Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone use these for heating reptile enclosures? I've just built a large, 5-cage, cabinet-style enclosure w/ 3/4" melamine shelves to house my 4 snakes & skink. Each cage is 4'x2'x12". The heat pads in their current cages are ZooMed, but are for 10-20 gals, so I don't think they'll be big enough. I tried putting a human heating pad on one shelf & it really seemed to work well (i'd attach them to the under side of each cage). What do you think?
Also, any advice on how to attach them?
Thanks in advance!
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1.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.6 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton & 2 as-yet-unnamed babies
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

some people use them but there not designed for constant usage.do they pose a danger? quite possibly.is it worth the risk? i don't think so.

I have one on all three of my tanks, one has been on low for 7 years, one for 5 and the other for a year and i have never had any problems with them

ken
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0.1 Albino Cal. King (Fokker)
1.0 Reverse Okeetee Corn (trouble)
0.1 Creamsicle Corn (Spot)
1.1.9 Bearded Dragons (Bob & Margret and there kids)
1.3 Dogs(George, Sandy, Cookie) they are rescues, Lhasa Apso, Mutt, Boxer
1.0 Betta
0.1 Wife
0.1 Kid

I used a human heating pad for 2 years before came on this board. It had 3 setting low to high and was great but after reading some of the posts here I got scared since they arent made to run 24/7 but I must say I wish reptile heating pads were made like these.
I than switched to zoo med which was a MISTAKE. It ran insane temp than would run cool than back up,etc it cracked my glass tank bottom (I do love their bulbs,etc)
After buying new tank I switched to cobra heat pad and love it.
There is no real evidence that human heat pads cant be used but I just got nervous and switched. Some do sware by them.
Heehee I did for 2 yrs.
Lia

Thanks everyone. I'm gonna try it. Any suggestions on how to adhere them to the bottoms (which will be the ceilings of the cages below them)? I'm thinking duct tape or something like that, but I'd like something white as the pads & cage are white.
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1.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.6 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton & 2 as-yet-unnamed babies
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

I can't name any names, but I once toured the facilities of one of the biggest names in leopard gecko breeding in the US. It's a name most everyone would know.

He used human heat pads exclusively and at a huge cost. He litterally had hundreds of them. Flexwatt would have been so much cheaper but he said he'd never use it again after having some problems with it. I don't know exactly what those problems were, however.

Also, I assume he shut them off at night given he recommend significant night-time temperature drops for leopard geckos.

I don't have any recommendations other than foil tape to mount it.

>>I'm gonna try it. Any suggestions on how to adhere them to the bottoms (which will be the ceilings of the cages below them)? I'm thinking duct tape or something like that, but I'd like something white as the pads & cage are white.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

I also used them for about 7-8 yrs and still have 2 from then and still use them lol .I havent had any issues with them at all they have heated everything from 3/4" oak cages to the plastics cagesi build now.

As to mounting them ill have to re read your original post on materials the cage is made of it self .
Here is how i have mounted them in the past, i have taken a actual stapler and stapled them around the edges about every 2" there is enough room to do so w/out any danger of catching the heating elements on the pad itself as you can feel them on it .This worked very well for holding the edges of it in place however they would bea little "sag" in the middle of it and you would also needto make sure the cord is fastened good so the snakes cant climb through it like a swing.

As for taping the duct tape atleast when i tried it would heat up and come loose due to the adhesive would stay a lil "tacky" and pull loose in the heat , foil tape may be better but would reccomend the hi temp foil tape for this .

Also the last way worked very well i bought a pc of white pegboard and cut about 1" biger all around then the heat pad and screwit to thefloor of the cage (when used in a multi unit housing) this would keep the snake from touching it directly ans also allow it to heat the lower cage ambient temps aswell whille keeiping it protected .
i would say as with any heat source its good to always keep a check on ahything that heats up lol
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Visit the new website while the Jungle gets made over.

Thanks so much everyone! I'm going to try the foil tape, although I also like the pegboard idea...
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1.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.6 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton & 2 as-yet-unnamed babies
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

I just had mine with the tank laying on it but I know at home depot probably anywhere they sell heat resistant duct tape and some buy a small bit of insulation type pads/foam and put that between the heat pad and the duct tape it works incredible for holding heat and directing it into the tank.
Again I had my heat pad on low to medium for 2 yrs never a problem but use cobra heat pad now since I got scared but lol you got me thinking again.
Lia