Whats the best way to heat your enclosures?

nicholo85

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I keep the Ts in my bedroom, so I dont think Ill be heating my entire room to 24-27 degrees celsius, hehe. Is a UV lamp preferable? Maybe a heat pad instead?
 

tekkendarklord

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uhm I suggest don't use any heating device because this may cause hot spots for the Ts enclosure so ur like gonna cook them up and also what species do you have anyway, some Ts doesn't need any heating devices. you can find warmest part of your house and put them there or use a red party bulb that's 25 wat because Ts cant see red light and you can adjust it to the enclosure if you need a small heat adjust it further, you know what I'm sayin.
 

Roland Slinger

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I'm also wondering this. I'm hoping to receive a GBB soon and all care sheets claim they need 80-90F. My room is 70-72F and I only want to keep it in my room.
 

scottyk

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Both of you can do a search as this is a topic that comes up many times.

The short answer is that for almost every species, room temp is fine. Your GBB will be quite happy in the low 70's...
 

JimM

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I myself am in a situation now where I must heat them...the room drops down to the mid 50's, and heating the room itself is not cost effective.

So "room temperature" is not always so simple.
Right now I'm using a heat lamp at a distance, but will build a temperature controlled cabinet soon.
 

scottyk

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I myself am in a situation now where I must heat them...the room drops down to the mid 50's, and heating the room itself is not cost effective.

So "room temperature" is not always so simple.
Right now I'm using a heat lamp at a distance, but will build a temperature controlled cabinet soon.
Room temperature is normally considered to be about 65 to 75 degrees in the US and Canada. It is simple unless someone knowingly over complicates the discussion. If I keep frozen meat in my bedroom do I get to define 29 degrees as "room temperature"???

Just poking back at you BTW. Not trying to flame or anything ;)
 

nicholo85

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Room temps will most likely drop for my house during the winter.

But I like the red bulb idea. That was actually what I was considering most. Just put it some distance away so the heat isnt too intense. Ill be looking more into that.
 

Hilikus311

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You can thank Paul Becker!!!

This is all you need to do! especially for slings!






HEATING-the easy way


Comments: HEATING-keeping tarantulas warm: Do not use a heat light. It will dry out the tank and kill your spider. If you have a 10 gallon aquarium, use a small under tank reptile heat pad on the back or the bottom of the tank. Put a piece of Styrofoam across the majority of the top. This will help retain the heat and humidity. Do not use space heaters as they also dry out the air and cause fungus to grow ,not to mention that they are very expensive and dangerous to keep running. -or- Use a cabinet with doors and do the same thing. Use a thermometer to help you regulate the heat. If you have a lot of spiderlings just put them all inside the tank or cabinet ,leaving them in their small homes. Basically ,what you are making is a hot box. Most tarantulas are designed to get rid of heat so they cool down fast and stay cold longer. It takes them a longer time to regain lost heat than it does to loose it. . If your cage is too dry and too cold,you have the makings of a disaster. A thermometer should be put into the soil to get an accurate idea of the tarantulas actual body temperature. If you keep them in a room with an airconditioner on , then they get colder even faster. Even though the temperature guage on the wall says 75 degrees,that doesnt mean that the spider is the same temperature.. It's likely to be much colder. I keep mine in a cabinet with a heat sourse inside.
 
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JimM

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Room temperature is normally considered to be about 65 to 75 degrees in the US and Canada. It is simple unless someone knowingly over complicates the discussion. If I keep frozen meat in my bedroom do I get to define 29 degrees as "room temperature"???

Just poking back at you BTW. Not trying to flame or anything ;)
LOL
Yeah, the room I speak of is my office, which is very "basementy", and too freaken cold.
 

Mvskokee

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What about an oil filled heater? i use a delonghi to heat my herp room is this ok or will it dry everything out?
 

JC

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Hilikus311's heating is perfect, just do not allow the heater to touch the enclosures and it will be fine. You can also use a reptile thermostat for your heater. That way you can actually have the heater touch the enclosures, just don't set it too high(72-78 degrees is preferable).
 

scottyk

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LOL
Yeah, the room I speak of is my office, which is very "basementy", and too freaken cold.
I bet it keeps you wide awake and working hard when you're down there though :D
 

mitchnast

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I use a tall water basin in the enclosed area, and I submerge an aquarium heater into it, It warms the whole area with a radiant warmth, no hot spots.
 

JimM

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: Do not use a heat light. It will dry out the tank and kill your spider.
A heat light used improperly can kill anything.
Done correctly, (proper wattage, proper distance) there's no danger, although not the ideal setup.

I doubt the heat pad you're using is enough to raise the ambient temp enough for my purpose. In the cabinet I'm planning though it probably will.

Most heat pads sold for reptile use are garbage.

I love it up here in the northwest, but I lived in California until just a few years ago and although my other herps needed heat, I never had to worry about heating T's there. This is the first time I've had to solve this particular problem.
 

PrimalTaunt

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I'm in the same position as a lot of people who posted here. I can't heat my house when I'm gone and, in the cold Wisconsin winters, temperatures inside can drop pretty fast (down to 50 or so). Before reading this thread, I was going to invest in a heating mat as well as a thermometer with a shut off function and put my Ts in a "62 quart lock top tote" to help keep the heat in. However, after reading this I'm not so sure. Anybody have any idea how well heating cords work? :?
 

MorganD

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I have a light fixture in my T room that's got 3 different...light sources? It's one of those tri-bulb fixtures. Anyway, I replaced one of the regular bulbs with a 75 watt red bulb - that's a pretty large wattage, but it's on the ceiling nowhere near the T's and the ambient room temp bounces around 80 degrees give or take 1.
 
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