heat mat help!!

[benk01]

hi all, im new here and to snakes.i have just aquired a bredli hatchling,, i am after some advise on heating a plastic tub (30cmx40cm) with a 5w heat mat.10cmx15cm that i am receiving soon... im thinking of putting the mat under the tub where the snake hide box is,roughly same size as matt,what i need to know is will the mat burn/melt the plastic tub ? i was thinking of putting a bathroom tile inbetween if need be.temps are getting down to 20ish d/c here in bundy at night and will only drop from now on. i am only new to all this and i am reading as much as i can from posts here as i can (great forum for info). any advise will be greatly appreciated.........

ben.

 

[Chris1]

Hi!

the question is is ur heat mat a stick on clear type, or one thats coated in plastic that u just slide underneath?

the ones that are coated in plastic (i use the URS ones, theyre green) wont melt the plastic, but u will need to use a thermostat, get a thermostat designed specifically for heat mats (like the habistat mat stat), t he dimmers make an annoyingn huming sound.

the stick on heat mats will probably melt the tub, theyre designed to be stuck to glass,.....

so the way i layer things is styrofoam on the bottom, heat mat, (i stick the probe under the heat mat up one end) click clack, paper towels then caves etc,.......

i forgot abut the thermostat for the first hour last hatchies i set up and the temps got to the high 40s, waaaaay to hot, so dont try and get away without using a thermostat. always double check ur temps with a digital thermometer when setting up, i still check click clack temps pretty much daily even with the thermostat attached.

 

[mysnakesau]

Chris what wattage mat are you using? I use 10W heatmats under my tubs without thermostats and the temperatures have never got up that high. If you need a thermostat to control that kind of heat output, JMO you should consider downsizing your heatmat. I am not trying to suggest to ditch the thermo but if it ever fails what happens if you're not home and your click clack overheats.

I would say Ben's 5W mat will not need a thermostat. 5W isn't powerful enough to get too hot. I mean, if you feel better using one, then use it, but don't leave your snake in the cold just because you don't have the thermostat.

Ben - i would suggest not placing the hide box over the heat, or have a hide box at both ends. But if you're just having one, put it in the middle or cool end, even a corner of the box over the heat may be fine but I have learnt the hard way of having a thermostat fail and had just one hide box which was over the heat of a 50W heatcord. Regardless of how hot my baby got, because he had no where else to hide, he stayed in there until he scored a bad burn. First symptom was dry, flaking skin - I thought he was going to have a bad shed. That same afternoon I came home from work and found a raw wound on him. We sought immediate vet attention and thought we was doing well until 4 weeks later he died - bled to death during a shed.

I know this is just my bad luck, but it can happen to anybody. So just keep it mind - no hide over heat, and never use "over sufficient" heating and expect a thermostat to keep the temps down. Pet stores will often tell their customers to go bigger than you need because they can be thermostatically controlled. Now I understand they just want to sell you a heater and a thermostat without cautioning of the dangers of heat when the thermostats breakdown.

 

[benk01]

thx for the info,very much appreciated. the heat mat is infact a stick on 1..i just dont want to screw this up b4 i start...you know what i mean...

 

[sweetangel]

the ones that are coated in plastic (i use the URS ones, theyre green) wont melt the plastic, but u will need to use a thermostat, get a thermostat designed specifically for heat mats (like the habistat mat stat), t he dimmers make an annoyingn huming sound.

my urs one would melt through thick plastic if i didnt have a thermostat..... so just be careful.

 

[coz666]

i dont think a 5 watt will reach the desired top temp i use urs 13 watt 25 x 30 and it hangs around the 30oC mark just make sure you only have a qtr of the floor base heated. so you have a decent thermal gradient.
best bet is to get yourself a thermometer and see what it will reach without the python inside of co****.
definately get yourself a thermostat, because eventually that bredli is gonna need some space and thermostats are insurance for in case ***** happens.

oh and welcome , you will find 20 correct answers to every question

 

[benson]

Chris, I have seen for myself, a 10w green urs heat pad melt plastic tubs!!
I would NOT use one of these, without a good thermostat. JMO
They hold their heat VERY well, mine is off more than on, and I have checked my temps with 3 different thermometers, and a temp gun as well. They have very good insulation inside them.

 

[AM Pythons]

i use clear exo-terra 16 watt for my stimmo's ( 10 sheet of news paper between heat mat and 70 litre plastic tubs) no thermostat... stays at 31 degrees, for my carpet hatchys, i use exo-terra 8 watts under plastic tank ( the ones that have a rim on the bottem, floor 2cm of ground) straight under 1/3 of tank...stays at 29-30 degrees...no thermostat either...had no problems in 2 1/ years...touch wood...

 

[mysnakesau]

Chris, I have seen for myself, a 10w green urs heat pad melt plastic tubs!!......

Really? Wow. I use the green ones and cheap plastic tubs and never experienced that. Not calling you a liar, just interesting thats all.

If you're gonna spend money on a thermostat buy a decent one first up, and still don't go overboard with too power heat sources. I have had two thermostats die on me - same brand and model - one time was fatal, the other could have been. I just don't have faith in thermostats. So now, even if my thermo's did die, my heat sources are not powerful enough to go through the roof and cook my animals.

 

[Chris1]

mysnakes, i have to go home to check the wattage, but its one of the small ones, probably about 10cmsX20something,...i'll check tonight,...

i actually have 2 X 7L siestema tubs sitting on the 1 mat, so they just have heat in 1 of their caves, (takes up a sixth rather than a third, but they use it, are eating well etc) i'm so paranoid about overheating things.

teh rest of the tub is filled with toilet paper roll tunnels covered with a folded facewasher (more hiding spots) and a small water bowl on the opp end of the heat,...

tehyre jungles at the moment, but the same setup worked fine when i had the bredli in there.

 

[Sock Puppet]

I have a Pal Pens "Jumbo" plastic enclosure with a Microclimate 13W heatmat under it. The first one I had I didn't have a thermostat & didn't have anything between the heat mat & tub, based on info from the shop I bought it from, but contrary to the actual product instructions (the tub has "feet" to keep the base up about 5mm). My first enclosure ended up with the heat mat melting a hole in the bottom (see pic). I now have it set up as per manufacturers instructions (see second pic) from bottom to top: 12mm styrofoam, heatmat up one end, 3mm MDF, enclosure. I also keep one hide over the heat mat, & one half on, half off, & a climbing branch so my 4 month old Bredli can find his comfort temp. The temp is now controlled with a Microclimate Ministat 100 & I have had no probs at all since. I use a non-contact thermometer to check temps in different parts of the enclosure & set the thermostat accordingly, I don't trust the increments on the thermostat dial. Hope this helps.

First enclosure, melted hole in base:

Current enclosure, set up as outlined above:

 

[mysnakesau]

Oh dear that's bad. Goes to show you can't ever be too careful. So far, I have had no problems with the green heatmats, although one like you have there Tonksy - I've have had two of these burn out - I used them inside the enclosures and the snakes urinating and pooping on them, moisture got inside them. No damage to anything but copped a zap from one, and that was enough for me to replace it.