Heating Base of Reptile Cage with Flexwatt
Question
i'm planning to get building my enclosure soon and had one more question for u ( i hope.) If im using melamine as a base can i put the flexwatt heat tape outside the enclousre under the base ? would it still heat the space ...and if so where would i place the probe .".thermostat" in or out side the enclosure .....I havent decided yet on whether to use 1/2 or 3/4 for the base so if u have any suggestions that would be great ...thanks alot jim
Answer
Hi Jim,
I don't mind answering questions at all. I would be inclined to use 3/4 for the reptile cage base. It's stronger and, while heavier, there is more for the securing screws to attach to.
I haven't used Flexwatt underneath a reptile cage. It would work I'm sure as I know of people who put it under tiles on the base of a cage. It's really just heating the material up. It would take a lot longer to reach it's set temperature so you would have to take that into account when testing temperatures.
The probe would be in the reptile cage as that's where you want to measure the temperature. I still think the flexwatt is better inside the cage, even if you put it under soome sort of covering or under the substrate.
Hope this helps
Mark Chapple is the Author of "How to build enclosures
for reptiles"
Find out how to build these terrestrial and arboreal cages for snakes and lizards.
Full color pictures, detailed diagrams and easy to follow, step-by-step instructions.
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