Heating Pads or Overhead heating?

[Derbarbarian]

Hi Guys,

I had a couple of questions in regards to heating my Goliath's enclosure, I just received my first Theraphosa blondi, I've had a couple of Tarantula's in the past and I've always wanted a Goliath Bird Eater so I decided to finally pull the trigger and get one. I currently have her setup in a 20 Gallon Long tank with about 4-5" of substrate. Now that summer is ending and it's going to start getting colder here in the Seattle area I'm wondering what the best method of heating is since my house gets pretty cold during the winter. I was still living with my folks when I had my last tarantula's and they kept their house pretty warm during the winter so I never really had to worry about heating pads/lamps. I've heard good and bad things about the heating pads, so I'm just wondering if it's best to use overhead heating lamps or if there's a solid brand of heating pads I can use? My only concern with the heating pad is the amount of substrate that I have, I'm not sure how well it would work. Any advice/Input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Dieter

 

[x_raphael_xx]

Tarantulas will burrow to get away from the heat, so underpad heating is not recommended.
A heating pad against one side of the enclosure is best.
Personally I don't use heating myself, as my room is constantly warm thanks to the reptiles.

 

[Tarantulafeets]

Space heater is the safest option, keeps the whole room warm as well.

 

[Derbarbarian]

Tarantulas will burrow to get away from the heat, so underpad heating is not recommended.
A heating pad against one side of the enclosure is best.
Personally I don't use heating myself, as my room is constantly warm thanks to the reptiles.

Will the heating pads that they sell adhere to the side of the tank easily?

 

[Blackdog]

Will the heating pads that they sell adhere to the side of the tank easily?

They do but shouldn't be used without being connected to thermostat. Highly recommend not using them. BTW what is the temperature of the room they are In?

 

[Arachnoclown]

Heating pads and heat lights with Theraphosa species is a sure way to kill your spider. Heat the room. 70 degrees is all you need. Lots of ventilation is required for this spider along with lots of humidity. Not the easiest tasks to maintain for new keepers.

 

[Derbarbarian]

Heating pads and heat lights with Theraphosa species is a sure way to kill your spider. Heat the room. 70 degrees is all you need. Lots of ventilation is required for this spider along with lots of humidity. Not the easiest tasks to maintain for new keepers.

I appreciate the input, she's in a 20 Gallon Long tank with a mesh lid, so there should be plenty of ventilation, as for the temp from all the research I did prior to getting her I was told 75-85 degree's which was my only concern, but if 70 is fine I don't have an issue keeping the room at 70. I've also been keeping the humidity level at between 80-85%.

 

[Sugar Wolf]

I just use a radiator heater and it works perfectly all my T's are warm and cozy

 

[Tn tarantula]

Hi Guys,

I had a couple of questions in regards to heating my Goliath's enclosure, I just received my first Theraphosa blondi, I've had a couple of Tarantula's in the past and I've always wanted a Goliath Bird Eater so I decided to finally pull the trigger and get one. I currently have her setup in a 20 Gallon Long tank with about 4-5" of substrate. Now that summer is ending and it's going to start getting colder here in the Seattle area I'm wondering what the best method of heating is since my house gets pretty cold during the winter. I was still living with my folks when I had my last tarantula's and they kept their house pretty warm during the winter so I never really had to worry about heating pads/lamps. I've heard good and bad things about the heating pads, so I'm just wondering if it's best to use overhead heating lamps or if there's a solid brand of heating pads I can use? My only concern with the heating pad is the amount of substrate that I have, I'm not sure how well it would work. Any advice/Input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Dieter

I'm running a space heater it keeps the room at a great temp for my T's but it also keeps the house very warm to the space heater I have is small but throws out some major heat

 

[DustyD]

Ok, i will be the lone wolf.

In my circumstances, a space heater would not work and could be potentially dangerous as I do not have a lot of open space in my room. I am not home most nights.

Ideally a space heater or the built in room heating works best, but it really is not an option for me.

If you are going to use a reptile heating pad, I would adhere it to a seperate pane of glass. Many big box stores like Lowe's sell them. That way you can move it around and more importantly distance it from the enclosure's walls. Your T likely will be attracted to the heat, and you don't want it sitting on the l on high heat as was mentioned.

I now prefer using the reptile heating cables that I place around the enclosure but inches or more away. I have acrylic enclosures so I don't want it hot so close to them. I also keep these in another glass, plastic or wooden enclosure to keep the heat in and the family cat out. So far the wooden room door has kept her out, but she does try to turn the knob on our doors.

 

[Blackdog]

Also for the mesh lid I recommend going with Lexan that you add vent holes to. My T. Stirmi chewed a 1/2' hole in the mesh one day overnight, so luckily I caught it the next day before it could be expanded to allow the escape.

 

[I just need all the T's]

Heating pads and heat lights with Theraphosa species is a sure way to kill your spider. Heat the room. 70 degrees is all you need. Lots of ventilation is required for this spider along with lots of humidity. Not the easiest tasks to maintain for new keepers.

This!!! These are alot like Asian ow they do require a humidity level and at least 75 to 80 f to thrive. Especially when they go to molt.
Not to be fire marshal bill or anything but, be cautious with space heaters. I would certainly try for a general room temp before using any type of heat pad.

 

[I just need all the T's]

This!!! These are alot like Asian ow they do require a humidity level and at least 75 to 80 f to thrive. Especially when they go to molt.
Not to be fire marshal bill or anything but, be cautious with space heaters. I would certainly try for a general room temp before using any type of heat pad.

Also just to note I wasn't trying to imply that 70 was to low. In fact that's probably ideal. Just letting the op know that I agree with you.

