Undertank heating pad

littebigspider

Arachnopeon
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Jul 4, 2006
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Based upon experience, which undertank heating pad (brand) do you think is the best (highest quality,most effective, etc.)
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
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I've had good luck with Kritterz Sauna Zone. I use these for some of my scorps but I don't use any heat for any of my T's.
 

Cirith Ungol

Ministry of Fluffy Bunnies
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If you're sure you wanna install a heating pad you should put it onto the side, not under the tank.
 

Thaedion

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IME I prefer Heat lamps with IR bulbs or ceramic heating elements, I used to use Zoo Med UTH the problem I had was that they would start to peel away from the tank, also they would bake the substrate to the other side. And as I found out later and is mentioned by 'Cirith Ungol' you should put them on the side, especially for burrowing animals. And if you use any type of false bottom set up and lets say the water dries up down under and the mat heats up and you put in more water you'll possibly crack the tank.
 
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Selenops

Arachnoangel
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I have been steered away from heat lamps but so far my scorpions and tarantulas are thriving with Zoo-Med's Repti-Therm heat pads.

I love the design and the consistant heat emission of these. They're not paperthin and flimsy like that other brand that puts out the Cobra Mats. These are more padded and more flexible (though bending them is not recommended). And the Repti-Therm heat pads adhere to the side wall of my terrariums perfectly.
 

Windchaser

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IME I prefer Heat lamps with IR bulbs or ceramic heating elements, I used to use Zoo Med UTH the problem I had was that they would start to peel away from the tank, also they would bake the substrate to the other side. And as I found out later and is mentioned by 'Cirith Ungol' you should put them on the side, especially for burrowing animals. And if you use any type of false bottom set up and lets say the water dries up down under and the mat heats up and you put in more water you'll possibly crack the tank.
Be careful with heat lamps. They can easily dehydrate tarantulas. I imagine they could do the same with scorpions too.

Personally, I don't use any type of supplimental heat. My house never gets cold enough to warrant the risk.
 

arrowhd

Arachnolord
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I use an Ultratherm brand heater for my reptile. Very safe and reliable product IMO.
 

Ungweliante

Arachnosquire
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Indeed, I don't use any heating for tarantulas either. They are completely ok in normal room temperatures. My house is 18-20 degrees Celsius during winter.
 

NeitherSparky

Arachnosquire
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Sep 12, 2006
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I have a Repti-Therm on the side of my t's 20-gal long tank, way on one end so she can get well away from it if she wants to. She usually spends some time there every day right now, as it is rather cold (we never use the heater in the apartment). So I think she appreciates it. ;)
 

C L Coles

Arachnopeon
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Jan 25, 2007
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Heating

I've been reading various posts on this forum to get information for my first set-up. I'm still unsure about heating. My home is kept at 20c when i'm home, but I turn down the heat at night and when i'm out (12 to 15c). What's the best way to heat? Many sources of information indicate using a heating pad installed under the tank (presumably attached to the tank bottom). If the pad is attached to the side, is it glued, or just leaning? How about heating cable? Can these devices be used with timers? Suggestions? Please be specific.....

Ignorant newcomer willing to learn!
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
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I've been reading various posts on this forum to get information for my first set-up. I'm still unsure about heating. My home is kept at 20c when i'm home, but I turn down the heat at night and when i'm out (12 to 15c). What's the best way to heat? Many sources of information indicate using a heating pad installed under the tank (presumably attached to the tank bottom). If the pad is attached to the side, is it glued, or just leaning? How about heating cable? Can these devices be used with timers? Suggestions? Please be specific.....

