# heating a BOA enclosure ideas please



## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

hello

a cousin of mine has built a large enclosure out of a old built in cuboard at the top of the stairs and he is having a few problems heating it, its to house a 7-8ft boa

the enclosure is length 57' height 52' depth 23'

he has the usual heat mat, ceramic, spot bulb but its not the best method, and he is having problems getting the temps right and wants to change

any ideas for him equipment wise??


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

500 watt microclimate in the right place should do it.


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

also perhaps you should use a sealant to help keep the heat if you haven't already.


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

where do you think the right place should be then :whistling2:


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

mark elliott said:


> also perhaps you should use a sealant to help keep the heat if you haven't already.


yeah its all fully sealed 

the ceramic he was using was no good, and he kept replacing it, but now he wants to go with another approach,


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

get one and prop it with something before you fix it in and heat test it at different heights until you solve the problem


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

helenhearn on here has just put one up for sale


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

will that do the trick, 

no mats/ basking spot or anything else?

i have kept snakes but just in tubs, so i cant really help him, not with a enclosure anyway, plus I'm more of a lizard fan myself,

never had a boa so don't want to guess


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## mark elliott (Feb 5, 2007)

i have a few and i use ceramics in most but use a 500 watt ahs in my big viv and it has no prob heating it . stick it somewhere at the bottom to start with and give it time to get the heat up. i say the bottom cus as you know heat rises so if its too high you will create a cool area at the bottom and the boa will struggle to reach his temp. obviously put a big branch in for him i find beech is best as you can de bark it very easily and they look quite good. you can always put a ceramic in at the top if you cant reach 80 degrees at the top but i would just try it with the ahs first and see what you get but I'm sure you will get others advising you shortly anyway so just see what suits you best mate


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

cheers sausage : victory:


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## dav3y1 (Jan 26, 2009)

*heating*

hi mark, im andys cousin and new to this site,
im getting enough heat into the basking area with a 250w ceramic but i think that it is just trying too hard. ie always on full powrer so is burning itself out far too quickly. the last two bulbs have stopped working and when ive gone to unscrew them they have cracked near the metal thread. ( is this normal) i like the idea of the ahs heaters and have seen them for £107 online so think ill order one tomorrow. i also have a vent in the roof of the viv in the other end away from the heat, im guessing this is ok. ill post some pics within the next few days onto my profile.

cheers
dave


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

you could try tubular heaters, Monitor Mad uses there for his critters and from what i gather they're cheap to buy, do the trick and cheap to run.


i've just picked up a couple of 2 footers for when my boa needs a bigger viv.


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

any links meko or was it freecycle again :whistling2:


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

lol.. got them from here myself.. £15 for 2 but give me a few mins and i'll find you some links.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/equipment-supplies/243261-tubular-heaters.html

thread started by me, answered by monitor mad and even somebody to get the guards off... 

i'm too good to you Andy mate, although you could probably get one off Freecycle if you asked.


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

Meko said:


> http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/equipment-supplies/243261-tubular-heaters.html
> 
> thread started by me, answered by monitor mad and even somebody to get the guards off...
> 
> i'm too good to you Andy mate, although you could probably get one off Freecycle if you asked.


cheers mate, 

seems like a cheaper option, : victory:


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## dav3y1 (Jan 26, 2009)

apart from the price whats the pros and cons for these against the ahs heaters?


cheers for your help, dave the goat


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

do they make any noise?

ahs or tubular, which is worse?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

no idea about noise, mine won't be used for a bit.. but as far as i've picked up they're a lot cheaper to run than most other heaters.
If you search for monitor mad's threads, mainly in habitat for his beasties, he has them running for his big monitors and he does rate them pretty highly.


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

Meko said:


> no idea about noise, mine won't be used for a bit.. but as far as i've picked up they're a lot cheaper to run than most other heaters.
> If you search for monitor mad's threads, mainly in habitat for his beasties, he has them running for his big monitors and he does rate them pretty highly.


cheers sausage

looked at a few of his threads and they seem the better option, even with the guard which is a must with these, it still works out cheaper, 

thanks meko


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## dav3y1 (Jan 26, 2009)

hi all,
after reading through all the info i think ive now made my decision, if somone can can just answer the last few details for me.
as ive said my viv is 57' long 52'high and 23' depth. so if i get a tubular heater for this plus a ceramic as a basking spot im guessing my setup will be as followed,
200w ceramic linked to my termostat ( setup in the bottom left corner)
a tubular heater with a guard on linked to another thermostat ( not sure were this needs to be mounted)

1) where should i mount the tubular
2) what size tubular should i get for this size viv
3) should i leave it on 24hrs aday
4) will this need to be linked to a thermostat

thanks for all your help everyone 
dave the goat


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

1) where should i mount the tubular
*along the bottom of the viv*

2) what size tubular should i get for this size viv
*don't no*

3) should i leave it on 24hrs aday
*no, you need a difference in day and night time temps*

4) will this need to be linked to a thermostat
* i would say yes *


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## Caz (May 24, 2007)

For a large enclosure i'd use the argos style panel heaters built in behind a guard to stop the boa urinating into it or touching it. 

Got to be the most cost effective, and low enough wattage that it can be plugged into a 600w habistat.
Buy Argos Value Panel Heater 450W. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for .


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