 

[Derbarbarian]

Also for the mesh lid I recommend going with Lexan that you add vent holes to. My T. Stirmi chewed a 1/2' hole in the mesh one day overnight, so luckily I caught it the next day before it could be expanded to allow the escape.

Sorry, I should've explained that a little more thoroughly, the lid on her cage is a metal mesh, it's not the screen door type material, so I won't have to worry about her gnawing her way through it .

 

[Derbarbarian]

Hey Guys,

I REALLY appreciate all of the responses, I'm going to look into your suggestions and see what the easiest/most practical way of approaching this would be. Thankfully I have a little bit of time to work out a solution before it starts getting cold enough to where I need to start heating her enclosure. As I mentioned earlier, when I had my other Tarantula's I was still living with my folks and they kept their house pretty warm so I didn't really have to worry about heating the enclosure which made life a little bit easier on my part. Anyways I'll definitely let you know what I decide to go with and I'll include a few pics.

Thanks!
Dieter

 

[Arachnoclown]

I appreciate the input, she's in a 20 Gallon Long tank with a mesh lid, so there should be plenty of ventilation, as for the temp from all the research I did prior to getting her I was told 75-85 degree's which was my only concern, but if 70 is fine I don't have an issue keeping the room at 70. I've also been keeping the humidity level at between 80-85%.

There's not good ventilation in a 10 or 20 gallon glass tank at the soil level. The soil becomes stagnant and will stink out your room after a while. Ive experimented since the 80s for the perfect enclosure for Theraphosa and it a plastic tote with lots of cross ventilation at the soil level. If you can get a low profile Exo terra enclosure with door ventilation it will work pretty well. Also mesh/screen tops won't keep a Theraphosa in its enclosure...you need to switch it to acrylic.

 

[Blackdog]

Sorry, I should've explained that a little more thoroughly, the lid on her cage is a metal mesh, it's not the screen door type material, so I won't have to worry about her gnawing her way through it .

If it's the mesh that comes with most tanks that is exactly what mine start to rip open

 

[Derbarbarian]

There's not good ventilation in a 10 or 20 gallon glass tank at the soil level. The soil becomes stagnant and will stink out your room after a while. Ive experimented since the 80s for the perfect enclosure for Theraphosa and it a plastic tote with lots of cross ventilation at the soil level. If you can get a low profile Exo terra enclosure with door ventilation it will work pretty well. Also mesh/screen tops won't keep a Theraphosa in its enclosure...you need to switch it to acrylic. View attachment 68115View attachment 68116

Hey Arachnoclown,

Would you mind if I PM you directly?

 

[AngelNYCT]

Hi Guys,

I had a couple of questions in regards to heating my Goliath's enclosure, I just received my first Theraphosa blondi, I've had a couple of Tarantula's in the past and I've always wanted a Goliath Bird Eater so I decided to finally pull the trigger and get one. I currently have her setup in a 20 Gallon Long tank with about 4-5" of substrate. Now that summer is ending and it's going to start getting colder here in the Seattle area I'm wondering what the best method of heating is since my house gets pretty cold during the winter. I was still living with my folks when I had my last tarantula's and they kept their house pretty warm during the winter so I never really had to worry about heating pads/lamps. I've heard good and bad things about the heating pads, so I'm just wondering if it's best to use overhead heating lamps or if there's a solid brand of heating pads I can use? My only concern with the heating pad is the amount of substrate that I have, I'm not sure how well it would work. Any advice/Input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Diete

Hi Guys,

I had a couple of questions in regards to heating my Goliath's enclosure, I just received my first Theraphosa blondi, I've had a couple of Tarantula's in the past and I've always wanted a Goliath Bird Eater so I decided to finally pull the trigger and get one. I currently have her setup in a 20 Gallon Long tank with about 4-5" of substrate. Now that summer is ending and it's going to start getting colder here in the Seattle area I'm wondering what the best method of heating is since my house gets pretty cold during the winter. I was still living with my folks when I had my last tarantula's and they kept their house pretty warm during the winter so I never really had to worry about heating pads/lamps. I've heard good and bad things about the heating pads, so I'm just wondering if it's best to use overhead heating lamps or if there's a solid brand of heating pads I can use? My only concern with the heating pad is the amount of substrate that I have, I'm not sure how well it would work. Any advice/Input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Dieter

I been using an oil filled space heater in the center of the room on a low heat setting. It keeps the room temperature between 70-75 degrees in the winter. This practice has been working for me for years with no issues. Using a heat pad is ok but I would only attach it to the side of the enclosure on the complete opposite side from where the spider burrows or rests. It the spider seeks warmth, you will find it snuggled up on the side of the heat pad on its own.

 

[Emmabeth81]

Hi Guys,

I had a couple of questions in regards to heating my Goliath's enclosure, I just received my first Theraphosa blondi, I've had a couple of Tarantula's in the past and I've always wanted a Goliath Bird Eater so I decided to finally pull the trigger and get one. I currently have her setup in a 20 Gallon Long tank with about 4-5" of substrate. Now that summer is ending and it's going to start getting colder here in the Seattle area I'm wondering what the best method of heating is since my house gets pretty cold during the winter. I was still living with my folks when I had my last tarantula's and they kept their house pretty warm during the winter so I never really had to worry about heating pads/lamps. I've heard good and bad things about the heating pads, so I'm just wondering if it's best to use overhead heating lamps or if there's a solid brand of heating pads I can use? My only concern with the heating pad is the amount of substrate that I have, I'm not sure how well it would work. Any advice/Input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Dieter

Hi hun, I would say if your going to use a heat pad put it on a cupboard wall behind the tank perhaps so the t won't overheat. My house gets pretty cold in winter so I use an oil heater to heat the room hun. I think these are probably the safest xx