snookie Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 Heated Rocks for reps ? good or bad ? opinions please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 IT depends on what you have. Some take in heat through the underside of their bellies, and some do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 yeah they arent good for reps that dont take heat from the belly - what happens is they sit on the rock as its usually in the basking area under a lamp, and they get burnts as they cant feel the heat therefore wont move when it gets too hot. or something like that. ive always made a point of steering clear of them. Heatmats or bulbs are always better options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 i dont see how theyre any different to heatpads/mats. best used with a thermostat imo as they may overheat. may depend on what you want to use it for. i prefer heat bulbs or emitters myself but that just personal preference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 i dont see how theyre any different to heatpads/mats. best used with a thermostat imo as they may overheat. may depend on what you want to use it for. i prefer heat bulbs or emitters myself but that just personal preference On that subject, I might start running a day glo bulb rather than an emitter, a dimmer thermostat will be better than a pulse ay? Pulse stat will make the light go on and off constantly! And run a heatmat on a pulse stat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 i dont use thermostats at all, but my area outside enclosures is temp controlled so same temps day in day out (no over heating on hot days) etc. just adjust bulb wattage to get desired basking temp. i just use spot lights from bunnings. what you suggested sounds to be bang on..where are you getting said thermostats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 Heated rocks will still overheat unless the thermostat probe is on the rock. Otherwise it is like a heat emitter that switches off when the air gets to the set temperature. You wouldn't want your reptile sitting on a heat emitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 still just using mirror demisters for heat pads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herperjosh Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 For dragons like beardy's etc. They don't have many heat receptors on their underside so heating from below they do not feel, If i the heat rock did over heat they would not feel it in time and get burnt. Something like a blue tongue skink or leopard gecko will feel the heat rock if it were to over heat and hop off, Exo-Terra has a thermo stat and is water resistant other heat rocks like reptile one i have noticed say nothing about a thermo stat and nothing about being water resistant or water proof if say a wet water dragon decided to sit on one of these it could get electrocuted. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 still just using mirror demisters for heat padsi picked up 3/4 not so long ago for $6 each (about $30-40each in bunnings ), not sure why i purchased them other than the price what temp do yours heat to, mine seem to get to about 35C, maybe slightly less with artificial turf ontop. I use a thermostat if using them as paranoid they may over heat....they are low wattage though so maybe safe. cheap to run. Herperjosh i think beardies do feel bottom heat reasonably well just based on observation. Still if its too hot it will burn any lizard, thats why i dont like heat mats and or heat rocks as theyre known to get too hot, so any lizard could get a burn. need to be pretty darn hot though. heat rock under basking light gets warm, so you effectively get heat from below and above, = double toasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 Heat pads and heat rocks cannot have the heat controlled unless the thermostat is in contact with them. They generally rely on a low power input to keep the temperature down so if the location is well insulated or the background temperature is very warm they will get very hot. This is why you may need to use different sized bulbs at different times of the year if you are using them to heat insect breading setups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 what temp do yours heat to, mine seem to get to about 35C, maybe slightly less with artificial turf ontop. I use a thermostat if using them as paranoid they may over heat....they are low wattage though so maybe safe. cheap to run. 30c under sand and astroturf waterbed heat control pads are good too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 thats all good. just done a quick search, as suspect heat rocks are better these days than what they use to be. seems this one atleast has a thermostat built in http://www.reptileone.com.au/heating.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 nothing like the smell of a cooking lizard to an Arnhem land man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 what you suggested sounds to be bang on..where are you getting said thermostats? I have a reptapet thermostat, and on trademe they have dimmer ones in the reptile section, which i might have a look at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 I started out using the dimmers on trademe but they don't maintain the teperature so I switched to the proper thermostats and have been happy with them since. They are on heat emitters and control the air temperature in the hot end of the enclosures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 dimmers arnt thermostats. they basically just dim to desired level by manually turning the nob. marswel just get a higher/lower wattage bulb imo. you can get dimming thermostats, they actually dim the light to get desired temp. or pulse as per this auction http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =318610270 thats the first one ive seen in nz.. can get on ebay or australian distributer http://www.herptrader.com.au/ may need to check power supply if getting on ebay, i assume aussie use the same power as us, just need a plug adapter? Habistat thermostats are suppose to be very good from waht i can gather. I'll probably get one for the next incubator i make. If using a thermostat, just dont go over board with the heat lamp, like use a bulb that if left on (thermostat fails) will only get say 5-10C more than what your aiming for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 after saying all that and probably confusing you :lol: yes a dimmer will reduce temp of heat mat for night time. and the probe thermostats on tm are good enough for basking bulbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted October 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 so heated rock not really rated then ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 15, 2010 Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 Not in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 15, 2010 Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 i have read the same book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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