It's really cold here,lol.

[a.ojala]

Hey guys, I'm used to the Ca sunshine and this weather here sucks(UK). It's dropping to the 20's at night time. Right now I have my P.giraffa pair in my room, which has like 5 heaters in it, lol. But it still gets cold in here. Any tips on how I can keep my beetles warm, I was thinks maybe a heat pad or a heat lamp or both. Or do you think there fine at these temps( 30's at night, 40-50 degrees in the afternoon).

 

[Skink]

Heat pad, definetly. Hook it up to a thermostat, doesn't need to be a fancy expensive one like herpstat, but getting a fancy one might be good for when you have multiple cages so you can switch to heat tape. Bulbs dry out a cage really quickly. Ceramic heat emitters might work, but it provides ample room for a drop in humidity and terrestrial heat will be way more accessible for your beetles + way easier to control.

Heating the whole room might be the best way, though, as the temperature is much more even (I don't know if beetles would need a temperature gradient but I am not assuming so.) Maybe just invest in a more competent heater? Depends on how much you're willing to spend.

 

[GeneralZero]

Keep the hearts near them also if it's in tote box or tank wrap it with some newspaper. Newspaper makes good insulation and costs near nothing. But as stated above it always depends on the $$$

 

[Jordan]

30-50 degrees inside of the house? That sounds slightly uncomfortable

I have looked into heating methods and I personally use plastic housing containers which are kind of risky for heating pads from what I have read from reptile breeders. I would agree with Skink that a heat bulb would probably dry out the container quickly. Is there anyway to just increase the heat in the house? If not I would personally put the container in a box and insulate it with something like towels or blankets and then place it in a closet with a heater just so that all the heat is trapped in a smaller area.

 

[a.ojala]

I'm going to be leaving in a few weeks so I am fine with the portable heaters

Ya I'm probably just going to use the heat-mat method. Thanks for the info

 

[Skink]

I have looked into heating methods and I personally use plastic housing containers which are kind of risky for heating pads from what I have read from reptile breeders.

Actually, heat pads on plastic is only risky if you don't have control! A simple thermostat hooked up to the heating device makes it perfectly safe. Most people who keep snakes on a large scale keep them in plastic bins, stacked up with back heat. Issues only happen when the heating device fails because inadequate safety measures were taken. Its very safe provided there isn't too much insulation!

Wrapping the device in a blanket can cause superheating and device failure, so make sure if you use an under tank heating device, don't wrap them up. It would probably be a great idea now, though, especially if you can get the blankets nice and toasty first. Maybe a hair dryer and some patience to ghetto rig a temporary fix.