Keeping tiny slings warm

[Jterry]

Hey guys!

I have some .25" slings coming soon, and I will then have 12 sling under 1". The room I keep my T's in is right around 72* F, but I would like to keep the slings a little warmer to help them grow and get out of the fragile stage. If I have a large tank, could I put all of their little enclosures into the larger tank and place a heat mat on the side of it? I have a thermometer to place in there to make sure it doesn't get too hot. Has anyone else done this? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks!!
Jennae

 

[scorpio948]

I have not used a heat mat for it, but I put all their containers in a larger one to better regulate humidity and used a space heater in the small room they were in.

As long as the heat mat is not in contact with the sling containers and the temp is regulated, I see no issue. However I strongly recommend getting a thermostat or rheostat (dimmer switch) to regulate the power going to the mat and therefore regulate the heat emitted.


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[Kat Fenix]

I'm not 100% sure, but you could always buy a ceramic heat emitter. They spread heat pretty well and you could probably put it in a fixture a few feet above where you'll have your slings, and put it on a thermostat to keep the area a certain temperature.

I honestly put my T's containers close-ish to my steppe runner lizards heat light so they can share it. The light is on a thermostat so it never gets hotter than 85.

 

[Jterry]

I have not used a heat mat for it, but I put all their containers in a larger one to better regulate humidity and used a space heater in the small room they were in.

As long as the heat mat is not in contact with the sling containers and the temp is regulated, I see no issue. However I strongly recommend getting a thermostat or rheostat (dimmer switch) to regulate the power going to the mat and therefore regulate the heat emitted.


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Are there heat mats that are adjustable? I think those exist, I'll see if I can find one so that I can control the amount of heat coming out of it. If not, I'll get a dimmer switch for it. Thanks!

---------- Post added 03-05-2014 at 09:20 PM ----------

I'm not 100% sure, but you could always buy a ceramic heat emitter. They spread heat pretty well and you could probably put it in a fixture a few feet above where you'll have your slings, and put it on a thermostat to keep the area a certain temperature.

I honestly put my T's containers close-ish to my steppe runner lizards heat light so they can share it. The light is on a thermostat so it never gets hotter than 85.

I'm not sure I'm familiar with what ceramic heat emitter is. Where could I get a thermostat for that?

Edit: just looked it up, that might not be a bad idea! Thanks for the advice!!

 

[scorpio948]

Either way, whatever you use, be sure you are not heating the slings directly, but are heating the ambient temp inside the larger enclosure.


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[Jterry]

Either way, whatever you use, be sure you are not heating the slings directly, but are heating the ambient temp inside the larger enclosure.


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Absolutely

 

[cold blood]

FYI, heat lamps are a poor way to heat a t. While heat may not be an issue (although 85 is a bit high IMO), they really dry the air out and can dangerously bottom out humidity. Be careful.

A couple excerpts from "tarantulas and other arachnids", the first regarding temperature, the second regarding heating multiple slings:

"Tarantulas do not need to be as warm as you might think, but there are limits. For tropical species the mid to upper 70's are fine. You can keep north American tarantulas and Chilean species cooler than this....Keeping tarantulas warmer will mean they will eat more, and if immature, grow faster. Unfortunately, items marketed to warm reptiles will not work well for tarantulas, as tarantulas do not like their habitat to be a swarm as that of lizards...Using incandescent lights is risky as it will also dry the spider out."

"If you have to keep one or several tarantulas warm in the winter...get a larger tank to place the smaller individual cages in, and heat that."

Pretty much what the op was getting at...yup, good idea! I also heat small slings, but only small slings, and only to get them to a more resilient size quickly, by 2+ inches they will stop getting supplemental heat. I also live in a cold winter climate as well, so that plays a role as well.

 

[Jterry]

FYI, heat lamps are a poor way to heat a t. While heat may not be an issue (although 85 is a bit high IMO), they really dry the air out and can dangerously bottom out humidity. Be careful.

A couple excerpts from "tarantulas and other arachnids", the first regarding temperature, the second regarding heating multiple slings:

"Tarantulas do not need to be as warm as you might think, but there are limits. For tropical species the mid to upper 70's are fine. You can keep north American tarantulas and Chilean species cooler than this....Keeping tarantulas warmer will mean they will eat more, and if immature, grow faster. Unfortunately, items marketed to warm reptiles will not work well for tarantulas, as tarantulas do not like their habitat to be a swarm as that of lizards...Using incandescent lights is risky as it will also dry the spider out."

"If you have to keep one or several tarantulas warm in the winter...get a larger tank to place the smaller individual cages in, and heat that."

