Who uses Plastic Shoe Boxes?

[serpentor]

I was wondering how you heat these? I thought about getting a piece of Glass and putting a heatpad under it, and put the shoe boxes on top? These seem Ideal on saving space.

[crazyboy]

most people that use rubbermaids are using them in a rack system. In a rack system most people either run heat tape down the back of the rack or on top of each shelve in the rack. For you in which you only want to use one rubbermaid(if you want to use more than one you sohuld build a rack) you could just lay the heatpad underneath the rubbermaid. You dont necessarily need to stick it to anything but if you want to you can stick it to a peice of glass. Just remember that you will need to control the heat from a heat pad. You can do this with either a dimme ror a thermostat.

[Tim and Julie B]

Crazyboy is right on the money. For my set up I use three drawer adjustable units and maintain ambient temps through the day, dropping them at night. The cool spots are usually in the humid boxes at about 80-83 dgrs. The ambient temps are usually the higher 80's. So far so good. I think that the glass idea is a good one.

Julie

[Icefire]

I use Rubermaid in a homemade melamine rack
I heat them with a Roof De-Icing cable (150W 30feets)
it get to 30C in the hot spot (heated from the back)
and 24C from the cool

[WingedWolf]

Just use a human heating pad. The weight of a rubbermade or sterilite won't be enough to damage it. Much cheaper, and human heating pads are actually safer.
No need for glass. Use a thermostat or rheostat with it, just like an undertank heat pad--they also generally have 3 temperature settings already built into the cord.

The final selling point...they only cost 10 bucks. :D

[HeatherK]

I use human heat pad + rubbermaid as well. Best setup I've used so far (and the most cost-effective :) ).

[mathaldo]

Just started using plastic shoeboxes. I have a 15 QT Rubbermaid with a zoo-med heating pad. I then bought a zoo-med thermostat, it was on sale for only $13.95 at a Super Pet, and keep it constantly on low to medium, as it emits a lot of heat.

[serpentor]

Never thought about a human heating pad? Could I just change the settings on the heatpad to regulate night and day temps? or do I still need a thermostat?

[serpentor]

also would a plastic shoebox be big enough for a adult male to live in?

[latazyo]

I was going to use a rubbermaid rack, but I was afraid that it would get too stinky, do any of you have problems with stinky drawers in the rack?

what about humidity too high?

[hobotramp]

I use human heat pads set on either low or medium (depending on location in the room). I never adjust the temps... it's the same day and night. My leos just move from warm to cool end as they decide what they want. Everyone seems to stay healthy and active like that.

[Painted Desert]

I have a large rack system with heat tape. Now, i have been blessed in my life to live with Mr. Safety. Mr Safety demands that fire risks be reduced to a minimum. For a single rubbermaid (and no, an adult male cannot live in a shoebox), I would likely use a UTH. Great prices on them at the Toronto show, comparable to a human heating pad. Of course, you could borrow the heating pad for other uses?? ;) Back on the heat tape theme... my heat tape is sandwiched between ceramic tile (HomeDepot, dollar each or less), and a sheet of glass. Why the glass?? Two reasons. The biggest reason is i can SEE THE HEAT TAPE, and visually check for trouble/hot spots. And (B), the glass has no "flex" to it, important with the changing humidity levels in hatchling containers. The 4" heat tape is perfect for covering 1/3 of the shoebox area....

[serpentor]

What about an adult male living it's life in a sweater box ( 13"x9")
12qt/11.4L? Also how many holes should I drill for ventalation?

[Linds]

Heat tape is a great tool. UTH also work well. I never unstick them, but rather replace the paper with parchment paper and rest it under or temporarily affix it to the bottom. Both of these need to be operated with a dimmer or thermostat.

I keep my adults in the 11.4 rubbermaids and they work well. Hatchlings go in either the the rubbermaid shoeboxes, or extra small size storage rubbermaids and sterilites.

Originally posted by WingedWolf
Much cheaper, and human heating pads are actually safer.


How do you figure they are safer? They are not designed to be left on 24/7. Now many of them are also coming with an auto-off safety function that goes off after 30 minutes or something like that, they wouldn't call it a safety function like that if they considered it safe for them to be left on for extended periods like that. Although many people have used them with little-to-no problems, some people have lost their collections and homes to them :firestart I wouldn't trust them for full use like that.

[serpentor]

Just a question:) How many people have lost their collection with heatpads designed for reptiles? Does anybody know how many fires were caused by human & reptile heatpads, this year, last year?

[WingedWolf]

Yeah, human heating pads are subject to strict regulations--the reptile UTHs aren't subject to quite that level of scrutiny.

Thus, human heating pads are safer than UTHs.
Obviously, read the box before you buy, if it has an automatic off switch, don't buy that one.

The important thing to remember is that when it shows signs of yellowing, cracking, etc, you throw it away. It can take a couple of years to wear out, though.

UTHs certainly have a worse reputation when it comes to overheating or starting fires.