Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I've had no success with my general post so I'm trying to get more specfic.

I am getting custom cages... I don't know what yet but the kind of heating "thing" I use currently is the kind you stick to the bottom of the glass in aquariams... and that won't work for a non-glass bottom.

So I have been looking at heat pads. I would like some recomendations. I Don't want to use a thermostate and I don't think they should need one. (ie if it was constructed right in the first place...etc etc)

What kind of substraite do you use with them/it?

CAn you get the particular brand you use wet?

If you put a papertowel over it would it catch on fire? or in other words, how safe is it?

How hot does it get? Temp MUST be constant no matter how long its been on (acctually I keep my under the tank heaters on 24/7 without a variance) Would you trust your reptile laying on it bare? - without substrate inbetween?

I'm exp looking at big apple's dragon lair heat mats... anyone use one of thouse?

Thank you for your time. I will probally post this in more then one forum to try to get a wide varity of responces.
PLEASE don't be generic...

like "oh yeah I use a heat pad" or "I use both pads and lights" or " I would never use a heat pad"
Please give me details of why or why not and brand names. I REALLY need brand names!

Thank you.
- Sharon

First off, no heat pad can control itself, so you DO need to use a dimmer or proportional controller. Lets say the room temp is 70 degrees and the pad (full on) is at 85 degrees. If the room temp goes up to 80 degrees in Summer for example, the heat pad will be alot warmer than 85 degrees. Expecting a heat pad to know how to limit itself is missing the concept of a dumb heater.

Next, for heating inside a wood cage, it is my opinion that red heat lamps or ceramic heat emmitters including radiant heat panels are the best way to go. Wood insulates very well. But, if you really want a heat pad inside the cage, then the following will work:

Dragon's Lair (Big Apple Herp)
Exo-Terra (Petco, etc)
Kane (www.beanfarm.com)
Stanfield (www.osbourne-ind.com I think. Search for Stanfield Heat mats on the web)

Kane and Stanfield Heat mats are the best out there, but only come in rather large sizes (for example 18x18, 18x28, 36x13.5, etc). These pads are for larger cages obviously.

You've got to use a controller though. The Bean Farm sells plug-in dimmers.

Thanks for your reply!

First to let you know it's not going to be a wood cage. I'm looking at cage by design and bophile cages.

Though if I were to go with bophile I'd get what they have already instaled.

Next on another forum someone said that the big apple heaters get to 100 degrees! I was like HUH?

I'm fine with useing a controler as long as it's one I can use on several different cages at once.
Also I have not seen where my under the cage heaters in the aquariam have varied due to room/cage temp.
The cage temp tends to be a smidge higher then room templ... like if it's 75 in my condo it might be 77 in the cage... and the area aboe the heater is always between 85 and 90
It did occure to me that due to me useing aquariums that any addtional heat the pad would apply to the cage itself is probally going out the top so I can see a enclosed cage with small vents getting hotter.
Again thanks for the imput.
- Sharon

I personally just use regular human heating pads. They're cheaper, they have 3 control settings so a rheostat isn't always necessary, and they do the job just as well. They may even be safer.

I use a Kane heat mat and a red incandescent bulb for night heat, controlled through an ESU 500 watt thermostat.

check herpsupplies.com