At full power our RHP will reach approximately 175-200 degrees on the lens surface at full power. While this temperature sounds very high- you can hold your hand on it for 10 seconds or more without getting burned. I have done it myself and so have several of my human guinea pigs. When installed properly it would be nearly impossible for your reptile to stay on the heat for even that long. At worst the animal may bump into the panel while exploring the cage. If your RHP is properly set up on a thermostat you will not generally see even these temperatures. Our tests of three other RHP manufacturers products show very similar, sometime greater, surface temps. A higher surface temperature will project the heat farther BUT it is a trade off on burn safety. We carefully tweaked our wattage density of the custom manufactured element to get a safe compromise between surface temps and effective range.

I bet they were just trying to cover their butt depending on what company they called.

I honestly might just try the biggest RHP they offer then! I feel like it’s the most practical solution to heat most of the enclosure. Thanks for the info!

This is the one I use on my thermostat

Reptile Basics 120 Watt Radiant Heat Panel - Reptile Basics Inc

 

[lionheartHC]

Hhhmmmm,. Are you sure about the RHP info. Many of us here on TFO use these in our enclosures. From @Tom to @Yvonne G to @Markw84 & many others. Me too, A nice large RHP mounted to the ceiling really works well to maintain the ambient temps in an enclosure. I wonder if there is some confusion here. Bulbs are normally associated with BASKING temps and RHPs and CHEs (on thermostats) are used to maintain ambient temps. Something has to be lost in translation here. The RHPs are made to maintain ambient temps in an enclosure.

Info on the RHPs

How does this thing work? Why is it better than other methods of heating?

RHP's are similar to Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHE) - they both project IR heat into the cage. Unlike CHE's that get very, very hot on their surface, these RHP's maintain temperatures safe to use inside the cage. This Infrared Heat tends to heat objects more than the air, much like the natural sunlight outdoors. This type of heat mimics real sunlight both in the direction it comes from and its penetration into the muscle tissue. IR heat has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on sick and injured animals as well. Your reptiles will spend less time basking and receive a much greater benefit from it. The RHP has been the heat of choice for the bird community for years due to these benefits. We at Reptile Basics Inc want to see the RHP gain this popularity in the reptile field.

Unlike CHE's, the surface temperature of the Reptile Basics RHP is not hot enough to instantly burn you. At full power our RHP will reach approximately 175-200 degrees on the lens surface at full power. While this temperature sounds very high- you can hold your hand on it for 10 seconds or more without getting burned. I have done it myself and so have several of my human guinea pigs. When installed properly it would be nearly impossible for your reptile to stay on the heat for even that long. At worst the animal may bump into the panel while exploring the cage. If your RHP is properly set up on a thermostat you will not generally see even these temperatures. Our tests of three other RHP manufacturers products show very similar, sometime greater, surface temps. A higher surface temperature will project the heat farther BUT it is a trade off on burn safety. We carefully tweaked our wattage density of the custom manufactured element to get a safe compromise between surface temps and effective range.

I read into them a lottt. When I emailed the company, this was my response. If they work for others, I’ll absolutely give it a shot!

 

[lionheartHC]

I bet they were just trying to cover their butt depending on what company they called.



This is the one I use on my thermostat

Reptile Basics 120 Watt Radiant Heat Panel - Reptile Basics Inc

oddly enough it was actually Reptile basics that I reached out to. Screenshot posted below. I’m happy to give them a shot though!

 

[Srmcclure]

I read into them a lottt. When I emailed the company, this was my response. If they work for others, I’ll absolutely give it a shot!

I love mine. I have my probe in a corner so I know my whole enclosure is where I want it and ambient stays about 86

 

[lionheartHC]

I love mine. I have my probe in a corner so I know my whole enclosure is where I want it and ambient stays about 86

Awesome, I’ll probably go that route then.

 

[Srmcclure]

Awesome, I’ll probably go that route then.

I should mention just in case, my enclosure is 2 ft tall but the heat panel doesn't stay on very long to keep it at those ideal temps so I bet that same panel would heat yours just fine as well.

 

[Tom]

I just finished up building my enclosure with ideas I found on this forum. I’m in love with how it came out but tomorrow I’ll start with the temps and humidity. Each cubical is 6ft long, 3ft depth and 3ft in height. I’m building this for my Sulcata hatchling and to house my Russian during the winter.
What’s my best bet on maintaining the proper temps and humidity in something of this size? I know I’ve read @Tom ’s posts stating floodlights work best but at all my local Lowe’s and Home Depot they only carry LED ones that give off little to no heat. Will I need several heat sources for the day and CHE for at night?

I’m headed to the store tomorrow so I know this will be a lot of trial and error, but does anyone know a good lace to start? Price isn’t a big deal if there’s better alternatives.

They look great.

If they don't have the bulbs you need at your local store, order them online and have them delivered. I buy six packs or twelve packs.

You'll need to hang the bulbs from the ceiling so you can adjust the height up or down to get the temps correct.

RHPs do not work as well when they are really high up, but in a closed chamber, the heat they generate has nowhere to go, so it does help to heat the enclosure, even if the heat is high above the tortoise. Or you could always hang CHEs. This is the issue with making a tab cage for an animal that stays on the floor. The heat and light will be too high up on the ceiling, so you have to lower everything down.