Heat

[Immortal]

Ok first, I don't want people to attack me or bite my head off about anything (forums tend to be like that I've found through the years, expecially those crazy horse people! lol), I just have a bit of a question.

I do not use any lamp or heat pad for my red eyed tree frog/red eyed leaf frog, whichever term is best. She stays in the room where we keep our Tarantulas, which is the warmest room in the house. The rest of the house is 68-70 and in the day it is about 75 (I think sometimes it might get a bit warmer than that) in here and about 70 at night. It is on the south side of the house and gets a lot of sunlight (she is never in direct sunlight) which keeps this room a lot warmer in general. We also keep the doors closed to keep the heat in here. We have a small heater if we need to bring it in and turn it on we can, but we never do if we are not at home.

My sort of question is, how will I know if this is not sufficient enough for her? She doesn't seem bothered, she sleeps in the day nice and green and I watch her stalking her prey at night. If I did need to resort to another heat source, what is the best heat source to buy? I was never a fan of lamps, but I highly doubt you can use a heat pad (which I used for my water dragon years ago).

Please note although I may not have a lot of experience with exotic frogs, I've had many types of animals through the years and am not an idiot about them lol. Thanks!

[JSG]

Lor... Hi, I'm also fairly new to this forum but what I can tell you is that the peeps here are definitely not the sort to try and rip you a new one!
They are friendly and helpful, just hang around and you'll get an answer!

[Immortal]

Thanks! I've had my fair share of forums, expecially horse forums.. you can't do anything without people going crazy on the way you do things! The horse world in my opinion is the craziest world there is lol. I'm done with the drama, I have my horses at home and I will never board again!

Anyways, glad to know this is a nice forum

[JSG]

LOL Lor (is that short for Lorelei?) well then you don;t want to even try the forums for Sugar Gliders and some of the Pure bred dogs!
I have found over the years that some people get so absorbed with their animals that they truly believe they are gods! ROFL, maybe because the animals can't ever talk back! And then as soon as these folks have to talk to other people, they have lost the ability to do it in a civil way. I'm a bit of a recluse myself, but yeah, there are certainly ways and ways to talk to people and I prefer the calmer way!
If you breathe and stay calm all along, a lot of these other folks provide you with a laugh and nothing more, as by staying calm and seeing them for the small people they are, IS very funny!

[Immortal]

Lol I can imagine. Yeah I don't see why all people can't talk in a nice calm way, instead of flipping out all the time. Lor is short for Laura. I grew up with so many Lauras and was always Laura M. I got sick of it. I switched to Lor about 10 years ago haha. People end up calling me Lori because of it though. Or they spell my name Lora =p

[Leefrogs]

you can use a grow light (about 50 w for 30 gal) you'll get about 5 degrees out of it. I live in wisconsin and also have back of viv and side wraped in felt

I'll just tell you what I've got going on for a 33 gal
It's got a under tank heater with very little substrate over it. I used rock because it seems to keep the heat
I have a human heat pad on sleeping side of the tank, its on low with a few hours on medium for a few hours in the morning. they sleep right on the mat. So I have a therm strip on the glass so I know it's at 86 degrees--
And a grow light at 50 watts in the warm sleeping corner
Plus a hood grow light at 2.0
And it still takes till noon for the bient temp to get up to 80-82

Now. Have mine between windows, bad location, but my house is freezing durting the summer, and I have heat in the floor durring winter. Hence, why all the felt, it keeps cold off the wall from peniteating the viv. Id like to think that I can unwrap and take the heat pad off soon, but I doubt it. I have no air conditioning and it stays pretty cool (70) in here all summer.

If you buy a under tank heater, stick it to the side and make sure it's the right size. Couple that with grow lights and you might get up to 80. Don't use reptile basking heat bulbs with these guys, it dries more as it heats

Good luck experimenting, add one thing at a time, start with adome and grow light( buy at hardware store- 5 10 dollars cheeper) the domes are 16-20, and don't set it right on glass

[Immortal]

So under tank heater, are you reffering to a heat pad basically? I just want to make sure I get this right. I do have a light we bought for the T's and don't use. I am not sure what type of bulb it can take and what wattage.

This is what I have
Exo Terra Compact Fluorescent Terrarium Canopy - Reptile - Free Ship - PetSmart

And we have this type of bulb but I don't think it produces any heat
Exo Terra Night Glo - Heating & Lighting - Reptile - PetSmart

Is there a bulb I can get that will work in that?

[1beataway]

So under tank heater, are you reffering to a heat pad basically? I just want to make sure I get this right. I do have a light we bought for the T's and don't use. I am not sure what type of bulb it can take and what wattage.

