Room heating.

[Wizwise2000]

Not sure if this is the right forum to post. I'm very sorry if it isn't.

Just wondering how everyone heats thier snake rooms. Lastnight I went out and bought a Clairion Convection heater with thermostat. It operates at 750 and 1500 watts. I can't keep my snake room at 80F with it, the room is 15x20. If everyone could inform me of what you're using to heat your rooms with I'd greatly appreciate it.

Much thanks,
Shane

[Jeff_Favelle]

500W oil-filled, digital thermostat, and a VERY well-insulated room. No sense in heating everything else. I only want to heat the reptiles.

[Wizwise2000]

Don't think this room is well-insulated, don't think the house is well-insulated.

Thanks Jeff,
Shane

[mykee]

I let my rats heat the room for me. It was about 58 here when I got up, and in the basement it was 61. I opened the door to my snake room, and it was a balmy 76. The heat from my rats ups the temps in my snake room by about 10 degrees or so. Sucks in the summer, ROCKS in the winter. Sorry I couldn't be of more help Shane. (p.s. order going out Monday morn.)

[Wizwise2000]

Mykee,
Amazing the rats generate that much heat!!! I can't keep my rodents in the snake room, not only because they have thier own room. But there isn't enough room in the snake room haha. Maybe useful to put some of them in there though.

I've seen people ask on the forums before about keeping snakes and rats in the same room and people have said not too, not a good idea etc. So I didn't do it. I will start thinking about adding some now.

Great, thanks Mykee. I'll start watching the mail!!

Thanks again,
Shane

[marisa]

There is no reason it's not a good idea. I have raised a 1000 mice and abuot 70 rats in the same room with all my snakes....kingsnakes, cornsnakes, ball pythons, green tree python, geckos etc. None of my herps are "more aggresive" or bad feeders.

So I would go ahead and try it out for sure. In my reptile room, I make sure the doors/windows are shut, and the heating elements bring it up to about 80 degrees ambient temp each day. With the doors open though, it stays around 70-75 in fall, colder in winter although I never let it get lower.

Marisa

[Piers]

I use an oil filled 750/1500 heater with a thermostat. What really helps is having a fan in the room. It will give a more even temp in the room.
Piers

[mykee]

Shane, I would deter you from getting the room up to 80, as the rats just won't do what rats are meant to do for us at that temp. I crack a window to maintain 75 all year if it's possible. I have also seen no ill-effects from keeping my rats with my snakes.

[Wizwise2000]

Keeping my balls with the room temp at 75 is fine? I was under the impression the minimum was 80. I can keep 75 easy.

Thanks,
Shane

[mykee]

Nah!! 75 is fine, that's the temp that most people keep their homes at, why mess with that to heat a reptile room? As long as you have a good under belly heat source, you can get down below 75 if you want. If you're cooling, the heat pad, UTH or heat tape goes off at night anyways, so 70-75 is fine.

[marisa]

Yeah I agree with mykee! My balls in my bedroom (newer snakes live outside my herp room) are kept with a cool side of around 75....but they have belly heat and a nice hot spot. It works out great.

Marisa

[Wizwise2000]

Thanks a lot everyone. Mykee and Marissa, much thanks.
It's appreciated! :) :)

Shane

[Stockwell]

I've always had my principle herp rooms upstairs, and rodents and incubators that require cooler ambients , downstairs. Since hot air rises, upstairs herp rooms makes heating easier, plus it's pretty easy to add insulation above the room in the attic.
I have no trouble keeping my 12x15 room at 82F with only 500watts in fall and spring and I use the 1000watt setting in the winter for highs in the 80's during the day. It's all controlled by a 35$ hunter setback thermostat, which ramps the temp up and down in steps, automatically.
My heat source is a cheap black and decker fan blown space heater. I think it cost under 40$
I avoid the 1500watt settings. That much current is hard on wiring and receptacles and poses more of a fire harzard. I also replace my heating receptacle every few years as a furthur safey measure. It's shocking how hot a receptacle and wiring can get with 1500watt loads.
If you have herp rooms downstairs, you will always require many more watts to heat them as the cold air from AC or leaks in winter will always sink to the basement. To counter act this having a raised, insulated floor and walls in the herp room, and a near air-tight door sweep and jamb will help a great deal.

[Wizwise2000]

Thanks a lot Roy, I appreciate the information. The problem is I can't put them upstairs. Not without a lot of work. I intend on paneling and insulating the room after this winter, also going to install a drop-ceiling aswell.

How do you wire a heater, weather it be a convection such as mine, or a fan to a thermostat? It has a thermostat, a garbage one. Looks like it works much like a dimmer, there's no numbers or temp degree gauge, it's just a guessing game.

Thanks a lot Roy.
Shane

[MouseKilla]

I also use a Black & Decker space heater but I don't use any additional controls, just the dimmer style dial on the heater itself. I just messed with it until it held the temps at a little over 80 which happens to be at about a 1/4 turn of the dial. It's not deadly accurate but I don't think it needs to be. It will kick on when the temps are between 79 and 82 and shuts off on it's own between 83 and 85 usually. That's accurate enough for me.

I have towels on the floor on both sides of the door and I just keep it shut to hold the heat in.

[capsicum]

We lucked out...our herp room is right above the furnace room of this building, so our master bedroom (yes, the animals have the master bedroom, lol), and bathroom stay at 80F constantly (with the exception at night, it dips a little). The enclosures are heated individually, then the room stays warm as well.
I do use a small heater/fan thing (new) to help some cages stay warmer, and also have a regular fan near the window and an air purifyer by the window as well, helps keep the rodent smell down a lot.

TK