Hi all, I'm new to snakes and new to this site. Wondering if anyone knew anything about using solar power to heat a vivarium.

depends on the context! if you mean solar power in the whole installing a solar panel, turning light into heat and then heating your viv via a thermostat then i imagine it would be possible but Uber-expensive to set up.

if you mean putting a glass viv on a window ledge to absorb free light and heat then NO, DONT DO IT. glass vivs and wooden vivs with glass doors act as greenhouses and will without a doubt bake your animal on the first attempt. there is no way to regulate the amount of heat absorbed as the sun is not fitted with a stat. If you want you animal to benefit from the sun, use a mesh flexarium or a mesh home made box with plenty of hides, NOT on a windowsill indoors, but outside in the fresh air. all of my lizzards enjoy a spell in the sun.

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you can get photoreactive panels off ebay i have a 12volt one designed to charge camper van batteries, it powers my led lighting in my vivs, i'm only lighting a few leds though and they don't put out any heat, i think you can get big ones that put electricity back into the national grid and offset your bill by the amount you produce, i'll be looking into this further as the council give grants out for energy saving measures, free electric yay!

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1:0 wonder gecko
3:6 leopard geckos
__male bell enigma !!!
__male RAPTOR
__male circle back
__female murphy patternless tremper albino
__female mack snow bell albino
__female tremper mack super snow het, RAPTOR
__female enigma !!!
__female tremper enigma !!!

I'm am looking into solar panels, not putting my viv in sunlight thanks.
Free electric does sound good, like I say I'm only looking into it at moment, my hatchling viv/tub only has an 11w mat so not so bad for energy, just thinking of the future. Bills go up every year and it's only going to get moer expensive.
I'd be surprised if no breeders or collectors use it to some extent.
I'll keep searching on the net for info, unless anyone else has advice?