# Whats the best way to heat your enclosures?



## nicholo85 (Aug 26, 2009)

I keep the Ts in my bedroom, so I dont think Ill be heating my entire room to 24-27 degrees celsius, hehe. Is a UV lamp preferable? Maybe a heat pad instead?


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## tekkendarklord (Aug 26, 2009)

uhm I suggest don't use any heating device because this may cause hot spots for the Ts enclosure so ur like gonna cook them up and also what species do you have anyway, some Ts doesn't need any heating devices. you can find warmest part of your house and put them there or use a red party bulb that's 25 wat because Ts cant see red light and you can adjust it to the enclosure if you need a small heat adjust it further, you know what I'm sayin.


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## Roland Slinger (Aug 26, 2009)

I'm also wondering this. I'm hoping to receive a GBB soon and all care sheets claim they need 80-90F. My room is 70-72F and I only want to keep it in my room.


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## scottyk (Aug 26, 2009)

Both of you can do a search as this is a topic that comes up many times.

The short answer is that for almost every species, room temp is fine. Your GBB will be quite happy in the low 70's...


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## james.m (Aug 26, 2009)

I would heat the room, never the Ts directly.


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## JimM (Aug 26, 2009)

I myself am in a situation now where I must heat them...the room drops down to the mid 50's, and heating the room itself is not cost effective.

So "room temperature" is not always so simple.
Right now I'm using a heat lamp at a distance, but will build a temperature controlled cabinet soon.


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## scottyk (Aug 26, 2009)

JimM said:


> I myself am in a situation now where I must heat them...the room drops down to the mid 50's, and heating the room itself is not cost effective.
> 
> So "room temperature" is not always so simple.
> Right now I'm using a heat lamp at a distance, but will build a temperature controlled cabinet soon.


Room temperature is normally considered to be about 65 to 75 degrees in the US and Canada. It is simple unless someone knowingly over complicates the discussion. If I keep frozen meat in my bedroom do I get to define 29 degrees as "room temperature"???

Just poking back at you BTW. Not trying to flame or anything


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## nicholo85 (Aug 26, 2009)

Room temps will most likely drop for my house during the winter. 

But I like the red bulb idea. That was actually what I was considering most. Just put it some distance away so the heat isnt too intense. Ill be looking more into that.


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## Hilikus311 (Aug 27, 2009)

*You can thank Paul Becker!!!*

This is all you need to do! especially for slings!






*







HEATING-the easy way*

Comments: 	HEATING-keeping tarantulas warm: Do not use a heat light. It will dry out the tank and kill your spider. If you have a 10 gallon aquarium, use a small under tank reptile heat pad on the back or the bottom of the tank. Put a piece of Styrofoam across the majority of the top. This will help retain the heat and humidity. Do not use space heaters as they also dry out the air and cause fungus to grow ,not to mention that they are very expensive and dangerous to keep running. -or- _Use a cabinet with doors and do the same thing. Use a thermometer to help you regulate the heat. If you have a lot of spiderlings just put them all inside the tank or cabinet ,leaving them in their small homes. Basically ,what you are making is a hot box_. Most tarantulas are designed to get rid of heat so they cool down fast and stay cold longer. It takes them a longer time to regain lost heat than it does to loose it. . If your cage is too dry and too cold,you have the makings of a disaster. A thermometer should be put into the soil to get an accurate idea of the tarantulas actual body temperature. If you keep them in a room with an airconditioner on , then they get colder even faster. Even though the temperature guage on the wall says 75 degrees,that doesnt mean that the spider is the same temperature.. It's likely to be much colder. I keep mine in a cabinet with a heat sourse inside.


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## JimM (Aug 27, 2009)

scottyk said:


> Room temperature is normally considered to be about 65 to 75 degrees in the US and Canada. It is simple unless someone knowingly over complicates the discussion. If I keep frozen meat in my bedroom do I get to define 29 degrees as "room temperature"???
> 
> Just poking back at you BTW. Not trying to flame or anything


LOL
Yeah, the room I speak of is my office, which is very "basementy", and too freaken cold.


