Heating Pad Dilemma

[changelingash]

I am preparing for the arrival of my snake, and I ordered a ZooMed heating pad for my tank. However, the heating pad came with a sticky side, which I did not anticipate and do not want to use as I need to be able to move the heating pad to the adult tank once my python is large enough, and due to my schooling, must move every year and need it to be movable and able to be used with the smaller moving tank I have.

Would it be considered a bad plan to not use the sticky side and instead leave the sticker backing on, or should I find another heating pad?

[chairman]

I'm fairly certain you can leave the sicker backing on. Just use air conditioning vent tape (the brand I have is FlexFix) to attach the pad.

Remember to place the probe for your thermostat between the heat pad and the bottom of the tank.

Also, remember to raise the tank slightly to allow for air flow under the tank. Otherwise the bottom of the tank can trap the heat and scorch whatever the tank is sitting on.

[SnakeAddiction]

When I used those types of heat pads back in the day, I did the same thing Chairman is suggesting. You only need to put tape on the edges, just enough to hold it in place. I used aluminum tape as the adhesive does not melt and get sticky when it heats up.

If you want an alternative, flexwatt heat tape is always a great way to go. You can order flexwatt from reptile basics or just google and find other online reptile supply stores.