Rubbermaid vs. Glass Aquarium

[marisa]

BoidKeeper is exactly right. Never use the sticky stuff. It works just as well not being stuck....

I use a human heating pad. There is debate if this is safe or not but I only use one and so far, amazing! Since I use the Reptile ESU thermastat the heating pad is not on all the time. Its turned on and off automatically to adjust the temp. The heating pad could EASILY go above the 95 so it hardly has to be on long before the thermastat shuts it off again. I check it each day though to make sure nothing looks like its malfunctioning. And I have also replaced it once this year for peice of mind. Saving the "old" one for my bad back *LOL* I just want to make sure its new, and working properly. The thermastat prob sits inside the rubbermaid, but underneath the towel (paper towel) and underneath his warm hiding spot so the heat is always controlled where he is most.

Anyways, I have never had an issue. The heat is consistant, the plastic never ever gets near melting, and my snake is happy as a clam!

Marisa

[Alicewave]

I have a question related to human heat pads. I have a mini-rack set up for my soon to hatch baby leos and I wanted to use a human heat pad and have half of it under the bottom and the other half on the side of the rubbermaids. Is it ok to bend it this way (as long as it's not a sharp fold?) I too am going to regulate it with an ESU thermostat.

[Linds]

Alicewave,
Yikes. Definitely not ok to bend a heat pad (if you really must use one in the first place). The only heating medium that can be used in that matter (not with a crease, just curved) would be heat tape or heat rope.

Tinytim12333,
Tanks are only suitable for desert animals and other animals that do not need any supplemental humidity levels. Tanks do not provide any means to hold humidity without totally cutting off the airflow. Your best bet is to go with rubbermaids or custom enclosures. Most breeders use rubbermaid rack systems for their cornsnakes.

[Alicewave]

Did I specify that it's a human heat pad? I thought I did... THat's what I'm using. All I was going to do was curve it, like they show it being used on knees and stuff in the pictures. Just wondering if anyone has actually had a problem doing this?

[CyberGhost]

Use rubbermaids their just better for most species, and escpeccialy breeding. I think everyonelse has alredy said why.

[marisa]

Alicewave- I honestly can't say...I use mine flat. *shrug* Sorry!

Marisa

[Alicewave]

From what it looks like on the one I got you can bend it in one direction but not the other. (The other is how I was hoping to use it) I think I will get enough heat from just below but if not I will buy a second one and put it on top. By the way, Don't buy the new Sunbeam human heating pads. They have an auto-off feature which renders them basically useless for reptiles.

[unBOAlievable]

I use nothing but rubbermaids/steralites for all my neonates. I used to use flexwatt on them but have since changed on the way I keep my babies. Now I use no heat tape and keep the hatchlings room at 84-86. I keep Elaphe,lampropeltis,pituophis,Candoia,Bothrochilus ,Boa constrictor imperator,and B.C.C, Python regius,Liasis,Morelia,Masticophis,Philothamnis.Cro talus,Agkistrodon. and many more without any problems or regurges whatsoever for 3 years now.

You are right about the new sunbeams, I hate it when they improve something.

[Alicewave]

Seriously! I had to wait in line at Wal-Mart for 25 mins to buy the darned thing, only to take it home and realize it was uselss and I had to wait in line another 25 minutes to get the Dunlap one.

[Lisa]

We use both tanks and rubbermaids (and soon custom melamine) for our enclosures.

We have no problem keeping the humidity at the correct levels, the only one that has ever posed a challange is our viperboas, and that was fixed by putting a towel over the cage.