Newbie question about enclosure heat

[sketchmo]

So, I just got some Thai rainbows, Phillipine Giant blues, and albino n. Americanus from E&A about 2 days ago (and I adore them!)

I did get a heat mat before I got them (just in case) and decided to not use it b/c I'm on the second floor and its can be a bit warmer. Generally our house (in the summer) sits at 67-68F.

I'm running into a problem now where both tanks (one with the rainbows and blues and the other the albinos) are sitting around 66 F. They are still babies (my largest is 1.5in) and prefer 72F generally so I'm worried for that temp!

I've been considering using the heat mat on the wall a little away from them (a few cm maybe?) OR getting a mini space heater to sit near them to help keep them around 70-72F (and I also have a temp monitor I can attach)

What would be better? I can't change the temp of my room (I dont have a thermostat for my room) but I want to help them be a bit warmer

 

[l4nsky]

While I don't have experience with millipedes, I use supplemental heat for almost all my inverts (with plans to have them all heated). The important thing is never give them a chance to directly touch the heatpad (or the glass it's heating) and to never use an unregulated heatpad (heatpad with no thermostat or controller). For my smaller T's, I set their enclosures on top of my lizard's enclosure to bump them up a few degrees. For my adults who have heat, they have heatpads attached to the bottom of their enclosures and I utilize a false bottom both for drainage and to make sure they don't get within an inch of it. The thermostat probes are placed in the air plenum under the false bottoms. Hope that helps.

 

[sketchmo]

While I don't have experience with millipedes, I use supplemental heat for almost all my inverts (with plans to have them all heated). The important thing is never give them a chance to directly touch the heatpad (or the glass it's heating) and to never use an unregulated heatpad (heatpad with no thermostat or controller). For my smaller T's, I set their enclosures on top of my lizard's enclosure to bump them up a few degrees. For my adults who have heat, they have heatpads attached to the bottom of their enclosures and I utilize a false bottom both for drainage and to make sure they don't get within an inch of it. The thermostat probes are placed in the air plenum under the false bottoms. Hope that helps.

That does, thank you! I've put the mat on my wall with it about an inch or two away from the enclosure. Still mo tiering to find the best testing temp.

Really appreciate the input!

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

I use a space heater to keep the room from getting too cold (mostly when the air is running which is a horrible use of electricity but I don't have the option to turn the air off because it is not in the same room). Of course I bought a good quality vortex and keep it far from flammable objects so I don't burn anything down. I keep the level very low. I'm not trying to get the room hot, just hopefully the room never gets below 65.

 

[sketchmo]

I use a space heater to keep the room from getting too cold (mostly when the air is running which is a horrible use of electricity but I don't have the option to turn the air off because it is not in the same room). Of course I bought a good quality vortex and keep it far from flammable objects so I don't burn anything down. I keep the level very low. I'm not trying to get the room hot, just hopefully the room never gets below 65.

Okay, awesome! I know I told you I was going against heat, but when I saw it hit 65-66 I knew that needed to change. I'm using a low wattage mat rn and checkin temp every few hours (and it's holding steady at a range of 71-69 from hot to cold side) I'm absolutely in love with one of the blues! They are super personable and active, and are not afraid to explore. Haven't seen much of the others, but I know they're still around cuz I see frass.

 

[Madnesssr]

So, I just got some Thai rainbows, Phillipine Giant blues, and albino n. Americanus from E&A about 2 days ago (and I adore them!)

I did get a heat mat before I got them (just in case) and decided to not use it b/c I'm on the second floor and its can be a bit warmer. Generally our house (in the summer) sits at 67-68F.

I'm running into a problem now where both tanks (one with the rainbows and blues and the other the albinos) are sitting around 66 F. They are still babies (my largest is 1.5in) and prefer 72F generally so I'm worried for that temp!

I've been considering using the heat mat on the wall a little away from them (a few cm maybe?) OR getting a mini space heater to sit near them to help keep them around 70-72F (and I also have a temp monitor I can attach)

What would be better? I can't change the temp of my room (I dont have a thermostat for my room) but I want to help them be a bit warmer

My husband keeps the thermostat on 74F in the summer, so the only thing I need to worry about in the summer are the species that like it cooler. Paeromopus angusticeps, Petaserpes rosalbus Cope, and my Tylobolus sp. seem to like it cooler.

But in the winter, he keeps it on 65/66. So I put a heat mat in my shelving unit on the wall. The lip on the container keeps a gap between the bin and the mat. I place a thermostat probe through a tiny hole on the highest bin to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. My warm weather species get this spot. And I put the other bins in the top drawers under my gecko tanks on the ends with the heat mats.