Heat mats and outdoor enclosures.

[chameleon7]

Sorry for posting so much i feel like I'm being incredibley annoying but since I'm getting a bobtail lizard in the next 3 weeks and am planning to keep it in a large out door enclosure i need all the info i can get, its well into winter now in Australia but i was planning on having a tin roof over half and maybe just keeping the whole enclosure under the alfresco if its raining (would have it on wheels for easy moving, i was going to have a few hides, reasonabley deep wood chips and hay as well as a heat pad/mat. so i was wondering what brand/type/wattage you guys have used for blue tongues etc.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Only problem will be ensuring it stays dry , rain and dew will quickly short out the internal electronics in most heatmats , they are not designed to be used outside or in damp places.

There is the electrical safety aspect consider, a shorting heatmat might electrocute you or your pets or anyone coming into contact with it , especially if the surface is damp when touched , it only takes a fraction of a second.

 

[chameleon7]

is there another form of heating i can use? a reptile specialist from down here said he uses them outdoors but idk, what about heat pads? arent they a bit different? or just a hot water bottle that i could keep changing or would i just let him brumate? this is what a local reptile specialist suggested "I would use either a 25w heat cord in between two large tiles or a large 20w heat pad in between two large tiles and leave it on all the time, they don’t cost a lot to run"?

 

[CooperDragon]

Are you trying to avoid visible light? I would try a halogen flood light because they're designed to be used outdoors and can handle rain no problem with the right fixture and wiring. A ceramic heat emitter might work too because they are completely sealed/enclosed from what I can tell.

 

[chameleon7]

Are you trying to avoid visible light? I would try a halogen flood light because they're designed to be used outdoors and can handle rain no problem with the right fixture and wiring. A ceramic heat emitter might work too because they are completely sealed/enclosed from what I can tell.

and do they provide sufficiant heat? not really trying to avoid visible light just also the fact that bobtails get alot of there heat from underneath but i'm sure both would work. do you know where i can get the flood lights and how much do they cost. cheers

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah for a basic PAR 38 halogen flood you should be able to get it at Bunnings or Mitre 10. Most hardware stores have them here. They put out a decent amount of heat. I use them as basking lights and they can hit 40c from about 60cm pretty easily. They are dimmable so you can fine tune them with a lamp dimmer, dimming thermostat, or by changing their height.

 

[chameleon7]

sounds perfect, how much will that cost?and you think this will be completely safe?

 

[kingofnobbys]

is there another form of heating i can use? a reptile specialist from down here said he uses them outdoors but idk, what about heat pads? arent they a bit different? or just a hot water bottle that i could keep changing or would i just let him brumate? this is what a local reptile specialist suggested "I would use either a 25w heat cord in between two large tiles or a large 20w heat pad in between two large tiles and leave it on all the time, they don’t cost a lot to run"?

That will work if you run a bead of silicon around the edge (will be permanent) to exclude moisture.
Note the wire terminator block that attaches the power cable to the pad is thicker than the pad.