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reptile acrylic

February 27th, 2007 admin No comments

reptile acrylic
Will a thermostat regulated heat pad be safe to heat rubbermaid container housing an emperor scorpion?

I am currently researching Emperor Scorpions, and would not be acquiring one for several months. I am considering housing it in a wide, long, and short rubbbermaid container, which with a few holes driller for air circulation, would be perfect for keeping humidity high. However, I wonder if there is a way to safely heat the rubbermaid with a heat pad on the side. It would have a thermostat of course, no cooked critter here. But would the plastic hold up to it? I know some brands work with acrylic, but I am not so sure about other types of plastic.

If anyone could provide some insight and experience, I would be very appreciative. I post this in the reptile section because I assume you guys would have more experience with heating related to reptiles and invertebrates.

I use Sterlite containers in my rack unit which has 4" flexwatt in it. I run the temps around 88F and has never had an issue with burning plastic.

As long as you are not pushing the heat mat up too high, you should be fine. I would use Sterlite containers (available at Target and other places) as those are the standard in racks and people do not have problems with them.

Make sure you have a reliable proportional thermostat, such as a Herpstat or Helix. I personally use Herpstat for both my rack flexwatt and for my large gecko tank with a ZooMed heat mat.

Also, make sure the heat mat has room to breathe, so don't put it too close to a wall or anything.