Reptile & Amphibian Forums

to put a heat pad inside a wood terrarium and cover it with reptibark?

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Charles Glaspie

It's also an electrocution hazard. I would never put heat tape inside a cage. Spilled water dish or even a wet bowel movement could short it out or the snake could do it just rubbing around either end. Put the tape outside the cage (underneath).

But I will not using heat tape, I will be using either a Zoo Med heat pad or a human heat pad w/o the auto turn off. Would it still be a hazard in a wood terrarium?

I don't know if it would be a fire hazzard or electrocution hazzard as long as the reptipad is in good shape, but I think it is a burn hazzard. Putting it under the encloser can mellow out the heat, and can make it more of a radiant heat, rather than a conducted heat source. A more even temp zone is possible with a radiant heat pattern. Otherwise it is like using a hot rock, which work great for certain species, but snakes aren't one of them.

It really doesn't matter if it's heat tape or a heating pad, it's an electrical appliance that is not designed to be wet. Unless it's something specifically designed to work in wet conditions, you shouldn't put it on the floor of your cage. Pesonally I don't keep ANYTHING electical inside the cage.

Mark

>>But I will not using heat tape, I will be using either a Zoo Med heat pad or a human heat pad w/o the auto turn off. Would it still be a hazard in a wood terrarium?