Flex-seal liquid rubber

[Mark84]

Hi, i wanted to use this product in my enclosure to provide a thin layer of insulation on the surface of the glass inside the enclosure, so if my snakes get under the repticarpet they don't get burned due to direct heat on the bare glass from the undertank heater.
Has anyone used this product in their enclosures before? Would it be safe to use?

[Sauzo]

First off, you should be running the UTH on a t-stat and have the temp set from the glass inside the cage so there is no way the snake can get burnt to begin with. Second, reptile carpet is horrible. It is a breeding ground for bacteria not to mention if the snake misses striking prey and hits that carpet, they stand a good chance to pull teeth out which can end bad. And third, I would not permanently attach reptile carpet if I was to use it as you need to swap out a new carpet every time the snake takes a piss or poop and clean and dry the old one so you will need a new one to replace it.....but again, reptile carpet is just bad news all around. And finally to your question, no I haven't used that stuff and I probably wouldn't. You can look up an MSDS sheet on it and see what that says but if it was me, I would use latex silicone or aquarium silicone. I use the latex silicone to seal my PVC cages.

[Mark84]

Great idea on the MSDS. I will definitly do that. The repticarpet isn't permanently adhered to the enclosure, i can easily swap it out on cleaning day. I used to use the fir bard bedding, but my vet suggested i switch to the carpet because its easier to clean (just hose it out, sterilize, shake dry and replace), he also said in the case where feeding is done in the enclosure, small pieces of bark can get into their mouths and cause issues with bacteria build up and dental problems.
So i assumed that the carpet was the safer way to go.

[PitOnTheProwl]

It always makes me laugh a little to see what some vets recommend and that people listen to them because of the position they think they hold.
Truth be told, many vets have only taken a quick week or two coverage on reptiles because they are not the normal pet.
Unless your vet specializes in reptiles you probably have already googled more than your vet knows.

That being said your heat source MUST be regulated. Substrate is not reasonable to regulate a heat source, especially under tank heating.
So have you checked the temperature of the glass on your tank?

[Mark84]

The information i got when i looked him up was that he is familiar with reptiles, but i won't put my head on a block and swear to his credentials.
The temperatures on the glass measure 91-93 in one enclosure and 95-97 in the other. With the carpet in there the temps drop by one degree, two at most.

[PitOnTheProwl]

What mat and thermometer are you using to check the temperature?



This is about 10 minutes of running unregulated. If I remember right it got to about 135 or 140 degrees.

[Mark84]

Sorry for the delayed reply, I had some connectivity issues yesterday.

Ok I use the Exo Terra Heat Wave Under Tank Heat Mats.

I am not getting pics to load from my computer but the temps ontop the repticarpet and "moss mat" reads 90.3F on a regular digital enclosure thermometer and it reads 93.9F on a National Geographic Infrared Temp gun.

Directly on the glass it reads 95.4F on the digital enclosure thermometer and 98.2F on the National Geographic Temp gun. At one point the Temp gun read 99.6F.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

Like stated above trash the repticarpet. If you are worried about substrate during eating then try papertowel, newspaper, or kraft paper. I have had no issues out of coconut fiber and have been using it for over 10 years. There are many other great subtrates that would work also.

As far as your uth, you really do want that regulated on a tstat. Just because you read that the temps are right does not mean that they cant heat up higher than that at any given time. I did a heat pad test on a plastic tub I had. It was a reptitherm heat mat. I left it for weeks and it seemed rather stable that whole time with temps going between 90 and 95. One morning I woke up to the smell of very burnt plastic. I went to the tub and found that the uth had overheated and actually melted the bottom of the tub n places. I still have the tub and use it for a kill chamber. I can take a pic and show you. I am glad I was only seeing if it could happen and did not have an animal in there. Also I tried that overheated uth again a day later and it worked just fine and did not go over 95 again, at least while I watched it. Get it regulated A.S.A.P if it is not already.

Sorry i forgot about the flex seal. I wouldn't use it as I bet it has a lot of strong chemicals that would harm your BP. It should be an animal safe product like and aquarium silicon\sealant.

[chrid16371]

Use aquarium silicone as suggested. The temp on the glass under your carpet should never go over 95. Your getting 98.2 and 99.6 so your already well over. Get a thermostat even an on/off is better than nothing. At the very least a lamp dimmer. If you feel your not getting enough heat on top of the carpet then you need to get a radiant heat panel or ceramic heat emitter and those must be controlled by a thermostat or a lamp dimmer. You should ditch the carpet also, my leopard geckos teeth were always getting stuck in it and a ball strikes way harder then a leopard gecko. I use care fresh for both my bps bc that's what the breeder I got my first bp from said to use but there's many choices out there and repticarpet being the worst IMO.