Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This isn't about reptiles, and I apologize for that, but I know you guys know about heating and thought you could help. Thanks.

With the colder months coming, i'm starting to get a little worried about being able to keep my scorpions warm enough. Right now it's about 75F in my room but I want to make sure My scorps are warmer before it gets really cold outside. I have the scorpions in plastic "Kritter Keepers" and cant have heat pads under all of them. The Cages are sitting on a metal shelf. Do you think I could get a lerge heat pad on put it on the bottom of the shelf? Do you think that would heat the cages enough? More importantly, do you think that'll be safe? I don't want to cause a fire.. Thanks alot.

do you have different species of scorps or they all emperors or something? i kno emps are quite communal and if you switch them all to one larger tank you could put a heat pad under half of it. but if not, you dont want to use heat lamps, scorps are very sensitive to light and most(in the wild) will go their entire lives without ever seeing sunlight. you could use a heating pad but you dont want the whole cage sitting on the heating pad because they will never be able to get off the heat if they get too warm. you also want to put a blanket or towel between the pad and the plastic. is it possible to just make your room a little warmer? that would probably be easier. i hope this helps a little. good luck.
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"it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Different species. A Flatrock and Bark Scorps. And a cage with Hissing Cockroaches. It's tricky. I know they should have a heat gradient and lamps will cover those whole cages in heat. I could use night bulbs, so to much light isnt a problem. I like heat pads, but I fear a fire breaking out. I don't remember what it was I read, but it said that I shouldnt use heat pads with Kritter Keepers. I don't think the pad would get hot enough to set the Reptibark on fire. I don't know whether it would melt through the cage though. I'm thinking a light may be best, because I wouldnt have to worry about my pets burrowing down a bit and getting burned.. I don't know much about bulbs.. Are they safe to use? I'm sorry this is so long, I'm just nervous about causeing a fire, and about the well-being of my pets. Thanks a lot for your help.

Switch to rubbermaid containers with either air holes or the lids cut and fitted with screen.

Choose a bin size that is large enough so that 3/4ths of it fits on the shelf, with 1/4th hanging off. Do your best to move around as many as possible to compact your collection if they are able to be kept together safely. Buy a strip of heat tape that is the length of the shelf. Also buy a flat peice of wood or even better melamine, that is the same dimensiones as the shelf. Sit it on top of the metal shelf.

Now, on top of the melamine, or wood peice, lay the heat tape down with the edge a few centimeters from the wall. So now, one side of the rubbermaid will be warm and the other that is hanging over the edge, is cooler.

Good luck.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.1 Giant Mellers Chameleon
0.0.2 Rhampholeon Brevicaudatus Chameleons
500 Escaped Crickets

That's deffinitly a good idea. I just don't know if I like the idea of rubbermaid containers. I'll look around at them. If I can find ones that are really see thru then i'll do that.

But if you put mesh over the top, you will be able to.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.1 Giant Mellers Chameleon
0.0.2 Rhampholeon Brevicaudatus Chameleons
500 Escaped Crickets