Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was thinking about making a leo rack system out of the sterilite drawers. It's a stand with 3 drawers with actually more floor space than a 10 gallon. Each one would house one leo.

My question is: How do you heat it? I know how to put enough ventilation in there. The drawers have a little space on the sides and they are deep enough that the leos couldn't crawl out.

But can I stick UTH underneath? Would it be best to use heat tape or heat cable?
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1.1.1 Leopard Geckos (Aspen,Lucky and ?)
1.1 Cats (Reilly and Zoe)

i had to think of the same questions when I built Olina's large sweaterbox home...I was scared of heat tape because of the huge possibility of fire hazards, and UTH's get too hot and will melt the plastic. So what I decided was a human heating pad wrapped in a towel under the tank. You can get them at Walmart for around $10, they have 3 or 4 settings, and the temps stay GREAT. I would suggest testing it out first with one to get the temps right, then expanding it. Some people will tell you it is a fire hazard if you put the pad right on the plastic, and I agree, so wrap it in a towel. Heat tape (unless you wire it just right) can be MUCH more dangerous. Good luck and let us know how you decide!

Kelly

PS - I did check with the vet, and he said that this way of heating is good too.

I don't understand why you're going around saying heat tape and UTHs are bad. In the long run, they're a better investment. Yes, they do tend to overheat but that's because they're supposed to be used in conjunction with a thermostat or dimmer. Anyone who doesn't realize that is just asking for trouble. Whatever poor animal is inside the enclosure is going to die long before the plastic even melts.

Human heat pads are more of a fire hazard than heat tape, simply because human heat pads aren't designed to run nonstop resting beneath a reptile tank. Wrapping it in a towel and sandwiching it between two surfaces isn't a good idea either because it just restricts airflow--also increasing the risk of melting the plastic or cracking the glass.
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chickabowwow

OK, to clarify, I did NOT say UTH's or heat tape are BAD. What I said was that my personal choice was not to use them. I know large breeders prefer heat tape, and UTH's work great on glass tanks. This person was asking about heating a small rack system with sweater boxes, that is why I said it was probably not a good idea to use a UTH. Heat tape does work great from what I have heard, as long as you have a good dimmer and know how to wire it correctly. I have nothing against heat tape, I am just not an expert on wiring, and therefore it scares me for my personal use.
Human heating pads do work great for heating the plastic boxes. I know many people that use them, and have used them myself for awhile now. As I also stated in the post, you need to make sure to experiment with the temp levels BEFORE putting the leo's in, make sure you have a good thermometer, and adjust as necessary. Airflow is not a problem having them wrapped in a towel, as long as you don't wrap it too tightly, and you also prop up the other side of the tank to allow the airflow to that side (also to keep the tank level). I have spoken to many people about heating this way, including my vet, and many agree.
Heating issues are always a subject for arguement, and I personally believe it is a choice you make for your particular setup, your level of knowledge and comfort of working with the different heating methods. I don't think any heating method is "bad" or "better than others," I was just making a suggestion from personal experience.
Again, to the person who originally posted - take your time in deciding, keep doing lots of research, and let us know how it goes!