Ignorant newcomer willing to learn!
Most heat pads come witht the sticky adhesive already on one surface. I really prefer a heat mat on the stuck to the side "if I use one at all" because it is easier for the T to warm up and also get away and cool off. If it's underneath, you run a chance of haveing the T dig to cool off and inherently getting closer to the heat pad. It can easily overheat this way. If you put it underneath, you must make sure the pad is only under part of the tank and not the whole thing. Never used a cable. Yes they can be used with timers. If you do not keep the T's consistantly under 65 degrees, all the time, don't worry about supplimental heat. If it's always below 60 degrees, you should consider a heat option.
 

rYe

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Don't let the net caresheets fool you, most the time I've seen animals (not just T's) survive outside what most caresheets say. I provide no heat source for my T's, it's cold here now so I just run a space heater in my room that houses my varied collection of "Critters." It cost me around ten bucks at a local hardware store and seems to only cost pennies to run. Besides keeping t's on the cool side (as with most animals) slows down their growth, meaning longer life.... and to me this is very important (but I'm not a breeder, only a keeper).
 

Talkenlate04

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Be careful with heat lamps. They can easily dehydrate tarantulas. I imagine they could do the same with scorpions too.

Personally, I don't use any type of supplimental heat. My house never gets cold enough to warrant the risk.
So I have to ask you......... in nature the sun provides the heat that is needed...... so what is wrong with a heat lamp? I have used one now on my gravid female smithi and got good results. The lamp is hung above the tank about 1' and turned on for 8-10 hours at a time. She stays in her hide till the lamp is shut off and then comes out at night right when its shut off and sits at the front of the hide and will accept prey and such or just resume being a pet rock.

I would think a heat pad would not be the way to go its a heat source coming from a constant and I dont know that constant of anything is the way to go for any T.
 

C L Coles

Arachnopeon
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Jan 25, 2007
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Thanks for the clarification about heating pads. I've been looking at various care sheets, trying to pick up on discrepancies! I'm now trying to get the two suggested books - The Tarantula Keeper's Guide and Tarantulas and other Arachnids. I hope to be able to order a T in the spring. For now, I'm going through names!
 

Midnightrdr456

Arachnoprince
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Jan 17, 2006
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i dont use any heat on T's but for my snakes i use UTH. I use flexwatt and the zoomed uth. But I also use a thermostat, set for a hot spot of 90 degrees under the substrate, so once it hits 90 degrees it turns off, then once its lower than 90 it turns back on.

Its a safe way to keep your animals from getting injured.
 

Windchaser

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So I have to ask you......... in nature the sun provides the heat that is needed...... so what is wrong with a heat lamp? I have used one now on my gravid female smithi and got good results. The lamp is hung above the tank about 1' and turned on for 8-10 hours at a time. She stays in her hide till the lamp is shut off and then comes out at night right when its shut off and sits at the front of the hide and will accept prey and such or just resume being a pet rock.

I would think a heat pad would not be the way to go its a heat source coming from a constant and I dont know that constant of anything is the way to go for any T.
You can't really compare a heat lamp hung over an enclosure with the sun in a natural environment. Even in the harshest climates where tarantulas have the option to escape the effects of the sun. Burrowing species have the option of digging burrows much deeper than are possible in an enclosure. A heat lamp shining down on one or two cubic feet of substrate will dry it out quite quickly. Try an experiment sometime by creating two enclosures, one with a heat lamp and one without. Next, watch how much more quickly the one with the heat lamp will dry out. Do you realy want to subject your tarantula to the drying effects of a heat lamp. In most cases supplimental heat simply isn't necessary. In the cases that it is, it is always safest to heat the air space around the enclosures rather than the enclosure itself.

Think of it in another way. The kids toy the Easy Bake Oven uses a standard light bulb to cook small cakes. Do you really want to create what is effectively a low temperature oven for your tarantula's enclosure?
 

IndianaSlim

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Nov 5, 2006
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ceramic heater

I bought a $20 ceramic heater with an adjustable thermostat control and it keeps my tarantula room 70 - 75 degrees. During the winter my house stays a pretty steady 60 degrees so this heater seemed like the best idea. So far so good.
 
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