Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all i was wondering if its at all possible to "hide" a small heat rock under your substrate... i use corn cob bedding and i make it several inches thick.. crazy idea? Good idea? Any thoughts?
Thanks
C

You can try doing that, although I don´t reccomend useing hot rocks at all. You can also envolve it with human towels just make sure it´s thick anough not to burn the ig´s belly.
I think it´s a good idea to hide it underneath the substrate though.
Good luck and take care.
Later,
Dan

Thanks i hesitate to use it too but i worry about heat no matter how much i add

thanks again

You shouldn't be using a hot rock at all, since they have been known to malfunction without warning, causing serious burns. They're just not worth the risk. Your heat source should be radiant: heat lamps during the day and ceramic heat emitters at night.

The corn cob bedding really should go, too. If accidentally ingested, it can cause serious problems in an ig's digestive system. You shouldn't use anything particulate for a substrate. The best substrates are things like newspaper, butcher paper, and a wipeable, non absorbant surface like linoleum.

Since these are basic care concerns, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you haven't been doing a lot of reading up on iguana care? You could be a little behind in other areas as well. I recommend the information found at anapsid.org, greenigsociety.com, iguanaden.com, and the books "Iguanas for Dummies" by Melissa Kaplan and "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual" by James Hatfield.

No offense... just trying to help

Alika

Alika is right....any particulate substrate could cause impaction and even death....and no hot rocks please....get one of those books...lyn

Please don't be offended, but I agree, I thought the use of corn cob bedding went out in the early eighties. As far as hot rocks go, they are very expensive paper wieghts that should never be used with any herp (in my opinion). The ideal heater for Iguanas are cermic heat emitters or a heated enclosure. The ceramic heat emitters are nice because they don't put off any light, you can position them directly over your lizard's favorite sleeping spot, and they last for a very long time. Honestly your Iguana may never associate a hot rock with heat, I've never seen my Iguana sleep on the substrate (in ten YEARS), hes always up on a branch. Hope some of that helps. The authors sited have very good inforamtion, also experience is a very valuable resource.