# Heating pad questions. Need experinced users advice.



## Luckycharms (Feb 2, 2015)

OK, I've got a great heating question. Before I ask, I would like to explain my situation. 

I here about a hamster cage heating question. A hamsters ideal temperature is 20-25. I'm going to be moving to Utah and the room I'm staying in could be considered a basement room. I do not have to option of using a heating or a space heater. I've talked with other hamster owners and they have used a zoo med heating pad with a hydrofarm thermostat. So I think I'll be taking that route. I'll also be using an ikea detolf with a DIY mesh lid to house my hamster. Like so: http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac302/missykii/P7230248.jpg 

As you can see in the pictures, the glass rests directly on the Particleboard/Fiberboard. The only way I can think of raising it is by adding a 1 in. x 1 in. Poplar Square Dowel (1 in. x 1 in. Poplar Square Dowel-1-3HWSQED - The Home Depot) along the bottom edges of the glass. So here comes Question 1: 

*- If I raise it with poplar square dowel, will it be safe to use a zoo med heating pad under the glass? 
- Would there be any fire dangers as far as the poplar wood, particleboard or Fiberboard is concerned? 
- Would it work if I raised it higher than that?*

The second option is to put the heating pad along the side of the glass vs the bottom. The reason why I wouldn't want to do this is because I'll have a nice view of the heating pad in the background. So here comes the second question:

*- Would it be safe if I place the heating pad on the side on the outside of the tank, wrapping paper on the inside, thinnest plexiglass in front of the wrapping paper to prevent the hamster from chewing the wrapping paper? **
- Would the plexiglass prevent the heat pad from warming the cage properly?
- **Would it be safe? As in would the plexiglass give off any smell or toxic fumes with exposed to a heat of 20-25 Celsius?

I really don't care much about ascetic so long as my hamster is warm and comfortable. That will always hold priority.*

Other info:
Ikea will have about 4-5 inches of Aspen all throughout the cage.
There will be a sand pit of sandtastik sand.
Ikea detolf is approximately 68 Gallons. 
Need a consistent heat of 20-25 Celsius.

Measurements laying on it's side it measures:
Length: 162.56cm - 64 Inches
Height: 35.56 cm - 14 Inches
Width: 40.64 cm - 16 inches

I'm open to any other ideas as well. I really don't want to use a heating light or a ceramic heater. Unless there is a good reason why. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post!


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## Luckycharms (Feb 2, 2015)

I forgot to ask!! 

Would it be safe to use a Zoo Med heating cable? Either on the side or on the bottom? Isn't it the same as the heating pad minus the sticky bottom?
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...2918603&sr=8-1&keywords=zoo+med+heating+cable

I've also heard about the hydrofarm seedling heating mat. Has anyone used this or recommends using it instead of the zoo med heating pad?
Amazon.com : Hydrofarm MT10006 9-by-19-1/2-Inch Seedling Heat Mat : Plant Germination Heating Mats : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Here is the video that I came across where they use and recommend it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lySTRP1gml0


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

heat mats don't heat the air, so you won't be warming the cage in the way you might expect, you will just be providing a warm spot for the hamster to sit on, other than that, the enclosure will be at the same temp as the room

there is no danger using a heat mat against plexiglass/acrylic in regards to fumes, although long term, the plexiglass may start to bend

using a heat mat on the side of the enclosure is useless, because it wont heat the air, so the hamster wont even be able to sit on it


heat mats need thermostats to be safe - but I'm _not_ convinced a heat mat is the best solution for what you want tbh...

same goes for heat cable and heat tape - definitely don't put heat cable inside the enclosure with the hamster, it'll chew thru it and start a fire


ceramic is the only solution I can think of to provide warmth without light...but I am not sure I would trust a ceramic in a hamster cage, they are little mischievous acrobats, and ceramics get very very very hot, it will get horribly burnt if it comes into contact with it, and a guard will just be something to climb on, and it may still get burnt...


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## Luckycharms (Feb 2, 2015)

CloudForest said:


> heat mats don't heat the air, so you won't be warming the cage in the way you might expect, you will just be providing a warm spot for the hamster to sit on, other than that, the enclosure will be at the same temp as the room
> 
> there is no danger using a heat mat against plexiglass/acrylic in regards to fumes, although long term, the plexiglass may start to bend
> 
> ...


As far as the cable goes, I was thinking of using it on the outside of the cage.

At some point I had thought about using a ceramic heater. The way I was thinking of using it was by attaching the ceramic heater to a dome with a dimmer, in case i needed to adjust the heat output. The dome would be attached to a zoo med lamp stand. However I couldn't help but wonder if that method be as effective with it being outside of the cage?


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

Luckycharms said:


> As far as the cable goes, I was thinking of using it on the outside of the cage.
> 
> At some point I had thought about using a ceramic heater. The way I was thinking of using it was by attaching the ceramic heater to a dome with a dimmer, in case i needed to adjust the heat output. The dome would be attached to a zoo med lamp stand. However I couldn't help but wonder if that method be as effective with it being outside of the cage?


ceramics are often mounted on the outside of enclosures, with a dome reflector over the top

using a dimmer thermostat will work nicely, although i'd be a bit concerned about the hamster potentially chewing the probe

but if you keep the thermostat probe out side of the enclosure, and use a thermometer to check the temps inside, then you can avoid that problem, just ignore the numbers of the thermostat and adjust it until you get the right temp inside the enclosure


no idea how well this will work tbh, they are designed to work inside fully closed wooden enclosures, rather than cages with lots of air flow...but as you are only looking for 20-25C, I recon it'd do the job - just make sure the hamster cants get anywhere near the ceramic itself or any of the cables/probe etc


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