Low power (USB?) heating elements for enclosures?

[GL3NE]

Hello,

I have been keeping tarantulas on and off since 2001 and got back into the hobby recently, and I have a question about heating.

I know heating elements are generally avoided, but sometimes my home gets a little cooler than I would like (low 70's). My girlfriend also has a crested gecko. I monitor the interior temperature and humidity of my A. Geniculata's enclosure and it hovers around 71-72°F at 70-80% humidity. I'd like for it to be in the high 70's and I feel the same way for the gecko for daytime temperatures.

I have a P. Regius (Regal jumping spider) whose enclosure has a small USB reading light touching the top. When I turn it on during the day, the spider actually moves directly beneath the light although it is very warm to the touch. The spider's preference to move very close to the heat source led me to believe that the conditions our pets live in are not as comfortable as they should be.

Has anybody used very lower power, perhaps even USB powered heating elements for small terrariums? I don't have a dedicated spider room and generally share the vicinity with the enclosures.

 

[Spoodfood]

Heat lamps can cook tarantulas. Heat mats, same story. They’re good for scorpions, not for Ts. If you don’t have central heat, your best bet is to get a space heater. I used to do that back when I had an apartment. But low 70s really isn’t a dangerous temperature. My t room stays around 75, but can get down to low 70s at night. If I’m feeling hot in the living room of my house (I live in FL, it’s humid and hot here) I’ll close the vents in my t room so it stays warm in there while I turn in the ac. If you’re comfortable, they will be comfortable as well. If you feel a little chilly, get a space heater for just that room. Or you could easily go to the source and fix any insulation issues or things that may not be allowing your room to hold heat in properly. I also keep jumpers who do perfectly fine at the same temp in my t room.

also, I wouldn’t sweat about humidity, it’s meaningless. If you have a moisture dependent species, just water down a corner of the substrate. It will sink to the bottom and you’ll see a band of moisture there. Just make sure that band doesn’t shrink too low.

 

[Spoodfood]

i didn’t mean to post two replies I meant to edit the first one. I fixed it, apologies.

 

[KingZephy]

Agree w the space heater thing, its the safest way to raise the ambient temperature in the room without putting the spiders at risk

 

[Sterls]

I wouldn't add any heat, your temps are fine. Dipping down to even 65 at night isn't really a big deal. I would recommend a space heater if you're dead set on upping the temps. I have one, the oil filled ones don't use much energy at all. I also have an exo-terra fitted with insulation and with a heat pad on one side. It's warmer in this enclosure than the room as a whole - it's for some other inverts that need extra heat. Not practical for two larger species though. Definitely don't add a lamp, pad, or heat rock.

 

[basin79]

Whilst your pets don't need additional heating at those temps there's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH HEAT MATS SO LONG AS THEY ARE USED RIGHT.

 

[viper69]

Temps are fine- heat mate only on vertical planes.

 

[RoachCoach]

Space heaters are just as dangerous as heat mats when used recklessly. Most heat mats have a resistance that only allows them to reach a certain temp. Space heaters are good, but you are relying on their "ahem" built in thermostat. I had a lasko that I loved for 10 years. Then it's stat died and cooked my boa to death in an off room. Thank god that dumpster POS didn't start a fire and kill my cat and dog too. Have a relay or at the very least redundancy shutoff when using heating elements. Even UVB bulbs can start fires.

 

[KingZephy]

Space heaters are just as dangerous as heat mats when used recklessly. Most heat mats have a resistance that only allows them to reach a certain temp. Space heaters are good, but you are relying on their "ahem" built in thermostat. I had a lasko that I loved for 10 years. Then it's stat died and cooked my boa to death in an off room. Thank god that dumpster POS didn't start a fire and kill my cat and dog too. Have a relay or at the very least redundancy shutoff when using heating elements. Even UVB bulbs can start fires.

Oh wow, I’m sorry to hear that! Its good to know that about space heaters- I actually had a heating pad malfunction once and it killed my ball python :/ to be fair i didnt have it hooked up to a thermostat controller. Lesson learned though.

 

[The Snark]

Just a few words about USB heaters. Five volts. Forget heating. To just get 20 watts of heat draws 4 amps of current. So you need a power source roughly 20 times the average USB charger can provide. You also need a cord the size of a modest extension cord, about 16 gauge. To put that in context, an average candle produces 80 watts of heat.
The average space heater, 1200 watts, if running on 5 volts, draws 240 amps of current.

 

[RoachCoach]

Just a few words about USB heaters. Five volts. Forget heating. To just get 20 watts of heat draws 4 amps of current. So you need a power source roughly 20 times the average USB charger can provide. You also need a cord the size of a modest extension cord, about 16 gauge. To put that in context, an average candle produces 80 watts of heat.
The average space heater, 1200 watts, if running on 5 volts, draws 240 amps of current.

How many Stanley Nickels to Watt?

 

[GL3NE]

Just a few words about USB heaters. Five volts. Forget heating. To just get 20 watts of heat draws 4 amps of current. So you need a power source roughly 20 times the average USB charger can provide. You also need a cord the size of a modest extension cord, about 16 gauge. To put that in context, an average candle produces 80 watts of heat.
The average space heater, 1200 watts, if running on 5 volts, draws 240 amps of current.

Per my original post, I'm not looking to make bunch of heat from a USB port, but to find a low power (think single-digit watts) heat source to slightly raise the temperature of a very small area. I have some containers on a shelf which I would like to have just a couple degrees higher than the surrounding room temperature.