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iBaman
11-20-12, 10:59 PM
Is there anything useful that can be done with them? I feel bad just throwing them away...

EmbraceCalamity
11-20-12, 11:02 PM
Can you take out the heater and just use it as a regular rock? That's probably all that can be done.

~Maggot

iBaman
11-20-12, 11:04 PM
haven't looked that close...they're real rocks though. I always thought heat rocks were plastic

EmbraceCalamity
11-20-12, 11:05 PM
I thought so too. That's weird. =/

~Maggot

iBaman
11-20-12, 11:10 PM
oops, it's ceramic, not 'real' rock. but still, always thought they were plastic

OSMDEATHOWNER
11-20-12, 11:42 PM
Find an iggy owner, i used them for mine when i was a kid, they like them

EmbraceCalamity
11-20-12, 11:52 PM
Find an iggy owner, i used them for mine when i was a kid, they like themBut they're not at all safe.oops, it's ceramic, not 'real' rock. but still, always thought they were plasticOh, okay. I dunno if there's anything you can do with it. You try Google? /useless

~Maggot

DeesBalls
11-21-12, 01:23 AM
cut off cord/take out heating element... use for decor:) bout all there is.

iBaman
11-21-12, 02:04 AM
lmao, that's it then, eh? What if i used it on the OUTSIDE of my tarantula's tank to keep it a little warmer?

Also, just looked at them, and I feel bad for the reptile that had to use those...there are scales BURNED INTO IT. =[ And another question...do they not work when hooked to a tstat?

StudentoReptile
11-21-12, 06:15 AM
They "can" work without a thermostat, but obviously, there is no way to regulate how hot they will get. Many will easily exceed 140'F, and then people place them right under the basking lamp, making it hotter.

Using it by itself is not good because most reptiles (most animals for that matter) tend to associate light with heat. They seek the sun for warmth. If you have no lights, and just have this belly heat, it is very hard for them to instinctually move off or on to regulate their own body temps. If you DO have proper lighting and basking lamps, there really is no need for one; just use a real stone or rock and place it underneath the lamp. It will naturally get the proper basking temps and retain the temps well at night after lights are out.

As others said, just unplug, cut the cord off with a box cutter, and just use it as a "real" rock decoration.

Pareeeee
11-21-12, 07:46 AM
I have a ceramic one as well. The only reason I keep it is for emergencies, or to heat a feeding tub or snake bath tub in the winter when our apartment is cool. Gotta check on the thing constantly to make sure it doesn't get too hot. I would never advise anyone to use it as a permanent heat source. Since they have the ability to get too hot you'd have to be checking on it ALL THE TIME, and that would be an absolute pain.

infernalis
11-21-12, 08:10 AM
I used a bigger one before by elevating the tank on 2x4 boards so there was about an inch gap from the top of the hot rock and the bottom of the tank.

The warmth was gentle.

Now, this fear of fire junk can be dispelled right now.. if the hot rock was manufactured anytime in the last two decades, it has a thermal cutout fuse, just like a coffee maker or curling iron. It's the law that any heating device manufactured for retail sale have this safety feature.

ANY hot rock fires from recent years are the fault of homemade cob job rocks, I remember a guy a few years back who was making hot rocks out of extension cords, resistors and cement. Luckily he went out of business fast.

Aaron_S
11-21-12, 09:18 AM
I toss them out. Such a crappy product.

Ibaman, you can use your as a pretty paper weight. Maybe sell it online as an expensive pet rock morph.

Wildside
11-21-12, 10:25 AM
I used a bigger one before by elevating the tank on 2x4 boards so there was about an inch gap from the top of the hot rock and the bottom of the tank.

The warmth was gentle.

Now, this fear of fire junk can be dispelled right now.. if the hot rock was manufactured anytime in the last two decades, it has a thermal cutout fuse, just like a coffee maker or curling iron. It's the law that any heating device manufactured for retail sale have this safety feature.

ANY hot rock fires from recent years are the fault of homemade cob job rocks, I remember a guy a few years back who was making hot rocks out of extension cords, resistors and cement. Luckily he went out of business fast.

I use them.

They make a good basking area for a few species but I don't recommend them, especially to people who only check on their animals every few days. I check on mine everyday and put my hand on the heat rock to make sure the warmth is still gentle. They also get shut off at night which imo plays a part in them not getting "too hot".

KORBIN5895
11-21-12, 10:45 AM
I use them.

They make a good basking area for a few species but I don't recommend them, especially to people who only check on their animals every few days. I check on mine everyday and put my hand on the heat rock to make sure the warmth is still gentle. They also get shut off at night which imo plays a part in them not getting "too hot".

You have definitely earned your screen name.

MoreliAddict
11-21-12, 10:53 AM
You have definitely earned your screen name.
http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq11/purewin/random/Lmao-real.jpg

KORBIN5895
11-21-12, 11:00 AM
This is the third time this morning you have used someone else's stuff.... that's disappointing.

Wildside
11-21-12, 11:15 AM
You have definitely earned your screen name.

Studies show I did that long before this thread ;)

MoreliAddict
11-21-12, 11:36 AM
This is the third time this morning you have used someone else's stuff.... that's disappointing.
Let's start an argument over re-using a meme, okay go! Oh wait...

KORBIN5895
11-21-12, 11:53 AM
Studies show I did that long before this thread ;)

Ha-ha! Yeah I have read some of your stories.

EmbraceCalamity
11-21-12, 02:11 PM
I personally wouldn't ever risk it. Heard way too many horror stories. Things can malfunction, and ceramic gets bloody hot. I've burnt myself on hot ceramic because I'm an idiot, and it hurts like hell. I wouldn't give my reptiles direct access to anything that has its own heating system.

~Maggot

Wildside
11-21-12, 02:56 PM
I personally wouldn't ever risk it. Heard way too many horror stories. Things can malfunction, and ceramic gets bloody hot. I've burnt myself on hot ceramic because I'm an idiot, and it hurts like hell. I wouldn't give my reptiles direct access to anything that has its own heating system.

~Maggot

I don't use the ones made of ceramic. Exo-terra makes the only ones I trust.

iBaman
11-21-12, 03:47 PM
I toss them out. Such a crappy product.

Ibaman, you can use your as a pretty paper weight. Maybe sell it online as an expensive pet rock morph.

Oh. My. God. I know what my next project is...xD "so real, they're warm to the touch!"