What's wrong with a heat rock?

[Shandley]

Well, the cold months are rolling around so this is a simple question with, Im sure, not a simple answer.

What's so wrong with a heat rock?

I mean, I cover mine with a very soft blanket (more of a face cloth due to its size) to take the edge off the high heat the rock puts out.

Thanks in advance,
Shandley

 

[Jordan]

you said it yourself... 'the high heat the rock puts out'

why have anything in the enclosure that potentially burn, hurt or kill your animal.

 

[jerry]

you said it yourself... 'the high heat the rock puts out'

why have anything in the enclosure that potentially burn, hurt or kill your animal.

+1

If Anything If You Have A Thermostat On Your UTH Just Warm It Up A Little,

 

[Shandley]

That's great but like I said, I cover the rock. It's really not that warm on the surface.

 

[Jordan]

you cover the rock but whats to say that the gecko wont find a way to uncover it. AND what if that face cloth you use sets on fire....unlikely but possible. no point in risking it.

 

[Shandley]

I know I know... The blanket is crazy glued to the carpet substrate. I mean, she's 13 years old this year and I've never had a problem but I am wondering if I should worry. The cover isn't going anywhere. The cloth itself is a piece of fire blanket covered with a super soft piece. Fire is not my concern.

What I am really asking is, does the heat rock do any damage aside from being too hot?

Btw, how old are these geckos suppose to live?

 

[maggiee22195]

Many 'normal' geckos live anywhere from 6-15, even 20 years. But Ron Tremper said that he had a 28 year old male still breeding... not sure how long ago that was though. But they have lived to 30 but I wouldn't expect it to live to 30.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I know I know... The blanket is crazy glued to the carpet substrate. I mean, she's 13 years old this year and I've never had a problem but I am wondering if I should worry. The cover isn't going anywhere. The cloth itself is a piece of fire blanket covered with a super soft piece. Fire is not my concern.

What I am really asking is, does the heat rock do any damage aside from being too hot?

Btw, how old are these geckos suppose to live?

Do you know what happens to Krazy Glue when it gets super heated? It emits TOXIC fumes. not good. The fumes from CA are a vaporized form of the cyanoacrylate monomer that irritate sensitive membranes in the eyes, nose and throat. They are immediately polymerized by the moisture in the membranes and become inert. These risks can be minimized by using CA in well ventilated areas. About 5% of the population can become sensitized to CA fumes after repeated exposure, resulting in flu-like symptoms.[13] It may also act as a skin irritant and may cause an allergic skin reaction. The ACGIH assign a Threshold Limit Value exposure limit of 200 parts per billion. On rare occasions, inhalation may trigger asthma. There is no singular measurement of toxicity for all cyanoacrylate adhesives as there is a wide variety of adhesives that contain various cyanoacrylate formulations.

The United States National Toxicology Program and the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive have concluded that the use of ethyl cyanoacrylate is safe and that additional study is unnecessary.[14] 2-octyl cyanoacrylate degrades much more slowly due to its longer organic backbone which slows the degradation of the adhesive enough to remain below the threshold of tissue toxicity. Due to the toxicity issues of ethyl cyanoacrylate, the use of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for sutures is preferred.

Krazy glue is NOT recommended to be used in applications where it will be exposed to heat. let alone the amount of heat a heat rock puts out.

 

[Spots]

Just about to say that crazy glue can be toxic when heated...but Kel's explaination wayyyy out beats anything I could have said.

 

[Shandley]

I'm sorry. I used a glue gun. I don't think that is the same as Krazy Glue. I should have been more specific.

 

[Spots]

I just wouldn't risk it.

This may be dumb but wouldn't the glue gun residue just remelt? I know I used to peel it off when it was dried and put it through the glue gun again and re-glue things. Just a thought.

Also, some heat rocks are plugged into the wall...couldn't he/she just put a dimmer on it and measure the surface temp of the rock to make sure it doesn't go too high?

 

[Shandley]

Now THERE'S a thought. Electrical is my background. Assuming it is all resistive heat (like a baseboard or even an incandescent bulb) and not over 500Watts, that should be doable.

Anyone have any experience with that?

 

[Dog Shrink]

The general arguement against heat rocks are that there are inconsistancies in the heating surface itself. One spot may be 10 degrees hotter than a spot an inch away from it. That is how leos end up getting burned. They tolerate the hotter spot as it is only a single spot versus the rest of the rock which may be at a more tolerant level. Leos generally don't need to bask being that they live in rocky crevaces so... what is it that you are trying to achieve by using the heat rock? Higher tank temps? Maybe if you could explain your need in a little more detail we could come up with a better solution.