It’s a sudden weather change up here, and I can’t keep my tanks or tubs warm enough. The hot spot is okay around 82-84 at night, but woke up and anywhere else was 63, and the tubs were 60! Now, I don’t have permanent housing and the person I’m staying with refuses for the heat to come on at night, so how can I raise the temps on the cold side/ambient? How does heat cables work with plastic (with a thermostat!) and could I install it inside the enclosure and keep it at around 75? What the cheapest, but works well for the job?
Also, any recommended brand of infrared lights for the tanks I actually do use? I currently use a 75w zoo med bulb that keeps a small area at about 83 at night, but I try to keep that where the heat pad is already at so it doesn’t drop further. This is my first year working where it all be snowing soon and i don’t want to risk them before I even get a place. Thank you guys! Really appreciate all the help this community has given me already!
I would use a ceramic heat emitter rather than a bulb, they have 150watt ones that work great (plugged into a thermostat of course).
How are you heating your tubs? Are they in a rack system?
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I use a 8x12 heat pad for my tubs. It’s two locking lid sterilite tubs not in a rack- it was temporary for their quarantine and the move, but until I get a place I can’t set up their big tanks. This is also for Ball pythons if that helps!
I would stay away from heat cable, they are very unreliable and putting a heat cable inside the enclosure could be a disaster as snakes always find ways to tangled themselves into everything.
The easiest most efficient way with a tub is to have a second heat pad and thermostat for the cool side if your temps are not optimum.
There is a lot of heat loss with heat lamps and in such a cold room it might not even raise the temperture enough and I do not recommend them over plastic enclosures.
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I’ll have to look into a second heat pad then. Should work well enough until I can get their stuff set up permanently!