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## Mvskokee (Aug 27, 2009)

What about an oil filled heater? i use a delonghi to heat my herp room is this ok or will it dry everything out?


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## JC (Aug 27, 2009)

Hilikus311's heating is perfect, just do not allow the heater to touch the enclosures and it will be fine. You can also use a reptile thermostat for your heater. That way you can actually have the heater touch the enclosures, just don't set it too high(72-78 degrees is preferable).


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## scottyk (Aug 27, 2009)

JimM said:


> LOL
> Yeah, the room I speak of is my office, which is very "basementy", and too freaken cold.


I bet it keeps you wide awake and working hard when you're down there though


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## robc (Aug 27, 2009)

james.m said:


> I would heat the room, never the Ts directly.


Totaly agree...


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## mitchnast (Aug 27, 2009)

I use a tall water basin in the enclosed area, and I submerge an aquarium heater into it,  It warms the whole area with a radiant warmth, no hot spots.

Reactions: Like 1


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## nakazanie (Aug 27, 2009)

james.m said:


> I would heat the room, never the Ts directly.


I just started using a space heater to bring the ambient temp to the upper 70s (25〫C).

Nak


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## JimM (Aug 27, 2009)

Hilikus311 said:


> : Do not use a heat light. It will dry out the tank and kill your spider.


A heat light used improperly can kill anything.
Done correctly, (proper wattage, proper distance) there's no danger, although not the ideal setup.

I doubt the heat pad you're using is enough to raise the ambient temp enough for my purpose. In the cabinet I'm planning though it probably will.

Most heat pads sold for reptile use are garbage.

I love it up here in the northwest, but I lived in California until just a few years ago and although my other herps needed heat, I never had to worry about heating T's there. This is the first time I've had to solve this particular problem.


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## nakazanie (Aug 27, 2009)

mitchnast said:


> I use a tall water basin in the enclosed area, and I submerge an aquarium heater into it,  It warms the whole area with a radiant warmth, no hot spots.


Good idea!  :clap: 

Nak


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## PrimalTaunt (Aug 27, 2009)

I'm in the same position as a lot of people who posted here.  I can't heat my house when I'm gone and, in the cold Wisconsin winters, temperatures inside can drop pretty fast (down to 50 or so).  Before reading this thread, I was going to invest in a heating mat as well as a thermometer with a shut off function and put my Ts in a "62 quart lock top tote" to help keep the heat in.  However, after reading this I'm not so sure.  Anybody have any idea how well heating cords work? :?

Reactions: Like 1


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## MorganD (Aug 27, 2009)

I have a light fixture in my T room that's got 3 different...light sources? It's one of those tri-bulb fixtures. Anyway, I replaced one of the regular bulbs with a 75 watt red bulb - that's a pretty large wattage, but it's on the ceiling nowhere near the T's and the ambient room temp bounces around 80 degrees give or take 1.


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## mandipants (Aug 27, 2009)

nicholo85 said:


> I keep the Ts in my bedroom, so I dont think Ill be heating my entire room to 24-27 degrees celsius, hehe. Is a UV lamp preferable? Maybe a heat pad instead?


DON'T!!!!!!!!!!


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## vvx (Aug 27, 2009)

I like the idea of a cabinet with built in heating. Gives you a smaller area to heat without the dangers or inconvenient of slapping a heat mat to all the enclosures. If I were to build it, I'd probably go with the electric heat tape that you can cut to size and a plain thermostat like you would use to control a baseboard heater.


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## scottyk (Aug 27, 2009)

PrimalTaunt said:


> Anybody have any idea how well heating cords work? :?


PM Nerri1029 if he does not chime in on this. He's posted pics of a shelf system that has heat cable woven into it. If memory serves me, he encloses the whole thing with some inexpesive sheet plastic and says it works very well...


