Heat Packs

[Superior]

After hearing about the ice storm here in NC where we lost power for about a week, I began to think about ways to keep my leo warm. My first idea would be to just hold him, because our body gives off heat. But we would have to sleep eventually, so that wont work. My next idea was our fireplace, then I realized we use a lightswitch to turn it on, so that probably wont work. I searched the forums for stuff on heating without electricity, and got heat packs as my answer. My questions are...how long do they usually last? What temperature do they get to? What brand do you use when shipping leos? How much do they cost and how many would I need to keep heat going throughout the night for 1 leo? Sorry if im killing you with all the questions

 

[shadowx362]

http://superiorenterprise.com/index.php?cPath=29&osCsid=d4835c3a39b78a224713305920c80741

 

[nats]

Yeah, I thought about heat packs too.
Problem is, you need to know in advance that your going to have a power failure, and you need plenty of time to heat them in the oven.

 

[Superior]

I think there are some where you just boil them all in water and turn a knob when you need it to start heating or something.

 

[voretaq7]

Yeah, I thought about heat packs too.
Problem is, you need to know in advance that your going to have a power failure, and you need plenty of time to heat them in the oven.

Heat packs like the one Edgar linked to above are oxygen activated -- they are self-heating and don't need to be placed in an oven prior to use and should be good for emergency heat.

Remember that your leo only needs around 88-92 degrees (F) of heat though, and the surface of these packs tend to get to 100-110 degrees (F) so you'll need to think about some way to moderate the temperature.

 

[Superior]

Wrap one in a blanket and put the cage on top?

 

[voretaq7]

Wrap one in a blanket and put the cage on top?

That or maybe taping it to the bottom of the tank and using an extra few layers of paper towel. In my case my UTH runs at 100 degrees naked, but through my tile substrate that drops to about 90-91 degrees.

You can probably also control the temperature to some extent by partially blocking the air holes (I've used Zinc-Air cells in a project where we regulated the air flow to control voltage - The chemistry is similar, but the regulation is pretty tricky, and I'm sure the manufacturers don't approve...)

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I am a big fan of Superior, however, I have not found better heat packs than the ones RLD Enterprises sells. Their 60 hrs are the best I have found, and I have tested a lot of them. You can reach them at:

(318) 323-0751

As far as power outage tips, I'd keep my shipping boxes handy, and also those cheapo styro ice chests work really great with an airhole or two. Put heat packs in there with your deli-cupped geckos and you are good. Of course when you have a 1000 sf facility like the Gecko Ranch is you can only cup up the real sensitive guys. For leos temps need to get below 40 for extended periods to really cause trouble. In a pinch you can always drop heat packs inside terrariums... I did that in one outage and it was so cute to see the different geckos sitting on them, even a couple days later!

I got a generator for the whole place this year and am much more confident going into the winter season. :main_thumbsup:

 

[nats]

Heat packs like the one Edgar linked to above are oxygen activated -- they are self-heating and don't need to be placed in an oven prior to use and should be good for emergency heat.

Remember that your leo only needs around 88-92 degrees (F) of heat though, and the surface of these packs tend to get to 100-110 degrees (F) so you'll need to think about some way to moderate the temperature.

I did not know that, thanks much.

Now I do think I will buy some :main_yes:

And this is very good to know, last winter we had a power out for 2 days,
and it was like 15F outside!!!

 

[voretaq7]

Depending how common the ice storms are & how long you lose power for a generator may not be a bad idea - My cousins in hurricane land (Florida) all have emergency rigs.

The upside is a small (2-4KW) generator can also power a few lights, your refrigerator and maybe a space heater for you too
The downside is those small rigs run $200-600, and you have to run extension cords and have some fuel around for the generator.

 

[nats]

I am a big fan of Superior, however, I have not found better heat packs than the ones RLD Enterprises sells. Their 60 hrs are the best I have found, and I have tested a lot of them. You can reach them at:

(318) 323-0751

As far as power outage tips, I'd keep my shipping boxes handy, and also those cheapo styro ice chests work really great with an airhole or two. Put heat packs in there with your deli-cupped geckos and you are good. Of course when you have a 1000 sf facility like the Gecko Ranch is you can only cup up the real sensitive guys. For leos temps need to get below 40 for extended periods to really cause trouble. In a pinch you can always drop heat packs inside terrariums... I did that in one outage and it was so cute to see the different geckos sitting on them, even a couple days later!

I got a generator for the whole place this year and am much more confident going into the winter season. :main_thumbsup:

That's a great idea! :main_yes:
I have a bunch of those laying around in my basement (I'm a pack rat!!),

Wow! now they actuall have a for real future purpose!! :main_yes:

 

[Superior]

When the power was out, how cold did it get inside your house?

 

[Gecko Ranch]

When the power was out, how cold did it get inside your house?

The low 40fs at night. I was beside myself! Turns out the leos did not digest their meals they got before the outage, they pretty much pooped them out whole. That makes sense since they had no "cooking" to digest that food. They were 100% fine when the power came back on 36 hours later and were hungry, ate and pooped normally.

As for the smaller generators- they are well worth having, I'd plan to spend at least $800 on one. Costco has some good quality ones in that range.

 

[Superior]

Wow...I think it would be ok if we lit a candle or something and then piled blankets around my leo's cage and ourselves. How about you stan? How cold did it get for you?

 

[Gecko Ranch]

Wow...I think it would be ok if we lit a candle or something and then piled blankets around my leo's cage and ourselves. How about you stan? How cold did it get for you?

That's a good way to start a fire...just purchase some good quality heat packs that are at least 40hrs and pop one in with them. You can cover the top of the terrarium with a breathable cloth to preserve heat.

 

[voretaq7]

Julie - In your experience are the leos smart enough to get off the heat packs before they get hurt by them, or do the packs actually never reach the 100 degree "peak temperature" they stick on the package?

(I've only ever used them as hand warmers myself, so I've never had occasion to put a thermometer to them - they feel pretty warm though!)

 

[nats]

When the power was out, how cold did it get inside your house?

If I remember right, by the time 4am rolled around, and we had been w/o power for 12 hours, it was high 30's to low 40's!!

Not good gecko weather!! :main_no:

 

[Gecko Ranch]

Julie - In your experience are the leos smart enough to get off the heat packs before they get hurt by them, or do the packs actually never reach the 100 degree "peak temperature" they stick on the package?

(I've only ever used them as hand warmers myself, so I've never had occasion to put a thermometer to them - they feel pretty warm though!)

They are smart enough to not sit on them when they are that warm. You can always wrap up the heat pack in newspaper or a paper towel to be on the safe side and make them last longer (decreasing exposure to oxygen). They do not get up to 100F for very long, I'll have to do another test with my heat gun on that one. I have done a lot of testing with them taped to the top of shipping boxes and they are not at all a danger there if there is a small amount of material between them and the gecko.

 

[nats]

Wow...I think it would be ok if we lit a candle or something and then piled blankets around my leo's cage and ourselves. How about you stan? How cold did it get for you?

We had to LITERALY SLEEP with our geckos!! :main_laugh:

I put them in boxes, with some cotton cloth to make them as comfy as
possible.

I did not sleep a wink!! and I NEVER want to do that again! :main_no:

 

[Superior]

I better talk with my parents about some heat pads then. 30-40 degrees for a week = unhappy leo :main_thumbsdown: