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Post by sezzy5889 on Nov 22, 2005 21:47:46 GMT
I was watching Aussie animal rescue on animal planet today and they had this baby possum, and what they do to keep it warm is get a terra cotta (spelling, het hem) plant pot with a biggish hole in the bottom and fit a light bulb in it like you do with lamp shades, and then put it upside down in the cage then wrap a blanket round it, because terra cotta (hmm) heats up nicely and unlike a hot water bottle doesn't go cold after a while.
Well i was thinking what if we took the same idea except took away the blanket obviously, for the snails. It provides heat in the tank but they can't burn themselves in fact they could sit on it if they felt that cold, the only thing is the cable but i doubt a snail could chew through a cable. and for massive snails put a stone or something on top so as they don't knock it over.
What do you think?
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Nov 22, 2005 21:58:12 GMT
I think thats a great idea ,and one that's easy to make too.It would be a bit like a rock heater for reptiles but then with terra cotta(you spelled it right,you egghead lol).I don't know if the humidity would be a problem though(electrical wise).
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Post by section8angel on Nov 22, 2005 22:38:41 GMT
Mmm sounds like a handy idea. Maybe if you swapped the blanket for something else and sealed the hole, maybe the moisture wouldn't get through?
On the bottom bit you could seal it because the bulb holder would be inside the pot, and then with the top you could put a temporary cover over it (Something plastic like a pringles top comes to mind) to try and stop the mositure getting in, but you could still remove it to change the bulb.
Don't know if that would work? Or if they do moisture proof bulbs/holders. I know they do water proof light ends for fish tanks bulbs, but haven't looked for anything else lol.
And to stop them burying under it, just put it on the very bottom of the tank not just on the substrate. Should help with the moisture too shouldn't it?
There is of course the worry about them falling onto it though, so maybe it could be covered slightly with a soft fake plant or something?
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Post by Paul on Nov 23, 2005 4:21:28 GMT
How about this for a similar but perhaps safer idea.
You get a bottle, glass would be ideal but not so safe unless it was wrapped in something soft. Then you bend the heat-mat around the inside so it expands and presses against the bottle. This would mean the heat-mat has pressure and so it will heat up. You wrap the black connection point and seal both ends to stop the snails and moisture getting inside it. I think that would be safer than using a lightbulb in a tank, particularly if you use a circuit- breaker and it would radiate heat pretty well I reckon, plus you'd not be losing any on one side.
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Post by sezzy5889 on Nov 23, 2005 9:26:10 GMT
Egghead! i suppose i am aren't i, lol
Well thats what ideas are for Paul, sending out your thoughts to everyone else and moulding it into something better ;D
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Post by section8angel on Nov 23, 2005 11:50:16 GMT
Apparently you aren't meant to bend heatmats. Which I was not very happy to find out after my two had been sent folded over in the post I read it on a few of the sites I was checking out to find out what fuse to use in mine. Of course if it's a small one then it probably wouldn't need much bending, but I don't know what effect bending has on them. If they're telling you not to do it then there might actually be a reason lol. I'd have to use the lightbulb version anyway. A 23 x 6 heatmat is NOT something I want to try and bend into a glass!!
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Post by sezzy5889 on Nov 23, 2005 12:30:25 GMT
i think it means you shouldn't bend them when in use because they can over heat, and about the glass, it wouldn't be like a drinking glass, a lot bigger like a jug or something.
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Post by copigeon on Nov 23, 2005 12:30:49 GMT
I think bending would be litterally, bending. In half, or with a crease. Rolling them shouldnt be an issue so long as the roll isnt too tight. Is a nice idea.
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Post by section8angel on Nov 23, 2005 18:21:28 GMT
The would be bent while in use after you put them in the glass though. To me it's the same thing basically. And yes I know what sort of glass lol. It would be whatever the person wanted to use. (Or could use, so it might be a drinking glass ). We're not insane enough to have things like that made from glass anyway. We have nice safe plastic. And there isn't a jug that I could put the heatmat in, that would actually fit in the tank anyway! My mats were sent "curled" over, but thankfully they weren't in there long enough to be squashed down totally for a crease to form. I suppose it depends on how you look at it though. Bending to me isn't with a crease, that's when you fold something lol. (And both words have many meanings lol) So unless someone asks what they meant exactly by bending I think we just have to do what we think the mats can take and just keep an eye on them. Anyway enough rambling. As said it is a good idea. It's just personally I would still have to use the other one.
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