Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know how long they stay good for? Thinking about ordering a large quantity, but not sure how long they stay good for. I am talking about the standard 40 hour heat packs that are common.

Thanks (:
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www.geckobabies.com

The 40 hour heat pack is what you should use. I recommend shipping Mon. through Wed., this way if there is a shipping delay the 40 hour heat pack will still do the job. The animal is still protected with a 24 hour delay. Shipping on Thurs. and having a delay, now means the package sits for a whole weekend somewhere. I would never use anything less then a 40 hour heat pack. They are supposed to last for 40 hours. I have heard of them lasting longer, but I have never tested one. My 2 cents.

Thanks for the info, I did not type my question properly, but thanks!
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www.geckobabies.com

Sorry guys, I did not ask my question clearly.

What I meant was, do they expire if they are unopened? Meaning what is the shelf life of the heat packs? Will they last a few years unopened, or do they need to be used within a few months.

My question was not meant towards how to use them (:

Sorry for the confusion!
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www.geckobabies.com

Here is the link or click the word link at the bottom.
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Heat-Packs

Disposable 4" x 5" heat packs will produce temperatures between 105 - 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
40 hour pack will produce heat for 40 to 45 hours.
60 Jumbo Plus hour pack will produce heat for 60 to 65 hours.
Shelf life of 3 years.
Simple Operation - "turns on" when removed from the plastic outer packaging and exposed to air.
Contains all-natural high grade iron powder undergoes rapid rusting producing heat as a safe by-product.
Non-toxic, non-flammable and Biodegradable - safest heat pack on the market.
Detailed instructions for use are printed on the back of every heat pack.
Link

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed to know.
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www.geckobabies.com

keep in mind that even though they can last 2yrs years from their manufatured date on occasion they will activate with the smallest airleak in the bag.

if you buy bulk, always try to sort through them one by one. if you feel one that seems to be getting hard use that one before it becomes dead.

in the past i've sorted through my heat packs to find dead packs in what seemed to be completely sealed packages well before their expiration date.

also they are designed to heat up 1 cubic ft of air by 10degrees above the ambient temperature. so if you ship in the cold plan accordingly.

Pitoon

>>Thanks! That's exactly what I needed to know.
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>>www.geckobabies.com
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Thanks for the heads up on checking them!
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www.geckobabies.com

They take a long time to heat up fully. If you ship overnight or a short airline flight, it will be all over before the 40 hour pack is fully hot. The 20 hour heats up faster.

Up here in Canada, we can't use FedEx, UPS or Puro to ship live animals, so we use airlines.
Since there is never a delay above 6 hours without a phone call from the airport, we like to pack our stuff accordingly.
I personally use (in a 1.5 cu. ft. box) two 60 hour packs,and two 40 hour packs. I open them all the night before the day I ship to ensure that they are working by the time they go into the shipping box.
My animals arrive at a nice and toasty 90-ish degrees.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

Great ,who makes the 20 hour ones.Thanks Terry

Actually it doesn't take that long for the heat packs to reach their potential - so it really depends on your application. You also have to be careful as the 20 hour packs get much hotter than the 40 hour.

20: hour:

30 hour:

40 hour:

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Tosha
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I have heard horror stories about some of those heat packs that get hotter. I would never use a 20 hour heat pack. I recommend 40 hour heat packs.

That graph for the 40 hr pack is different than the text on the site. It said it takes 17-19 hours to reach the peak. But after giving it a little more thought, the extra time would come in handy if a box was lost in shipping.

40 HOURS HEAT PACK ACTIVATE IN APPROX. 40-50 MINUTES. IT IS THE MOST POPULAR TYPE FOR REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, AND INSECT SHIPPING. THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS APPROX. 110 DEGREES AT ITS PEAK. IT RELEASES STEADY TEMPERATURE AND PEAK OUT BETWEEN 17 TO 19 HOURS.