Deep dark night

[Rookie]

Hey all,
I've spent most of the day microwaving 'magic bags' in an effort to keep my s'ling warm in my freezing-cold room. I'm in a University dorm, and the #@!*ers at accomodations won't turn on our heaters until november! I think a heat pad is necessary, but I'm worried about tonight.
I've been trying to think of ways to keep my s'ling warm through the night using household methods, since I have little to aid me in my search for heat. I can't microwave magic bags in my sleep, and they don't stay warm for long. I'm thinking of trying to get my laptop warm by running a game or something, and laying his jar on that.
I know this seems extreme, but it was about 68 F when i woke up this morning, and that's quite cool for a T..
Any other ideas? I'm accepting anything you can think of, since I'll be going to bed soon..
Paul

 

[kosh]

put it on top of the television set and leave it on all nite......TVs put out some heat...

 

[galeogirl]

Or you could buy a small plug-in heater and heat your whole room. I heat my office/tarantula room with a small ceramic heater that cost about $14. You should be able to find one for under $20 at a hardware or department store.

 

[kosh]

yeah good thinking galeogirl....i didnt even think about those little space heaters that walmart sells.....some of those $20-30 ceramic models will sweat you out of the room if you choose and the nicer ones even have a programmable thermostat, and an oscillating fan, and lots of safety features so you can sleep well at night without fear of burning the place down...

 

[atavuss]

Originally posted by kosh
yeah good thinking galeogirl....i didnt even think about those little space heaters that walmart sells.....some of those $20-30 ceramic models will sweat you out of the room if you choose and the nicer ones even have a programmable thermostat, and an oscillating fan, and lots of safety features so you can sleep well at night without fear of burning the place down...

the only thing about the portable space heaters is that they are seasonal, and may not be available yet......
Ed

 

[kosh]

the walmart here in south alabama has the heaters out already......heck they have christmas stuff out already......its kinda funny to look on the shelves and right next to the fans and window air conditioners they have space heaters!!!! and on one isle they have halloween stuff and a few isles over is the christmas stuff!!!

 

[SkyeSpider]

You could always get a 150W reptile lamp from a pet shop. It's too hot to put over the spider, but in the same corner, not pointed at it, would probably be fine. I have two of those lights in my room (for my dragons) and it stays about 90 degrees or hotter in here half the time

-Bryan

 

[Rookie]

Lamps

Hey all,
I think it was Galeogirl who told me not to use a lamp for my T, and I'm not disagreeing with her..but why can't I use a lamp? I realize that I own a spider, and not an Iguana, but why is there a difference?
Also, I've heard mention of people sometimes using blacklights for their Ts. Does anyone suggest this? Why would you use one?
Always soaking up knowledge,
The Rookie

 

[kellygirl]

if i remember correctly, galeogirl defended her position of "no lamps" so as to protect your T from desiccation.

i keep lizards and Ts and actually there is a big difference!

iguanas love heat---most 100 degrees will keep em happy. they particularly like basking in the light and would become very unhealthy if they were not allowed to do so. these lamps do generate quite a bit of heat, so much to the point that the water in my iggy's water bowl evaporates by the end of the day. i mist her daily--sometimes she is receptive, sometimes she isnt. she doesnt seem too concerned with water because she craps in her water bowl more than drinks out of it! iguanas can get much of their water through the food they eat.

Ts, on the other hand, dont do well with such extreme heat. correct me if i'm wrong everyone, but you dont want to bring a T above the mid-80s. your T could get too dry! Ts almost across the board need higher levels of humidity than your average lizard. some species of tarantulas will die (i've heard that it is particularly important for pinktoes to have high humidity and ventilation) if you do not keep their tank moist at all times. also, IME, my Ts hate direct light. they will flee it. maybe it's all those eyes or something but you would have a very unhappy T if you kept direct light on him/her.

i havent been on this board for very long, neither have i had Ts for very long, but i will say this: there are many people that come to this forum that you could call experts and people that have been posting for awhile (ie. your knights, barons, nadkickers ,etc) seem to know what they are talking about. if no one comes out and directly disagrees with someone, then i would take it as truth. this forum is quite a treasure to T collectors, isnt it?

sorry for the lengthy response!

kellygirl

 

[Rookie]

