sarahb
Archachatina marginata
Posts: 31 
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Post by sarahb on Dec 1, 2011 11:23:25 GMT
Hiya
Over the last couple of weeks as it's been getting colder Samson and Delilah have been slowing down, so I've got them a heatmat. My questions/concern is will it be warm enough? I got a 7W mat taped to the outside of the tank. It feels pleasantly warm when I touch it on the outside, but is it strong enough to warm the inside of the tank?
The heatmat makes me nervous anyway (having something like that plugged in and running all the time), so I kinda want to be sure it's actually doing any good.
Thoughts?
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Post by axoloa on Dec 1, 2011 12:37:36 GMT
hi sarahb, personaly i would put a polystyrene sheet/tile behind the heatmat to deflect the heat into the tank. it wont do any harm to actualy sit the tank on the heatmat either. If anything this would be your optimun option. If you do this then likelyhood is, you wont need the polystyrene either  |
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sarahb
Archachatina marginata
Posts: 31
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Post by sarahb on Dec 1, 2011 12:54:17 GMT
What would I put the heatmat on (other than the obvious "the table") before I put the tank on top of it? It doesn't get hot enough to scorch the table or anything but for safety sake do I nned to put something between it and the table top? Like I said, this thing makes me nervous |
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Post by axoloa on Dec 1, 2011 16:05:48 GMT
personaly id just leave it on the bare table, but you could always put it on a slab of hard wood if your realy concerned. I wouldent worry to much however, 7 watt heat mats dont get very hot anyway unless you were to sit it on polystyrene and then the tank on top. I do this for my Archachatina species, but these do have a 10cm deap substrait. if you were to do that, I would recomend no less than 8cm substrait in your enclosure. but realy it will do fine just sitting on wood what species are we talking about exactly? |
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sarahb
Archachatina marginata
Posts: 31
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Post by sarahb on Dec 1, 2011 16:32:01 GMT
They're just plain ol' fulica. My others (2 fulica, 1 retic) don't seem to be effected by the dip in temp, but they're kept in the bedroom and it's a touch warmer in there all the time anyway. I'll slip their mat under the tank and see how they like it. It's not cold enough in here for them to freeze, but it does seem to be making them very sleepy - so bad I have to wake them up to eat. I worry about the slimy little boogers |
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Post by axoloa on Dec 2, 2011 3:44:08 GMT
ahh well if their fulicas then a heatmat under the tank will do just great this sounds realy frightening and risky to me, but beleive it or not, some people actualy put fulica in their fridge for a few days at the start of winter to force them into hybernation and they do this with great sucess and the Fulica wake up fine in mid spring. Personaly I wouldent ever consider this, because lets face it.... No part of Africa ever gets as cold as a fridge. I let mine hybernait when their ready to, but im just letting you know this to ease your mind a little on their current state and enclosure temperature. |
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sarahb
Archachatina marginata
Posts: 31
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Post by sarahb on Dec 2, 2011 13:59:38 GMT
Thank you Hopefully they'll perk up a bit now. Really, if being put in a fridge doesn't kill them (have no desire to ever try that one!) I don't think the temp in my livingroom is going to do them any real harm. |
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Post by axoloa on Dec 3, 2011 14:52:31 GMT
Lol thats exactly my opinion to I have to say, it would scare the hell out of me to try refridgerating them :/ |
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