Heat.

[Valael]

First of all, how important is it? I don't think having low 70s is fatal, but I'm willing to bet it slows down the growth rate.



But my question -- for those of you with the wonderful invention known as air condition where it stays a cool 70 degrees at all times, how do you keep all of your Ts warm?



Heating pads are a bit expensive since I'd need 1 for every every two cages.


Heat Lamps seem like the best bet, but their beam is fairly focused. I don't mean putting the heat lamp ON the spiders, just putting it a few feet away, directed towards them.


I thought about using a space heater...

 

[Inuleki]

that's why my a/c stays between 73-77.... and they aren't very close to the a/c, so all of mine have been doing fine, some growing like weeds, some growing like bricks....

 

[Nixy]

I have AC.
I use lamps to keep a " pocket" area warmer.
run a rail and space some lamps.
I think theres a thread with a link to Joy's Blondi tank set up.
But if you look at the other pictures you'll notice she has some spots and mini spots ranked on rails.
It looks damn nice and would do the trick.
If you don't stick them right against the top of the T's cage cover you shouldn't have to worry about cooking them.

 

[Code Monkey]

I've never used supplemental heat and I'm a personal climate control junkie. Temps are around 74-76F by summer, 72-74 by winter. I'm sure it slows growth, but I couldn't care less about that, the Ts are fine and healthy.

 

[Jesse607]

I have central air, so what I did was put them in a room that I do not need to be comfortable in, open the window and close the air vent. The room reaches the low 90's on the hottest days, and usually only goes down to the low 70's at night, but on cooler nights it has gone down to the high 60's. Normally it hovers around 75-84 both night and day. During the winter I use a space heater in the room I keep them in, but I only run it while someone is home. I usually only need to keep it on for an hour or two, and it keeps the room between 70-80 for up to 8 hours(otherwise room temperature is 66-70 during the winter!)

 

[Immortal_sin]

we don't have central air, just 2 air conditioners, one in the master bedroom (across the hall from the T room) and one in the living room. I just keep the T room closed off in the summer, temps are in the 80s, possibly the low 90s in the summer, and I keep the room heated with electric heat to 75 degrees in the winter.
I haven't had any temp related problems, but my electric bill sucks!

 

[Valael]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
I've never used supplemental heat and I'm a personal climate control junkie. Temps are around 74-76F by summer, 72-74 by winter. I'm sure it slows growth, but I couldn't care less about that, the Ts are fine and healthy.

I actually was always like that, but I have a tendency to let small things eat at me and I was worried people would think I neglected them.


That and the fact that I'm in the basement, so I'm assuming it's going to freeze down here in the winter (We just moved in.)

But maybe it'll stay warmer...They're about 10 feet from the furnace.

 

[deifiler]

I'm in England, the weather isn't exactly spider friendly. I use heat mats, partially as I can't afford a heater, but I use several 22" heat 'strips' to go across my entire shelfs and share it amongst them. Anyway, with about 4 of these, and the lighting to my chameleons tank, the room stays at a decent temperature.

Plus -seems like playing god- I use the placement of the heat mats to get my spiders where I want them. I.E. heat a Haplopelma Lividum enclosure from the side; resulting in Mrs Lividum making a burrow on the side, that is visible when removing the mat. Also placing heating in the open means the behemoths won't hide all day in their retreats.

This works very well until the arboreals thoguh, which rarely leave the 'warm spot'

Hope that shes some light on stuff

 

[Jesse607]

Here in the states a good space heater only costs about $30

 

[Nixy]

My husband is a cold junky and I don't have a " spare" room. Our collection is in our dining room, which is my computer room..... it has no doors to enclose it from the rest of the downstairs. It's just seperated by a few arches leading into the living room and another into the kitchen. When I get the chance and money to build the " spider shelves of our dreams" I'm going to heat strips/tape and very Mild suplimental lighting. More to illuminate softly then heat, but the heat would be a plus as long as I stuck with Very small wattages.
For now I do "light" heat the general area of the colloection and it's been fine for them. I Have closed off the vents in the dining room so the AC won't blow directly on them as it's central. So they do have that "pocket" warmth and seem to be doing fine.

 

[deifiler]

Thought about getting a heat cable, liek they use in garden centres? When I was younger my dad used to use them a lot, one cable can cover something like 20feet