Lamps+Ts=Bad

Well, like I said, I wasn't disagreeing with Galeogirl. I know for a fact that she keeps reptiles and inverts, and I wouldn't do something as foolish as disagree with her advice, or anyone else's on here. For the most part, I didn't want to admit that I was too stupid to understand what 'desiccation' meant. But I guess we've let the cat out of the bag afterall.
I know lamps are bad for Ts, I was just curious as to why they are bad. Both lamps and heat pads would rob the Ts enclosure of some moisture, and yet pads are acceptable. I was wondering why this is. However, Kelly, you are probably right: light would probably be the most obvious answer for not using lamps. No nocturnal creature would appreciate one.
My next question then, is what about a black light? They produce heat, and yet they do not produce light in the same manner that a normal lamp does.
I never disagree with the squires, knights, and nadkickers on this site. Everything I know about Tarantulas, I owe to them. I certainly haven't forgotten that.
Paul

 

[skinheaddave]

It is all about heat distribution. A heat pad creates an area of warmth running from one end to the other that, if you have things right, means from the top of the enclosure to the bottom of the enclosure on one side. It warms the air and the substrate close to the same amount.

A bulb pointed directly at a surface, however, warms the air, but really heats the surface. Think of a black leather couch in the sun. The couch itself will get to the point where it could burn you, even though the air around it isn't that bad. The result of this superheating of surfaces is that if one of those surfaces is your T, dessication could occur really quickly.

So by all means use a light to create the heat -- just don't point the light directly at the enclosure. Also, remember that you don't need extreme temperatures. Most Ts will survive quite well in the 70s-80.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[kellygirl]

big words.....

hey rookie, i feel ya on that! there are definitely times i have to refer to dictionary.com! hehe. but people are always nice and understanding here. i have never encountered someone to mock me for my novice-level knowledge of Ts.

kellygirl

 

[skinheaddave]

Re: big words.....

Originally posted by kellygirl
i have never encountered someone to mock me for my novice-level knowledge of Ts.

;P Novice! ;P There, now you have -- granted it was completely tongue in cheek. The thing is, with very few exceptions, the "experts" on this board have only been at it a few years longer than everyone else. I personaly don't consider myself a T expert, as I have only been at it for a year or so (scorpions are a different matter entirely). The point is, no one is going to mock you for not knowing something (unmentionable name being the exception) if they themselves can clearly remember when they were in the same boat. Besides, what could be more embarasing than putting you down now only to have you turn around and prove us wrong in a year or two?

As for the true gurus (you know who you are), they seem to be a universally informative and helpful lot.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Rookie]

case closed

Thanks SHD, that clears up a lot.
Sorry I was curt earlier Kelly; classes can make a person cranky.
I think I'm just going to get a heat pad, put Peso and his jar in a kritter keeper, and attach the pad to the KK. Does that sound like a good setup?
Paul

 

[skinheaddave]

That seems reasonable. If you put the pad on the side of the KK, you can adjust the possition of the jar to get just the right temp.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[kellygirl]

rookie,
lol, i didnt even realize you were being "curt" so obviously no hard feelings!

SHD,
just cause you're a baron doesnt mean you can push us peons around! well actually...maybe that's exactly what it means.

=D

kellygirl

 

[Rookie]

Don't feel bad

Haha. Don't feel bad Kelly, I only turned Squire a few days ago, and that's far from a seat at the nadkickers' round table.
The Rookie

 

[MrDeranged]

A Word or Two to the Newbies

Hey All,

We were all in the same boat as you guys not too long ago. In the wonderful world of tarantulas, you'll see that most people will never refer to themselves as experts, myself included. What it really comes down to is experience levels. More experience doesn't make you and expert, it just gives you a broader base of experiences to extract knowledge from. In speaking with many of the BIG names in the hobby, I've never heard any of them refer to themselves as more than an "Advanced Hobbyist". I hope to one day be as advanced as they are.

Scott

 

[kellygirl]

thanks MD... i guess i used the term "expert" too generally. but what about that dude volker? now that guy knows what he's talking about..... i cant make it through his posts without reading them several times!

kellygirl

 

[MrDeranged]

You could just ask him yourself, I'm sure he'd be happy to reply.

How about it Volker: Expert or Advanced Hobbyist?

Scott