Tarantulas and Heat Mats: A success Story

[basin79]

Here's what I do.



I attach the mat with sticky tape around the clear edges and push an enclosure upto it. That way you can take the enclosure away from the mat for feeding/maintenance/rehouse and then push it back upto it. I have 1 mat heating multiple enclosures. So only a part of the enclosure has the heat mat. Usually absolute a 3rd but it depends. All of the back has the insulation board though.

I use foil backed insulation board that's available from builders merchants. It's expensive but I just find it easier. Polystyrene or other insulation will work. Basically you want to make the enclosure the easiest place for the heat to disperse through.

I sit my probes under the mat if possible. With isolation board and polystyrene you can create a recess for the mat cable and the probe. Doing it this way makes sure the probe is always in 1 place and can't become unstuck or moved.

You might find you need to adjust your thermostat a little higher to get the temp you want with using this method but that's easy enough to do if you have to do that.

And that's it.

 

[Bfree]

Here's what I do.

View attachment 344384

I attach the mat with sticky tape around the clear edges and push an enclosure upto it. That way you can take the enclosure away from the mat for feeding/maintenance/rehouse and then push it back upto it. I have 1 mat heating multiple enclosures. So only a part of the enclosure has the heat mat. Usually absolute a 3rd but it depends. All of the back has the insulation board though.

I use foil backed insulation board that's available from builders merchants. It's expensive but I just find it easier. Polystyrene or other insulation will work. Basically you want to make the enclosure the easiest place for the heat to disperse through.

I sit my probes under the mat if possible. With isolation board and polystyrene you can create a recess for the mat cable and the probe. Doing it this way makes sure the probe is always in 1 place and can't become unstuck or moved.

You might find you need to adjust your thermostat a little higher to get the temp you want with using this method but that's easy enough to do if you have to do that.

And that's it.

 

[Bfree]

Will this thermostat stat do ? The other one was a bulb , thank God I didn't order it !! I really appreciate your help , and forgive me but you tape the heat mat to the enclosure ( I will be using a plastic container and the other container with the sling will be in that one ), the insulation goes on top of that then , these are being placed on the back wall of the container ? I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right , your a star much appreciated , there is alot of videos on YouTube about tarantula's but none dealing with climates ( that I have found) around our home countries neighbourhood again thanks , please let me know if that thermostat is the right one , thanks

 

[CJJon]

This all just seems like a bunch of work around to avoid the best solution, which is a space heater.

 

[basin79]

Will this thermostat stat do ? The other one was a bulb , thank God I didn't order it !! I really appreciate your help , and forgive me but you tape the heat mat to the enclosure ( I will be using a plastic container and the other container with the sling will be in that one ), the insulation goes on top of that then , these are being placed on the back wall of the container ? I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right , your a star much appreciated , there is alot of videos on YouTube about tarantula's but none dealing with climates ( that I have found) around our home countries neighbourhood again thanks , please let me know if that thermostat is the right one , thanks

Yes. You want the 100w on/off stat. Not sure why they're calling it a dimmer stat.

No. You tape the mat to the insulation board. That way you can freely move the enclosure. So you set up your mat like the picture. Put your sling tub in the middle of the larger enclosure. And push the large enclosure up against the mat.

 

[basin79]

This all just seems like a bunch of work around to avoid the best solution, which is a space heater.

Not everyone can have a space heater. He's mats are just like a little space heater.

 

[Bfree]

This all just seems like a bunch of work around to avoid the best solution, which is a space heater.

It is the best option for me and it works for alot if people ! Thanks for your input anyway

 

[CJJon]

Not everyone can have a space heater. He's mats are just like a little space heater.

Actually, they are not like little space heaters at all. They are designed quite differently and are made for a very different purpose. Good or bad, you are using them in a non-standard way.

 

[basin79]

Actually, they are not like little space heaters at all. They are designed quite differently and are made for a very different purpose. Good or bad, you are using them in a non-standard way.

I'm using them in the proper way. So many snakes have been burnt or killed by heat mats being placed on the ground. Even with a stat thermal blocking is a very real and dangerous thing. Either by being buried under a lot of sub or a heavy bodied constrictor.

Heat mats emit a very gentle heat that raises ambient air temperatures a little. So in that respect they're just like a mini space heater.

 

[Dorifto]

This all just seems like a bunch of work around to avoid the best solution, which is a space heater.

Hi CJJon in some places like here, the electricity it's very expensive, and to heat an entiere room could be stupidly expensive to heat the enclosure alone.

In example, the average net income in some places, not my case now, could be easily like 1200€ at max, and heating a entire room with a heater, could easily reach more that 200-250€ month, depending on the room size and climate, in my old house that was a nightmare, I couldn't afford more than 200€ to heat that room alone, and only for the T, now imagine a entire house hahhahaahahhaa.

If you do the things right, using a heat mat it's not going to be dangerous for the T, but you have to do it right.