Heating

[Kaabi]

I used to have a reptile, a bearded dragon, and all he needed for heat was some lights. But for garter snakes, heating pads are also needed to keep them properly warmed. Maybe I needed a heating pad for my bearded dragon too, but he did fine without one.

[Boots]

Originally Posted by Kaabi

I used to have a reptile, a bearded dragon, and all he needed for heat was some lights. But for garter snakes, heating pads are also needed to keep them properly warmed. Maybe I needed a heating pad for my bearded dragon too, but he did fine without one.

Depending where you live, you might not need one for your reptiles, but most reptiles should have some type of heating source. That way it is up to them what temperature they want to be. I have used heating rocks in the past, but think under tank heaters are the way to go now. Of course it depends on the reptile.

Jason

[Kaabi]

Heating rocks, those are good. But are there any occasions where simply a light is enough? I mean, for snakes, because it was for my reptile.

[ssssnakeluvr]

Hot rocks aren't good...many a lizard has cooked himself on them. Garters are very cold tolerant snakes, room temps will work. If you are going to be breeding, you can heat one end with an undertank heater or if you have a rack, heat tape.

[Boots]

I have had problems myself with heating stones in the past. When they first came out years ago, and I mean years ago, they were not coated and were a breeding ground for little bugs. Once they were infested, they were very hard to clean since you could not bake or boil them. They was/is also the problem of un even heat. Hence the reason why I think under tank heaters are the way to go.

Originally Posted by ssssnakeluvr

...Garters are very cold tolerant snakes, room temps will work...

In the winter we keep our house at about 16 degree Celsius (60.8 degree Fahrenheit) when we are not home and at night. I would feel guilty if I did not provided at least some type of heat source.

Jason

[Cazador]

Heating pads are not necessary for maintaining garter snakes. They're just a different option. I only use UV lights for heat on a variety of vivaria, and I live in Alaska. My house is generally in the low-to-mid 70s, and the temperature directly under a 50 Watt UV light remains around 85F. The temp at the far end of the vivarium is room temperature.
If I'm not brumating certain snakes during the winter, I use an adjustable, screw-in rheostat (about $3 at Wal Mart) in my incandescent light and a 75 Watt bulb. Then I just adjust the rheostat until I get the desired temperature range. Some of my vivaria are glass. Others are plastic, and I've never even come close to having a problem with the walls heating too much. Cheers,
Rick

[DevilsCharm]

I didn't know there were so many ways to heat a tank. The undertank heating seems to be the best way, since those rocks seem to cause more problems than benefits.

[Boots]

There are many different ways to heat your enclosure, some better then others. It really depends on your setup and as Rick mentioned if you want to heat your enclosure.

Jason

[DevilsCharm]

Yes, I'm sure that if the cage is set up one way, it will either be easier and/or more effective to heat it one way rather than another.