This is what I have
Exo Terra Compact Fluorescent Terrarium Canopy - Reptile - Free Ship - PetSmart

And we have this type of bulb but I don't think it produces any heat
Exo Terra Night Glo - Heating & Lighting - Reptile - PetSmart

Is there a bulb I can get that will work in that?

I was actually very surprised by the heat that bulb gives off. It'll raise the night temperature a little bit. And it gives the tank a very cool color that will allow you to see your frog in action! That hood is made for 26 watt bulbs, so if the bulb is 25 watts, you'll be fine.

[Leefrogs]

if you have a dome reflector it should have a sticker on the inside. There two different sizes that take diff wattages. But just go get a grow light. And u can buy a clamp desk lamp for your night glow. Heat does come from that. I spent a month switchbg bulbs back and forth, just got a clamp light with flexible neck for 8$ instead of another 20$ dome.

And u can mount the heat pad to one side, I've heard it works better that way.

[Immortal]

Thanks everyone for your imput! Considering I don't have much $ at the moment, I'm going to use the bulb I have for the bit of extra heat, get a thermometer and see what the tank temperature is with that. If I need more heat, I'll buy what is necessary from there.

[Leefrogs]

you can use a human heating pad that you might have around the house. If you buy one make sure it doesn't have an automatic shut off. Older ones don't have that. Low heats to 90 on the glass. All dependabt on your room temp, and if the pad is against the wall. Just letting you know cause the frog UTH start at 20 and go way up to 80$!!

[JSG]

See Lor, told ya! The peeps here are GREAT!

[Grrrit]

Here in ohio we have some cold winters, and to top that my room and where my frogs are is in the basement. :/ the room temp only gets to 65°f if I'm lucky. For now. This month I'll be relocating and things will also warm up.

Anyhow, I have two pads and two night lights. One light is 50w and the two little heat pads run 24/7. Its a bigger viv so it kindof needs it. the other night bulb is 25w and is coupled with my grow lights. With all of that my temps peak at 81-83°f

[Grrrit]

Oh yea, under my eggcrate falsebottom I have a 75w aquarium heater. Its set for 90°f but only gets the water to 75°f. And there's about 4.5 gallons of water in there circulating.

[Immortal]

Oh that's a good idea with the water! I am really worried to leave anything on at night or if I am not home. I might get a heat pad for the side of the tank but since they're not really re stickable I'll probably wait until she gets her new tank. I noticed my night time little 25 watt bulb is doing a good job. I put my hand in and I can tell it is a few degreese warmer in the tank than outside of it.

[Grrrit]

I don't stick mine, I tape them up. Kinda helps if you have rearranging to do. I had a theory that if the circulating water was heated it'd raise the ambient temp.

[clownonfire]

If you are worried about heat for your RETF (around 23-27 celsius during daytime and it can drop around 20), a heat pad under your tank is what I think works best. You can get heat cables by Exo-Terra that work much better than heat pads, in my opinion. When you apply your heat pad/cable, apply it in just half of the bottom, for thermoregulation. Now these cables and pad will mostly heat the substrate and will generate little to no heat in the ambient air. Heat bulbs can dry the skin of your frog. So I would use with caution, or not used. As your beautiful RETF is a nocturnal, it doesn't really need lighting at night. Some will use night glo lights, but they mostly serve a purpose for.... the owner. I myself sometime use one in my big eyed treefrog enclosure to watch him.

If you have plants in there, you can use a Repti-Glo 2.0 during daytime, it can also help with the sleep cycle of your frogs (as too much light at night can disturb the sleep cycle).

Hope it helps!!!

Eric

[Immortal]

Thanks Eric. I can't put a heat pad under the tank because it's only 5.5 gallon standing on end and it's on a wooden table, so that isn't safe. On my old water dragon's tank, it was really long and it was on an end table on each end, so I put the heat pad in the middle. But I could put it on the side yeah?

I have the night glo bulb on during the day and turn it off at night.

[clownonfire]

Thanks Eric. I can't put a heat pad under the tank because it's only 5.5 gallon standing on end and it's on a wooden table, so that isn't safe. On my old water dragon's tank, it was really long and it was on an end table on each end, so I put the heat pad in the middle. But I could put it on the side yeah?

I have the night glo bulb on during the day and turn it off at night.

Absolutely Lor. If you put it on the side, just above the substrate, it will spread the heat in your ambient air, which will be even better for your RETF.

[Immortal]

Awesome I'll invest in one of those, thanks. Another question about them. When I spray the inside of the tank, can I spray where the heat pad is?