Heating question!!?? Please help!!

[leopard love]

please help!!! im planning on getting a leopard gecko and no one really has the newest help on everything. i have a 10gallon tank for reptiles but i want to use a 28 qt plastic tub for mine. its easiers to clean and i feel it has better room for him then just a 10 gallon. questions are what about the heating? i dont want to use heat tape or cable it scares me and too expensive i rather use the exo terra or zoo med heat mat for under neath the tank. but what if it melts the plastic container? how do i know how long to keep it on for? wont it burn them? also what side should i put the humid hide? along with the hot hide above the heat mat?

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[jxl22]

i doubt that a heat pab will burn the plastic. but regulating your heat may be a problem.

I've left my humid hide on the hot, but i just switched it up to the middle of the tank. we'll see how that goes.

 

[Poppy243]

I have my humid side on the hot. Humidity usually involves heat, so that's why I put it there. Yeah, it dries out every few days, but that's not a big deal, I can easily rewet it. I think it needs to be somewhat in the middle or on the hot side, so it has some warmth. Otherwise it's just a cold and dank pad of substrate.
You should keep your heat pad on all the time. They're from the Middle East, where it is quite warm. They need the heat for proper digestion and general livelihood. I am wondering about heat regulation... Generally, people who use the plastic tubs like you have are using them in racks, which do not have the heat directly attached to the tub, but on the floor where the tub sits on top of the heat element, and they use thermostats to control the heat tape.

 

[leopard love]

@poppy243 yah I have no clue how they use these heat pads or tapes without it burning. I would love to use a tank but I think its wider and cheaper/easier to come across then a 20 gallon tank. Yah that makes since. Nd i want everything sorted out before I get the gecko so please what should I do then?

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[leopard love]

@jxl22 yah I have no clue what to do with the heat thing

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[DrCarrotTail]

Heat tape/cable (and all heat pads in my opinion) MUST be used with a thermostat to regulate it around 90 degrees. At this temperature it won't burn anything anymore than holding your 98 degree hand to the bottom of a plastic tub would. The issues arise when the tape malfunctions and developed hot spots.

I agree that a 28qt tub would be a better size for a adult leo than a 10 gallon tank. For a juvenile the large space may be overwhelming until they grow a bit. The problem with heating it is that the pad comes with small "feet" that would raise a glass tank so the heat pad is off the floor so air can circulate below it. I'm not sure if these feet will work on a plastic bin but if not, I would be worried to have a normal heat pad on a piece of wood or any other furniture with no circulation around it. I had a couple pick up a gecko from me recently an they solved the issue by sticking the pad to the bottom of the bin and buying some 2x2 pieces of wood to glue to the bottom of the bin and raise it off the counter.

Good luck!

 

[leopard love]

Wow so when u say bin ur saying the plastic bin? Well this is perfect !! Thank u so much

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[leopard love]

What do you guys recommend exo terra or zoo med?

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[DrCarrotTail]

I like the ExoTerra Rainforest heating pads. The desert ones are scary hot. Not sure about ZooMed since I've never used them. All of them need a way to control temperature, especially if you'll be using them on plastic. I would recommend a decent thermostat so it will shut off power to the heater in the event of a fire.

 

[lisa127]

For plastic bins I like to use ultratherm heat pads. I get mine at reptile basics. I do not like the zoo med ones or the others you get at petstores. They seem to be unreliable and spike in temperature. I find the ultratherms to be perfect.

 

[leopard love]

Is there a website? And what is the exact name of thermostats u guys use? Im trying to keep things not to expensive.

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