heating rubbermaids

[Dev_Man]

I've decided to buy a neonate BRB...i already have a rubbermaid for it now i'm wondering how should i heat it??? i have a small zoomed heatpad, but i don't feel comfortable sticking it to the plastic, can i run the pad even though its just resting under the rubbermaid or does it have to be stuck on?...other than that everything seems great ...oh another question...a place around here is selling babies for 400$ !!!! anyone know of a breeder where i can get a nice female for a decent price?

thanks for the help

[reptiledude21]

no, it doesnt need to be stuck on just rest the cage on it, i do. no i dont know the answer to the second question.

[lmass49]

Im not to sure about the heat pad ? But if i was looking to get a brb and lived in Canada I would look in on getting one from Jeff Favelle. He has some great looking baby brbs you can take a look for yours self at his web site www.jefffavelle.com

[Jeff_Favelle]

Hey lmass49, thanks for the plug man!! Appreciate it!

Dev, ALWAYS place the heating pad OUTSIDE of the Rubbermaid when housing snakes, ESPECIALLY Rainbow Boas!. I would just place it on 1/3 of the bottom of the cage and go from there. Again, have your cage set up at least 2 weeks before you buy your snake so that you can monitor temperatures and get everything running smoothly BEFORE you put your new pet in there!!

Have the temps so that the cool end is 76-78F and the warm "spot" is around 84-88F. That should do just find. But again, WATCH your snake. If its ALWAYS basking on the hotspot, what does that tell you? Or, if it can't get far enough away from the warm end and is always curled up on the cold side, what does that tell you.

Damp newspaper, big enough water dish to soak, and ALWAYS buy a captive-bred baby from a breeder!!

Best of luck! I'm not the only breeder around, so shop around! Get the colors that YOU like the best. After all, its your money and its your time!! And you shouldn't pay more than about $225-275 for a screaming BRB baby!!

Cheers!

[Dev_Man]

Thanks For The help guys ...Jeff your animals are simply stunning!!!...i know not to put the heat pad in the rubbermiad lol i was just wondering if it had to be stuck onto the bottom or could the rubbermaid just rest on it

P.S i don't think i'm going to have to do much shopping around

[Linds]

Pat Dring, Don Patterson, and (as formentioned) Jeff Favelle all produce some nice babies. Hmmmm... what's going on over in BC I wonder???? lol

As for the rubbermaid question, youi don't have to stick it on, that way you will stlil be able to use your UTH on other enclosures as well once your baby outgrows that one. Just put some parchment paper on it to keep it from drying out (I never trust the stuff it comes with) and either stick it on with aluminum foil tape, electrical tape, or duct tape. Other types of tape do not withstand heat well and will dry out and possibly become hazardous or ineffective. Make sure you are controlling that UTH with some sort of device, you can use either a prewired rheostat ($20) or one that you wire yourself ($4), a thermostat (cha-ching! better for incubators and racks, or a set of enclosures... sort of pricey for just one rubbermaid setup). Your heating device should never be allowed to reach levels that could be hazardous to your herp or your home.

Good luck, these snakes are awesome!!

[Steele]

I got a lamp dimer at the hardwer store. it is just plug and go

[T.O-SK8TER]

I use a rubbermaid and I use a heat lamp, Im to affraid a uth could melt the plastic or hurt my snake. I cut a hole in the lid of the rubbermaid and attached metal cloth over the hole by drilling a few holes and using nuts, bolts and washers, I also did the same to the other side of the lid with some plexiglass so I could see my boy. It worked great for me give it a try and I m sure you will find the same!
Good Luck

[Invictus]

I have a couple of rubbermaids with a single 8" heat pad stuck to a sheet of MDF underneath them. They do have feet that raise them up about 1 cm or so, and they get VERY well heated. Sometimes too much so, and that's with the smallest heat pad you can get. So yes, I'd recommend a rheostat or a lamp dimmer as Steele mentioned. I'm definitely going to get one of those soon.

[Linds]

Originally posted by T.O-SK8TER
I use a rubbermaid and I use a heat lamp, Im to affraid a uth could melt the plastic or hurt my snake.

Bottom heat methods work best for BRB. See <a href="http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22149">this thread</a> for more detail. Whether you are heating glass, wood, or plastic, your UTH should NEVER be allowed to reach those temps... if it can warp or melt plastic, it will definitely burn your snake. Your UTH should be set to reach no higher than the decided basking temperature. And UTH do reach temperatures that are dangerous to snakes, they need to be controlled on all types of enclosures.

[T.O-SK8TER]

I d rather be safe than sorry I have used heat lamps for years and I will not switch, even for my 8 x 4 foot enclosure I will be using heat lamps, Ive got a tone and I meen a tone of ceramic bulbs to use.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Heat lamps are for the birds......er.....I mean lizards. You'd be better off with a hot rock!! (kidding, well, sort of).

UTH for ALL snakes. Heat lamps suck.

[T.O-SK8TER]

Why is this? There is no way I can heat through 3/4 inch plywood with a uth.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by T.O-SK8TER
Why is this? There is no way I can heat through 3/4 inch plywood with a uth.

and why is that?
i heat through 5/8 melamine with a UTH and i have a hotspot of 90-91 for my ball python and boa constrictors.
i use the human heat pads you get at walmart, and it is only set on medium, and i still acheive this heat, so no need to say it wont work.
just try it for yourself, it works!!!

[T.O-SK8TER]

It would take a lot of heat pads for an 8 x 4 foot enclosure, and besides I have enough ceramic bulbs to last me 40 years.