Pretty much what the op was getting at...yup, good idea! I also heat small slings, but only small slings, and only to get them to a more resilient size quickly, by 2+ inches they will stop getting supplemental heat. I also live in a cold winter climate as well, so that plays a role as well.

Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to post those quotes. I just looked and that room that they're in is more like 74*F. If I do put the slings in a larger tank to keep them warm, it'll only be a few degrees of difference.

 

[cold blood]

Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to post those quotes. I just looked and that room that they're in is more like 74*F. If I do put the slings in a larger tank to keep them warm, it'll only be a few degrees of difference.

No problem, anything for the cause, right?

Just keep in mind with the lights, that its not the temp you need to concern yourself with nearly as much as the humidity levels, which can suffer greatly with the lights.

 

[Jterry]

No problem, anything for the cause, right?

Just keep in mind with the lights, that its not the temp you need to concern yourself with nearly as much as the humidity levels, which can suffer greatly with the lights.

I will definitely keep that in mind I don't think I'll end up using lights. I may use a heat mat on the side of a large enclosure set at a verrryyyy low setting if anything.

 

[NewTdaddy]

Reviving an old thread:

Would keeping my slings' pots/enclosure in an insulated container (bag or box) help regulate the temperature a little? Or at least keep the chill out?

I have an idea to use a thermal lunch bag with styrofoam packing pellets to keep them warm during the colder weeks of the year. Would that work?

 

[Frogdaddy]

Reviving an old thread:

Would keeping my slings' pots/enclosure in an insulated container (bag or box) help regulate the temperature a little? Or at least keep the chill out?

I have an idea to use a thermal lunch bag with styrofoam packing pellets to keep them warm during the colder weeks of the year. Would that work?

Putting them in some sort of insulated box would only help to keep them at the temp inside the box. It would neither raise or lower the the temps.
If you placed them inside an insulated box with some source of heat, such as a heat mat, hot water bottle, light bulb, the box would help to retain that heat.

Is the T room chilly? Most people prefer to raise the temp of tje room a few degrees by using a small space heater. I prefer an oil filled radiator type heater as it seems to not dry out tje air as much. I have 16 slings ranging from 0.25"-1.5" and this works well for me.
What is the usual temp range in your room?
Depending on outdoor temps my room can get down to 64 or so at night when I'm not using the space heater. With the space heater I'm able to keep the temperature between 70 and 73 at night which is fine for slings.

 

[NewTdaddy]

Putting them in some sort of insulated box would only help to keep them at the temp inside the box. It would neither raise or lower the the temps.
If you placed them inside an insulated box with some source of heat, such as a heat mat, hot water bottle, light bulb, the box would help to retain that heat.

Is the T room chilly? Most people prefer to raise the temp of tje room a few degrees by using a small space heater. I prefer an oil filled radiator type heater as it seems to not dry out tje air as much. I have 16 slings ranging from 0.25"-1.5" and this works well for me.
What is the usual temp range in your room?
Depending on outdoor temps my room can get down to 64 or so at night when I'm not using the space heater. With the space heater I'm able to keep the temperature between 70 and 73 at night which is fine for slings.

The room is usually between 20°c and 24°c (so 68-75F ish?). It's not cold. I just want to make sure there's a consistent temp rather than a specific temp. I hoped standing sling pots in a thermal box/bag with polystyrene packing peanuts around them would hold a consistent temp more than just open air would. Maybe I'm overthinking. First time keeping slings and want to minimalise the chance of losses.

 

[Fablesweb]

I was worried about my new mantid babies staying warm enough because I live in an RV and the temp regulation isn't much better than a car and it gets pretty cold in here at night. What I did is take one of the low tanks and turn it on its side so that the top is actually the front and I insulated the sides and back with Styrofoam slabs (On the outside of the tank) and on the inside bottom of the tank i slid in another piece on the top I put a peice that is only taped on the back so it lifts up (and I covered the side that lays on the aquarium in aluminum foil) and then I put a heat mat under the foil.. with a thermostat though or its not safe for several reasons. And then I put some Styrofoam blocks inside the enclosure at different heights so the mantids that need warmer Temps would be closer to the heat source and the others are at the bottom. There is a thermometer at both levels and I have the screen lid (its the sliding kind which i think works better for this) covered in cardboard but I didnt tape it on in case I want to be able to view them. I just put the cardboard on when im going to bed at night since it gets way colder during the night. I've never had slings but this is working well for me so far and I think it could work for slings. Its really easy to set up just kind of messy cutting the Styrofoam.