Tarantulas and heat mats

19killer44 · Jan 26, 2015

so guys the weather in Australia has just suddenly dropped and has become really cold, room heating isnt an option for me due to electricity bills and being poor. so if i was to use a heat mat whats the best way to do it safely? ive heard so many different things about heat mats some good and some bad. so whats your opinion on heat mats do you use one if so how do you use it? if not then why?

cold blood · Jan 26, 2015

19killer44 said:
so guys the weather in Australia has just suddenly dropped and has become really cold, room heating isnt an option for me due to electricity bills and being poor. so if i was to use a heat mat whats the best way to do it safely? ive heard so many different things about heat mats some good and some bad. so whats your opinion on heat mats do you use one if so how do you use it? if not then why?

Yeah there bad news generally and are discouraged by many (including myself). They can be used, however. To safely use one you will need an aquarium big enough to fit your t's enclosure with a little room on the sides. Put enclosure a into enclosure b. Place heat pad on back of enclosure b, away from enclosure a, and you will provide secondary heat, as opposed to direct heat right on the t's enclosure.

Depending on your available resources, and enclosures, I have used and had great success using an aquarium heater and a heat bath. But you need something large enough for enough water to run the heater and submerge the bottom of the enclosure. Aquarium heaters are very precise, reliable and not really prone to fluctuation. The water will prevent any hot or cold spots, thereby giving the t no place to get on and be too hot. It does cause a lot of burrowing and may not be ideal for things like avics, as they will be drawn to the ground, but it works great and you won't even notice a difference when it comes to your energy bill.

Also surrounding evaporation with help (if only slightly) with maintaining humidity. I keep a thermometer in so I can always quickly monitor temps. The only maintenance it requires is adding water every now and again to maintain proper levels.

SpiderInTheBath · Jan 26, 2015

I was using one at first, but I realised the temperature of the enclosure only varied very slightly when it was off. They're not that good, and personally it seems like if they are that good they're probably going to run hot imo. I live in Scotland where it would freeze the -- errrr -- 'Epiandrous fusillae' off a brass monkey outside and the lack of a heat mat hasn't made much difference to mine.

Maybe as a cautionary measure you could find a way to insulate the enclosures more effectively?

19killer44 · Jan 26, 2015

the way i was using it today was i had it stuck on the side of the enclosure so its away from where she has burrowed. so the humidity can stay high, i know to never use one on the bottom of the enclosure, as my t is a burrower.

as you can see the tank is fairly large, i live with my parents atm so im confined to a smallish room so i really dont have much space for her tank atm

cold blood · Jan 26, 2015

Eventually it will probably end up burrowing to the heat mat eventually.

Did you just spray the

oop: out of it or is that condensation? Condensation=bad, if it was just sprayed, less next time.

19killer44 · Jan 26, 2015

yea i just sprayed the crap out of it coz i havent for a few days the sub was completely dry i havent been home for the past few days

cold blood · Jan 26, 2015

19killer44 said:
yea i just sprayed the shit out of it coz i havent for a few days the sub was completely dry i havent been home for the past few days

Better to pour or dribble water onto the sub than misting. The effects of misting are generally gone on hours, it helps when the water penetrates a little deeper into the substrate. Its effects will last days at least.

skippydude · Jan 26, 2015

Your T will most likely find that heat mat and cook itself to death

You could always keep it in a smaller room to minimize heating costs like a bathroom or even a closet

19killer44 · Jan 26, 2015

ahh fair enough tanks fort the advice

, so how cold is to cold for a tarantula? because right now its only 20 degrees and ive been told its recommended they stay between 25-26 degrees,

---------- Post added 01-27-2015 at 11:22 AM ----------

i monitor her all the time so if she went near it i would always move it so she wouldn't cook lol im not that stupid xD plus she is in pre moult atm so i doubt she will move from her cave, i just wanted to make sure temps are gonna be ok for her for when she moults because i want her to be healthy the weather was fine untill today

also like i stated before i have no where else to put the tank because this isnt my house im confined to this room only

BobGrill · Jan 26, 2015

19killer44 said:
ahh fair enough tanks fort the advice , so how cold is to cold for a tarantula? because right now its only 20 degrees and ive been told its recommended they stay between 25-26 degrees,

---------- Post added 01-27-2015 at 11:22 AM ----------

i monitor her all the time so if she went near it i would always move it so she wouldn't cook lol im not that stupid xD plus she is in pre moult atm so i doubt she will move from her cave, i just wanted to make sure temps are gonna be ok for her for when she moults because i want her to be healthy the weather was fine untill today

also like i stated before i have no where else to put the tank because this isnt my house im confined to this room only

Misread that sorry.

