Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ive never really been clear on what exactly is rong with them. are ALL kinds of heat rocks bad?
these dont sound that bad, but, again, i dont know the problems people have had...
www.zoomed.com/html/rock_heaters.php
the deluxe is what id buy...based on the replies i get back from this. thanks -Mike

Heat rocks can burn your snake!!!!!!!!!!! Use under tank heaters, or heat tape, and use a thermostat to regulate the temp.

Go with a normal heating pad from Walmart= $15
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Greg
www.imageevent.com/gmherps

` A snake's nervous system is not as sensitive to localized heat as a human's. You will touch something too hot, and immediately react. The snake takes much longer to "feel" the heat. It can take enough time for serious, even deadly burns to happen. Working in retail, I've personally seen dozens of snakes with serious burns from heat rocks. Any uncontrolled heat source can burn them. Belly heat, with a thermostat running through a rheostat is cheap, and safe.
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did you look at the link? one of the heat rocks has a rheostat on it. that still isnt any good? i dont think anyone that responded even look at the link. i already know they are dangerous and will burn reptiles....i wanna know if the one with the rheostat is any good or not.

` One warm spot in a cage, with a cold floor otherwise, is a source of respiratory infections, and digestive problems, in all tropical snakes. Floor heat over the entire floor of the cage, with a gradient, is the safest method for non-arboreal snakes. Snakes don't need to thermoregulate, they do it when they must. If a cage has one warm spot, with the rest cool, and the snake fouls up its thermoregulation routine, you have a sick snake. Heat lamps and heat emitters, cause this problem, too. These methods also reduce valuable humidity. With floor heat, you can place a water dish over a warm spot, causing humidity which a properly sealed, and vented cage will retain. Just remember that warmed water is a bacterium's paradise, so constant sanitation is a must!
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"Snakes don't need to thermoregulate...."

Huh??

If you click on the question mark below the description of the deluxe model it will give you a few tips. One thing it says is to use extreme caution with ball pythons. You also aren't supposed to use it in a glass aquarium, only in a wire cage. I personally wouldn't risk it.

Alison

its not the heat itself. Its the production of hotspots over time. Where one spot gets over the temp. of the rest of the rock. Sometimes this can get 110 plus degrees.

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