Moist hide melting?

[Kariosus]

Alrighty, so I bought an exo-terra "gecko cave" [ Exo Terra : Gecko Cave / Terrestrial Gecko Hide ], and I was wondering if anyone else had this problem.

I've been using this hide as a moist hide, with damp paper towel, and I'd position the hide on the warm side (UTH) of the tank. After some time, I noticed a weird chemically smell (for lack of a better description :/ ). Upon further inspection, the hide seemed to be, well, melting. A gummy/sticky material showed up where the top peice of the hide rests on the bottom peice, but when it cooled down it seemed to solidify and not be sticky anymore (I removed the hide from my leo's tank; anything that smells like chemicals must not be good). I have another hide that doesn't have this issue at all (although it is a regular one-peice hide).

Perhaps it is just the painted part of the hide that is "melting". The bottom of the hide, and the parts where the top and bottom peices connect, are unpainted. However, there seemed to be a bit of paint overlapping on the outside edges of the unpainted parts, and that is where most of the stickiness was happening.

All in all, an odd problem, just thought I'd take a shot in the dark and see if anyone else had this problem before. I don't know if I have either a defective product, have the wrong product (inappropirate for use as a moist hide?), or a damaged product (I disinfected it at one point, perhaps that removed some sort of protective coating? Who knows-- I was told the disinfectant was safe to use on gecko hides).

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I haven't had the issue but am wondering: What temp is your warm side and how are you measuring the temp? If its warm enough to melt a hide it may be warm enough to hurt your gecko...

 

[SC Geckos]

What is the surface temp where this hide was? Are you using a thermostat to regulate the temp of the UTH? I use to use a few of these hides several years back and never had an issue. A 90 - 93 degree surface temp should not even get close to melting these hides.... At least from my experience.

 

[SC Geckos]

Beat me to it Lisa! lol

 

[Gary Orner]

The heat pad or Tape is too hot. No matter what some type of thermostat or dimmer is needed with them.

 

[Kariosus]

I haven't had the issue but am wondering: What temp is your warm side and how are you measuring the temp? If its warm enough to melt a hide it may be warm enough to hurt your gecko...

My immediate thought was the temperature being too high; sorry, I should have mentioned that I already looked into it! I have checked the temp (digital thermometer), and I do have the UTH connected to a rheostat. I do adjust it so it falls into acceptable temperature ranges (usually high 80's; highest it has ever reached is 92); the UTH is never set to "full-power". My leo, Ghidorah, likes to stick to the warm side of his tank (especially in the moist hide), so I took that as a potential indication that it isn't too hot for him; I've been told leos will regulate their temp, if they are too hot, they will move to a cold hide (which is readily available to him). Unless there are cases where a leo will stick to a warm side even if it is too warm?

I have repticarpet in the enclosure, which dulls the heat down, but I found the moist hide (bottom peice) really soaks up the warmth and even seems to amplify it. I tried moving the hide off of the warm spot (half on half off, other variations), but then the moist hide would be damp and cold and wouldn't retain much warmth (the finnicky thing). I used to use a sour cream container for a moist hide before I bought this one, and that never "melted" or even warmed up too much; and I put it in the same spot as the moist hide as I am using now.

So the only thing I can think of being a problem is either; A) my thermometer is giving inaccurate readings and Ghidorah likes to be too warm for his own good, or B) the moist hide just absorbs heat and amplifies it above the temperature of the substrate it is resting on.

 

[Kariosus]

Ah, in addition; if my thermometer is giving inaccurate readings, and the temp is actually too high, I would figure the entire underside of the moist hide would be melting as well; but it isn't. The underside of the hide is completely fine, no stickiness or anything. Just the part where the top and bottom peices of the hide connect is where it's having problems, which is why I've been so perplexed.

 

[indyana]

That's so strange... you don't have a lamp over the enclosure, right? If so, maybe the top of the moist hide gets a lot warmer. You could also try scrubbing the affected areas well with a brush, in case there's some sort of residue left from manufacturing on there.

I was going to buy one of those hides when I moved my gecko to a larger enclosure. Does anyone else reading this have the same brand?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Sorry if I missed this but, does the digital thermometer you're using have a probe on the floor of the tank? I use plastic Tupperware as moist hides. It's a lot thinner than the hide you have an they've never melted a bit, even on UTHs that have gotten up to 100 degrees. If the hide has a metal frame imbedded in the plastic that is exposed or really close to the UTH it could be conducting electricity into the plastic and cooking itself. Another thought, could the gecko have pooped on it? I think it's unlikely but uric acid could possibly erode the plastic too.

 

[tomcatguy74]

I just had that problem with my Zoo Med Repti Shelter. Went to clean it and my finger went right through the floor of it. It was very soft and brittle. I use sphagnum moss in it and it sits directly over my UTH. I realize that the temps were running about 115 to 120 on the surface of the repti carpet the shelter sits on but I figured they were constructed to withstand that temperature. I guess not.
I sent it back to amazon and received a new one.
If I need to keep the repti shelter's temp at 85-90 how do I do that if I have to regulate the temperature of the UTH with a thermostat?
It sits right on the UTH just to stay at 90. If I bring the UTH down to 90 won't the carpet, shell of repti shelter and moss insulate it too much? The inside won't reach 90 right?



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