I had read somewhere on this forum that hand warmers are a great back up for heat during a power outage. Can someone confirm or give me a good alternative? What brand and type of hand warmers should i buy?
Yes, hand warmers are a good thing to have in your emergency kit in case your power goes out because you can have your dragon lay on them to help them warm up and digest their food. Other options include hot water bottles (assuming you'll have a way to heat water) or rice bags (which can be heated in the microwave, but again, you need power). You'll also want to include a towel to wrap the hand warmers in so that your dragon doesn't get burned if the warmers initially get too hot. I don't know of any particular name brand that is any better than another.
Hand warmers can be bought at many Walmart and/or sporting goods stores in states where the temps. get low and there is demand for them in hunting season. There are several brands [ Hothands is one ] and like was mentioned, they REALLY get hot, so you would need a good towel around them. They are relatively cheap, and you can get ones that last 12 - 20 hours. For packs that last a long time, you can Google " hot packs for shipping " and get ones online that last 60 hours, possibly even 72. You might find them at pet stores or reptile expos as well.
I don't like hand warmers because they get a bit too hot. The packaging says they get up to 110 degrees on some brands, more on others. I prefer to use stick on heat relief pads meant for muscle aches or cramping. I stick them to the bottom or sides of travel containers for moving, power out, whatever.