What do you use for heating?

[BiteMee]

hi,

im wanting to find out what the most popular heat source is.. i use heat lights but i've heard people use mats and no lights or mats and lights..

so just wondering what you use and if there is a particular reason you went with that option?

cheers

 

[Snakelove]

I'm gonna be using heat mat and lights when my snake upgrades to a bigger enclosure. heat mat just purely to help it digest its food.

 

[webcol]

click clacks - mats
Enclosures - lights

 

[Chris1]

heat panels fro snakes, bright reflector globes for beadies, the geckos enclosure is on top of the snake enclosures and the heat from teh jungles bheat panels heats their sand beautifully, i was so happy to get rid of the heat mats....!!

i moved the snakes from red lights to heat panels since i was going thru about $300 worth of globes every year, (that was just in 1 cage that houses 2 bredli, i dont think i could afford globes now that i have more snakes,lol)) plus its a pain in teh butt sometimes having to change a globe 3-4 times a week!!! i think my 3 heat panels have already paid fro themselves in globe savings, still got a few more snakes to upgrade, but they all love the panels,...!!

heat mats scare me, way too many stories abotu them catching fire,...

 

[gavinator]

4 foot enclosures, Microclimate Heatmats and Stats(Magic Eye) with 50 watt UV basking light on Timer

 

[Pineapplekitten]

i use light bulbs too, i know what you mean about it costing a fortune to replace the lights especially when i globe can be like $45

whats the heat panels chris? are they expensive? i never heard of them, i dont think..

lights would be just as effective for food digestion as mats would be wouldnt they? or would the mats be better as the heat is directly on the belly?

 

[caustichumor]

It all depends on where you live, and what species of reptile you keep. I only keep pythons and live in NTH QLD, so I only need heat cord (and even then the thermostats probably only kick on for 2- 3 months of the year)

 

[gavinator]

i use light bulbs too, i know what you mean about it costing a fortune to replace the lights especially when i globe can be like $45

whats the heat panels chris? are they expensive? i never heard of them, i dont think..

lights would be just as effective for food digestion as mats would be wouldnt they? or would the mats be better as the heat is directly on the belly?

Reptile heat panel link below

http://www.eurorep.net/habistat/reptileradiator.pdf

 

[Chris1]

i get the ones from herpshop
The Herp Shop - Australia
go to the heating section and scroll down a bit,..

theyre $140 each, the first one i got has been running for a year now and still going strong. i expect it will keep going for many years.

i just use it with the pulse proportional themostat and it radiates such a nice gentle warmth.

yeah, lights are as good as mats for digestion, i guess it depends on the type of snake, heat from above for aboreal snakes, mats for terrestrial snakes,...thats how i would do it anyway,...(all my snakes are aboreal hence the lights/ panels,...)

if u have stacked cages the heat panels from the roof of the bottom cages heat the floor of the top cages, it works better than id dared hope!! both top and bottom cages are at exactly 32C in the heated part which really makes they half as pricey since theyre actually heating 2 cages.

 

[adazz]

I use heat lights but for keeping multiple babies (such as after breeding) Heat cords work quite nicely, cheaper than heat mats. Doesn't really matter what your heat source is as long as you get the right temps, lights work best though for larger cages though I've found.

 

[beatlloydy]

I have incandescant lights for snakes and ceramic heater for shingleback but am looking at cheaper methods...I currently use Edison mounts but am waiting on some Edison to GU10 converters where I am going to experiment with halogens which allegedly have a lower wattage for more heat.

Will try in shinglebacks cos I know they like the higher basking temps..

If it keeps ambient temp at around 30 degrees but basking up to 40 then I will be happy. I guess also we can all play around with wattages during the different hot/cold times of the year....unless the room the herps are in is stable temp

When I get my hatchlings in jan I will use a heat cord on 1 thermo for 5-7 hatchlings..depending on what I get. Aim to keep each hatchling box the same to regulate temp easier

 

[shellfisch]

click clacks - mats
Enclosures - lights

Ditto.
I would like to know more about heat panels??

 

[gazman]

i've started using 25w party globes and 7w heatmats in 1 enclosure..
therefore im using 32 watts.. rather than 60w reptaglobes..
adds up if you have a few enclosures.. and there still holding heat fine.

 

[Rainbow-Serpent]

I always use heatmats for clickclacks, I just find it to be easier for me.
For enclosures I use a ceramic heatlamp.

 

[Chris1]

Ditto.
I would like to know more about heat panels??

what would u like to know?
im such a huge fan of them.,....!!

 

[mysnakesau]

I am phasing out lights in my enclosures, except for my monitor, of course. I am sick of replacing bulbs on regular basis and after one of my snakes received mysterious injury that (to me) looked consistant with burning (even though the lights are covered), it well and truly made up my mind. Thank God he has recovered and is back to his handsome looking self but that's it. No more lights.

 

[shellfisch]

what would u like to know?
im such a huge fan of them.,....!!

I don't know anything, sorry.
What are they? How do they work?
If you have the time to reply

 

[Chris1]

theyre really simple, a rectangular panel with 4 screws, no electrician required, just screw it in to ur enclosure, plug it in to a thermostat, (i use the pulse proportional ones) and its good to go.
(although i doubt the snakes could burn themselves i like to use a cage for it just incase,...)

they give off a really gently warmth as opposed to the burny heat globes give off.

i was a bit worried about overheating my snakes by using them in smaller enclosures, but i put a shelf in 3/4 of the way up and the heat doesnt really venture below the shelf,...and thats in a 80cmhigh, x2foot x2foot enclosure.

my bredli has one on the underside of his shelf cos his tanks heaps bigger and he has either heat from above or belly heat depending on his mood.

no light is a bit of a problem if u like to see ur critters, but they dont mind the dark,....

they dont blow up, thats a huge plus!!!

im almost home, ill post pix soon,...

 

[Chris1]

pics as promised.

the first pic is of the jungle enclosure, just the heated section, below the shelf i put in stays nice and cool. shes so grumpy atr the oment and looks like a faded sock, cant wait till she sheds!!
the cord just goes thru a slit i put in the backing before i screwed it on, and i drilled a hole in fro the probe since i forgot about that when i was putting the slit for the cord in,..

next pic is Lokis heat panel which i put under his shelf, i dad used a hole cutter to put a hole in for the cord and probe to go thru, i taped it up from the outside ande he isnt exposed to any sticky bits.

3rd pic is an still lokis tank, i put a towel in the top shelf for his cos he loves towels either to sit on or hide under, i cant give him a proper hide on the top shelf incase he knocks it off and somehow hurts himself, so it does the job.
he spends most of his time on top of the heat panel.

4th pic isa the gecko enclosure sitting on top of the 2 jungle enclosures,..there is no heating built into the gecko enclosure, it has 2 warm spots from teh heat panels, im so happy to no longer need heat mats,...