19killer44 · Jan 26, 2015

so will the heat mat be ok for now just to bump the temps up a bit? or should i just remove or completely and it would be fine?. or is there a way i can use it with this amount of space ? ( keep in mind i monitor her all the time because i dont leave my room much)

skippydude · Jan 27, 2015

If you could get the temp up to about 24 for a few hours during the day I don't think 20 at night will harm it and you could lose the heat mat

19killer44 · Jan 27, 2015

it gets to about 18 degrees at night, and hits around 20 during the day, i think id only use the mat for night use to keep the temps up if it got way to cold, like below 20

BossRoss · Jan 27, 2015

Some genus/species of Ts will be more volatile to cold weather depending on their origins. Also wild caught Ts are more volatile.

What kind of T do you have?

I see you are using some tape to secure the heat pad. I agree the T would burrow towards the heat pad with those kinds of temps you are getting. If I was in your shoes I would make small little spacers and stick them between the enclosure and heater pad(you can use rubber washers, cardboard rolled up like a filter of a cigarette;just shorter, bottle caps) as this will allow for a less intense heat right up against the enclosure.

If you monitor the T often, like you mentioned, then you should not have any problems as you will notice if the T is in danger, although do this when you are going to be home for a few days, say the weekend.

assidreemz · Jan 27, 2015

I agree with cold blood and I think you should attempt a set up similar to what he described.

The heat mat CAN be used safely, but not in the traditional intended fashion.

What you don't want is direct heat focused in the enclosure whether that be from a space heater or a heat mat, doing that will create hotspots. Your tarantula WILL go to the hotspot.

What you do want is increased overall ambient temperature.

I seethe heat bath which involves water being a viable option as well.

19killer44 · Jan 27, 2015

problem is i have no idea how to make one and really i have her in a large enclosure so really idk how id fit that in another enclosure seeing as there is no where else to put her
if someone could link me to a video or pictures of how its done id greatly appreciate it

Sana · Jan 27, 2015

I'm currently running a heat lamp in my room another creature that is near my T's. The lamp is a $5 hardware store type running a 100 watt bulb. It raises the ambient temperature in my room by 5-10 degrees at all times. My T's are loving it and it's saving me the irritation of worrying about safe heat sources for my more particular T's. You could run a heat lamp in the room (not on the T enclosures) to raise the overall temperature without the worry of hot spots.

TsunamiSpike · Jan 27, 2015

I've gone with the room heater method and seems to be working well, but I dont have any temp reading equipment so I'm only assuming because the temp is comfortable for me, it is for them.

cold blood · Jan 27, 2015

Sana said:
I'm currently running a heat lamp in my room another creature that is near my T's. The lamp is a $5 hardware store type running a 100 watt bulb. It raises the ambient temperature in my room by 5-10 degrees at all times. My T's are loving it and it's saving me the irritation of worrying about safe heat sources for my more particular T's. You could run a heat lamp in the room (not on the T enclosures) to raise the overall temperature without the worry of hot spots.

One could argue that heat lamps are just as bad of an idea as a pad, maybe worse because of how quickly they dry the surrounding air.

Tomoran · Jan 27, 2015

cold blood said:
One could argue that heat lamps are just as bad of an idea as a pad, maybe worse because of how quickly they dry the surrounding air.

I agree that a lamp directly on the Ts is a horrible idea. However, I've had a ceramic lamp over a snake for years in the T room, and the residual heat it gives off raises the overall temperature in the room by about three degrees. I don't use this as my primary heat source, I have an oil-filled heater as well, but it limits how often I have to use that heater (and the oil-filled heater dries the air enough that I have to run a humidifier when I use it).

Tarantulas and heat mats

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