Heating Pads or Overhead heating?

[Diamondsho89]

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

Hello, I wouldn't suggest heating pads.
I would however suggest very low wattage incandescent red bulbs as a great heat source.
Red light is not visible to tarantulas so doesn't stress them either so they don't avoid it like sunlight or white light bulbs. In candescent bulbs, you get nearly 70% of their energy used as heat the wattage is your control mechanism since it can't burn any more watts than the wattage it's rated for. So a 25 watt bulb would create 17.5 watts of heat. I used to use 15-25 watt bulbs to heat 10 gallon tanks during the winter months so upsize wattage for different tanks. I live in Olympia so I know how cold Washington can get.
I have been keeping tarantulas nearly thirty years here in the northwest so I've learned to get inventive.
Now, I keep all my Tarantulas in appropriate sized grow tents ( there are all different sizes to suit your needs) where the temps can be precisely maintained with a small heater utilizing a thermostat.
Hope that gives some options, good luck!

 

[spideymom]

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

It must really depend upon what breed you have because my because my room is really cold with the air conditioning and I get conditioning and I give my girl an under tank heater and she is drawn to it. I have a brachapelma hamori so I am sure that she being a desert spider is probably more prone to being heeded rather than borrow to get away from the heat

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 have a Brachypelma hamorii And she is drawn to the under tank heater probably be probably because she's a desert spider. I think it totally depends on the breed of spider you haven't where they come from.

 

[ryanm7277]

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

The comment you made about the soil ventilation....so if I have an encloser there should be some holes at soil level as well so that the soil gets some ventalation? I went into one of my enclosures, mind you I have only been keeping for about a month, and I was wondering why it smelled like aquarium already. Everyone should know the smell I am talking about. I would like to think it should smell like dirt not like fish aquarium smell? Thanks for any and all information.

 

[Arachnoclown]

I have a Brachypelma hamorii And she is drawn to the under tank heater probably be probably because she's a desert spider. I think it totally depends on the breed of spider you haven't where they come from.

I believe your misreading your tarantulas actions. True they’re desert spiders but they're quit primitive in their instincts. Tarantulas instincts are to burrow down to avoid heat. If your spider is burrowing down to the heat pad this is not good at all. They dont have the brain skills to say "I'm hot I need to go up top because it's cooler."
Sooner or later it will die of exposure or dehydration. Tarantulas don't like heat,that's why they burrow during the day and hunt at night. The occasional sunbath is ok because it knows it can burrow to escape the elements.

 

[spideymom]

I believe your misreading your tarantulas actions. True they’re desert spiders but they're quit primitive in their instincts. Tarantulas instincts are to burrow down to avoid heat. If your spider is burrowing down to the heat pad this is not good at all. They dont have the brain skills to say "I'm hot I need to go up top because it's cooler."
Sooner or later it will die of exposure or dehydration. Tarantulas don't like heat,that's why they burrow during the day and hunt at night. The occasional sunbath is ok because it knows it can burrow to escape the elements.

She doesn't burrow at all. I mean she sits close to where the heater is. She is not much of a borrower She likes her hide and her rock

 

[Damien Spear]

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 there, first of all the amount of substrate you have will have no effect on any terrestrial species as they most love to burrow. I've always known the T Blondi to be a bit simlar to the the

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 there Dieter,

First of all as I'm sure you know the T Blondi is a terrestrial species and so love to burrow. As for the heat mat I would advise not using it. Most tarantulas thrive around room temperature at 24°C (75.2°F) with a humidity between 80% to 90%. But as you said: you live in Seattle which is basically the furthest point north-west of the US, which yes, I am guessing gets extremely cold. I wouldn't know from experience as I am from London, UK, but it still gets very cold here in winter and my place is at the bottom of a block of apartments; where the heat from my flat rises upstairs in the Winter causing it to become very cold in here unless I have the central heating on all around the clock (Which is ridiculously expensive). So there have been some Winters where my tarantulas have had to just endure a little of the cold weather sometimes. (And out of all 6 of my tarantulas from all over the world, I have never had any problems with the cold)
One of the most common mistakes people make is using a heat mat on there tarantula. I promise you they do not need them. Just keep the radiators in your place going when you feel the temperature dipping quite low, then turn it back off. Honestly get rid of the heat mat. Burrowing T's will find warmth inside the deep substrate they dig into and do not need an external source of heat other than keeping your flat at room temperature using your own heating.
We all own tarantulas on this forum, and all of us are learning new things day by day, even me, after 17 years in the hobby. So anytime you have a question look up on multiple sources and come to your own conclusion; because every T will be different, even if they are the same species. For example: I've had a Chiliean Rose Hair back in the day, and they're meant to be very docile and brilliant for beginners; yet she would not kick hairs or give any kind or warning before rearing up to show you her fangs and trying to strike. She was extremely aggressive for a supposedly docile species. It all depends on where you bought it (and if its an adult when you bought it... how was it treated by it's previous owner). Then I've also had it vice versa aswell, a supposedly aggressive Old World Tarantula that turned out to be docile. My point is they are all different and are very adaptable. From their behaviour to their adaptability. But they should be fine as long as you warm your place up once in a while

Anyway, I really hope this helps you out and makes you feel more confident. It's all trial and error in this hobby, I'm afraid.

Best of Luck

Damien

 

[Wolfury]

Hello, in the past I used to keep my inverts in an old wooden vivarium which was 3'0 wide 2'0 deep and 3'0 high. I heated this with a ceramic bulb connecting to a dimming thermostat. Also in there I had a black light for viewing my scorpions. In here were stacked plastic exo-terra faunariums and whilst not the best for viewing them I could get the temps and humidity spot on.

Doing it this way I only needed one heat source (a 100w bulb) and it worked out way cheaper than heating the whole room.

best regards Matt

 

[Derbarbarian]

Hello, I wouldn't suggest heating pads.
I would however suggest very low wattage incandescent red bulbs as a great heat source.
Red light is not visible to tarantulas so doesn't stress them either so they don't avoid it like sunlight or white light bulbs. In candescent bulbs, you get nearly 70% of their energy used as heat the wattage is your control mechanism since it can't burn any more watts than the wattage it's rated for. So a 25 watt bulb would create 17.5 watts of heat. I used to use 15-25 watt bulbs to heat 10 gallon tanks during the winter months so upsize wattage for different tanks. I live in Olympia so I know how cold Washington can get.
I have been keeping tarantulas nearly thirty years here in the northwest so I've learned to get inventive.
Now, I keep all my Tarantulas in appropriate sized grow tents ( there are all different sizes to suit your needs) where the temps can be precisely maintained with a small heater utilizing a thermostat.
Hope that gives some options, good luck!

Hi Diamond,

Would you mind if I shot you a quick PM with a couple questions?

 

[Wolfury]

nah, sure you can ask a few questions although im pretty much a beginner myself.

Best regards Matt

 

[Wolfury]

hehe, lol. thought you were talking to me. nvm