heating question

[NicholasJeung]

hey guys, i have had a little green pacman for about a week now, hes been eating red worms and dusted crickets every day! he is currently in a 6qt bin and his temp is 72 degrees, i was wondering is there any way to heat a plastic bin without melting it with a heat pad?

-Nicholas Jeung

[GrifTheGreat]

hey guys, i have had a little green pacman for about a week now, hes been eating red worms and dusted crickets every day! he is currently in a 6qt bin and his temp is 72 degrees, i was wondering is there any way to heat a plastic bin without melting it with a heat pad?

-Nicholas Jeung

They make heat pads for plastic critter keepers. Like the ones used for Hermit crabs. The pads will say whether they are safe for plastic or not. Also you could use a heat lamp with a low wattage heat bulb. Be sure to always use a lamp with a dimmer switch when using heat bulbs so you can adjust the amount of light and heat coming from the bulb. This way you can adjust it exactly where you need it to keep the frogs home worm without getting it too hot.

Edit) The wattage should be no less than 25 watts and no more than 50 watts. Also the bulbs should be incandescents because you can't use fluorescents with lamps that have a dimmer switch.

[dsmalex97]

If you don't want to go with a heat lamp, I would look into ordering some heat tape if you're trying to heat a small tub. Only reason I'm saying that is because the width of a heat pad might exceed the the tubs dimensions. Heat tape is nice and thin, so you could adhere to the sides of the tub with ease. Plus, it's super cheap! A heat pad will cost you like 20 bucks, but heat tape is like 1.80 a foot I believe? Check out reptilebasics.com! They got some nice equipment for sale there. Any kind of heat is going to require some type of control. The tape will get HOT! So, +1 on what Griff said with the dimmer(rheostat). I had my pac in a rack setup with my ball pythons, and the heat tape worked great at keeping his tub warm. I had it hooked up to a ranco thermostat so I didn't have to worry about adjusting a dimmer. Another thing to keep in mind is that the dimmer will still need to be checked on often. Don't assume it will hold the temperature perfectly, because any variation in ambient temp will obviously effect the pad/tape temp. Good luck!!

[GrifTheGreat]

If you don't want to go with a heat lamp, I would look into ordering some heat tape if you're trying to heat a small tub. Only reason I'm saying that is because the width of a heat pad might exceed the the tubs dimensions. Heat tape is nice and thin, so you could adhere to the sides of the tub with ease. Plus, it's super cheap! A heat pad will cost you like 20 bucks, but heat tape is like 1.80 a foot I believe? Check out reptilebasics.com! They got some nice equipment for sale there. Any kind of heat is going to require some type of control. The tape will get HOT! So, +1 on what Griff said with the dimmer(rheostat). I had my pac in a rack setup with my ball pythons, and the heat tape worked great at keeping his tub warm. I had it hooked up to a ranco thermostat so I didn't have to worry about adjusting a dimmer. Another thing to keep in mind is that the dimmer will still need to be checked on often. Don't assume it will hold the temperature perfectly, because any variation in ambient temp will obviously effect the pad/tape temp. Good luck!!

They make heat pads that are a UTH that's demensions are 3 in. And they're circular. There are several different sizes of heat pads. Basically you select the one that says its the appropriate size for the tank yore using. Heat tape works too as dsmalex97 said. If you want to go through that much trouble and have to purchase a thermostat too. If you go with the heat tape definetly use a thermostat. Otherwise you risk melting the tank and killing your frog. Zoo Med has many different sized UTH for glass and plastic. Choose appropriately like I stated.

[dsmalex97]

Tstat's are a great piece of mind. I actually had success with the Zilla Thermostat too. Only 50 bucks at most pet shops! People talk a lot of smack about them, but I think they're actually not a bad product. I had mine for almost 5 years, but I broke it by me accidentally stepping on the probe when I was setting up a rack(idiot)...Rheostats in my opinion are pretty horrible at keeping a consistent temp. I've returned home from work and my snakes cages would be 100+ on the hot end using a rheostat. And those little heat pads are like 20 bucks!! What a rip! So after the pad and rheostat your at 40, why not spend the extra 15 ya know? Just my 2 cents on all that. Also, heat tape is great because if you buy a bunch it gives you an excuse to buy some more critters!

[GrifTheGreat]

Tstat's are a great piece of mind. I actually had success with the Zilla Thermostat too. Only 50 bucks at most pet shops! People talk a lot of smack about them, but I think they're actually not a bad product. I had mine for almost 5 years, but I broke it by me accidentally stepping on the probe when I was setting up a rack(idiot)...Rheostats in my opinion are pretty horrible at keeping a consistent temp. I've returned home from work and my snakes cages would be 100+ on the hot end using a rheostat. And those little heat pads are like 20 bucks!! What a rip! So after the pad and rheostat your at 40, why not spend the extra 15 ya know? Just my 2 cents on all that. Also, heat tape is great because if you buy a bunch it gives you an excuse to buy some more critters!

I don't put a price on the things I love and proper care. About the buying more critters, with that much heat tape might as well set up a bunch of racks to house all the critters.

[NicholasJeung]

thanks for all the great information guys! I have been busy with alot work lat;ey and havnt signed in for a while, i picked up one of the those hermit crab heat pads its the perfect size to fit on the die. the temperature is around 78-81 degrees now depending on the time of day. Once i pick up a few more frogs ill invest in some heat cable and a helix thermostat.

-Nick

[GrifTheGreat]

thanks for all the great information guys! I have been busy with alot work lat;ey and havnt signed in for a while, i picked up one of the those hermit crab heat pads its the perfect size to fit on the die. the temperature is around 78-81 degrees now depending on the time of day. Once i pick up a few more frogs ill invest in some heat cable and a helix thermostat.

-Nick

You are welcome.