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## Big Red TJ (Aug 27, 2009)

I am glad to live in Florida...I never have to heat my enclosures just block the A.C. Vent to the T's


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## ZergFront (Aug 28, 2009)

My slings do fine in room temperature. Keep them away from windows to prevent them from cold drafts and hot sun. Unless you're planning on breeding tarantulas or have something (like an avic) that needs a more constant temperature I think you'll do ok without added heat.

 Feel free to whack me upside the head if I said something less than correct, experienced breeders/avic fans.


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## PrimalTaunt (Aug 28, 2009)

scottyk said:


> PM Nerri1029 if he does not chime in on this. He's posted pics of a shelf system that has heat cable woven into it. If memory serves me, he encloses the whole thing with some inexpesive sheet plastic and says it works very well...


Thanks for the info.


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## Loudog760 (Sep 13, 2009)

Whats a good temp to keep T's at around 83?


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## vvx (Sep 13, 2009)

65+. If you keep them warmer they will tend to grow faster. Combined with power feeding this can be a nice way to get them bigger faster. The flip side is of course reduced life spans, as you're basically fast forwarding over portions of their life.


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## paul fleming (Sep 13, 2009)

In the cold UK we need to use external heat sources quite a bit.
The favourite way here is with a heat mat on the side of the tank controlled by a mat stat.
That is it really......we are not big fans of heat lamps due to drying out the air too much which aint good for spids that like humidity
paul


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## paul fleming (Sep 13, 2009)

Loudog760 said:


> Whats a good temp to keep T's at around 83?


that question has no answer.....different spids require different temps.
Also,some spids like it dry and some like it humid.
You should read up on the spid you want and get all the info first.
paul


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## gvfarns (Sep 13, 2009)

Depends on the number of T's and their location.  If it's a room, heat the room.  If it's just one or two T's, red party bulbs in lamps.  Point it at the enclosure...very gentle heat--just a few degrees--and they thermoregulate (move closer to the light when they are cold and farther away when they are warm).   It's cheap and works.

My experience with heating pads, whether designed for reptiles or medical use, is that they either don't work at all or they work way too well, and they cost a lot.

Heard good things about heat tape, but no personal experience.  It's not pretty, and that's a downside.


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## Loudog760 (Sep 13, 2009)

I'm thinking about using Hilikus311 method. Its a page back or so. I have 16 T's so I think it should work well.


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## Bill S (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm still experimenting and trying to develop the best system, but I'll at least contribute a few experiences to this discussion.

First, "room temperature" is a non-standard.  People have different preferences, and other circumstances can create a wide range of "room temperatures".  Some animals have narrower ranges of acceptable temps than others.  I'd much rather use real numbers than vague undefined terms.

The most temperature-sensitive arachnids my wife and I work with are cave scorpions.  Temperature range for these is within a couple degrees of 75 F.  (80 is dangerously high, 70 dangerously low.)  Humidity is also a big factor with these.  Last winter we were able to set up a drawer close to the floor that had a heat source, and by adjusting how far the drawer was left open we kept the temperature right on the mark.  In the summer we remove the heating element, of course.

Less temperature sensitive tarantulas went into a set of shelves in a room set up just for reptiles (and now arachnids).  The room is allowed to get much cooler than the main areas of the house, since many of the reptiles need to undergo a winter dormancy.  So on the shelves with the tarantulas I installed a plexiglass front and placed a heating element on each shelf - but not in direct contact with the tarantula containers.  And to keep the humidity up I placed a water bowl on each heating element.  This worked, but I'm thinking of making some further modifications for this coming winter.  Maybe a layer of foam insulation (the stuff you buy in sheets from Home Depot) on the back of the structure.

I also have a few large terrariums in other parts of the house, and for these I can use the under-aquarium heating elements at one end of the terrarium.  This allows for temperature gradient.  I can further adjust the temperature in these terrariums by draping a towel over the top which can be pulled back to allow release of heat or draped over the terrarium to let heat build up.

In all cases, good thermometers are necessary.  I use the indoor/outdoor types you can get at a nursery or garden shop.  If you want to monitor the temperature of the substrate, bury the "outdoor" lead in the substrate.  By using ondoor/outdoor thermometers you can leave a shelf or terrarium covered and still monitor the temperature, and it's useful to know the difference between ambient (room) temperature and container temperature so you can evaluate the effectiveness of your system.


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## JimM (Sep 14, 2009)

I'll be constructing an insulated cabinet before this winter, heated by either a small red bulb or a heating pad connected to a thermostat.


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## TheDanimal (Sep 25, 2009)

I guess I have a question about this too... Would it be ok to use a space heater connected to a timer that would turn on for a few hours every half a day ish? Here in Calgary the temps in my room can sometimes drop to high 50's to low 60's in winter, and while I'm not worried any of my T's (only have two, G.Rosea and P.Fasciata) will die, I'd really hate for them to be super uncomfortable or worse. :?


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## Drachenjager (Sep 25, 2009)

20 is warm enough


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## rvtjonny (Sep 25, 2009)

just finished up my winter set up today, well almost. its getting chilly around here at night now, I picked up a 20 gallon long tank from craigslist for 15 bucks, a piece of plexi from home depot for 12 bucks, and had a zoo med heat mat and zilla meter. the plexi is not shown cause i still need to cut to size and drill vent holes. heat mat is on the back wall (but its really the bottom of the tank):? 
**never put a T on top of a heat mat


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## Ictinike (Sep 25, 2009)

rvtjonny said:


> just finished up my winter set up today, well almost. its getting chilly around here at night now, I picked up a 20 gallon long tank from craigslist for 15 bucks, a piece of plexi from home depot for 12 bucks, and had a zoo med heat mat and zilla meter. the plexi is not shown cause i still need to cut to size and drill vent holes. heat mat is on the back wall (but its really the bottom of the tank):?
> **never put a T on top of a heat mat


Looks great and I'll be needing to come up with a winter setup soon as well I'm afraid..


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## Motorkar (Sep 27, 2009)

I use 25 Watt heating cable on my terrestrial species enclosures and 50 watt cable for my airborial species enclosures. Never had problems with hot spots. For terrestrial enclosures I put cable OUTSIDE on one of the sides and for airborials I put cable inside the enclosure on the ground, covering it with ceramic plates for the bathroom and then I cover all with damp substrate. Also I use thermostat to regulate temprature between 25-28°C.


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## Ether Imp (Sep 27, 2009)

I use my conventional oven.


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## Jack III (Sep 27, 2009)

rvtjonny said:


> just finished up my winter set up today, well almost. its getting chilly around here at night now, I picked up a 20 gallon long tank from craigslist for 15 bucks, a piece of plexi from home depot for 12 bucks, and had a zoo med heat mat and zilla meter. the plexi is not shown cause i still need to cut to size and drill vent holes. heat mat is on the back wall (but its really the bottom of the tank):?
> **never put a T on top of a heat mat


I have this same set up x 2.  It has been working VERY well and is cost effective for multiple T's here is the cold MN winters.  I find this easy, viewing friendly and simple to maintain.  Great, safe set-up.


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## IrishPolishman (Sep 27, 2009)

I have all my Ts setup in a cabinet.  I set a heat lamps on either side of the display.  The lamps aren't directly pointed at any single enclosure and are a fair distance away.  The two lamps seem to be plenty to keep the corner of the room a few degrees higher than the rest.  I just have to make sure I keep an eye on water dishes a little more regularly than normal.


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## paul fleming (Sep 27, 2009)

heat mats used with stats......
Like me  
Or just get a nice eagle....like me.. 
paul


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## Ether Imp (Sep 27, 2009)

That is a beautiful animal, man.


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