So...

Is it ok to use a reptile UTH on a rubbermaid container?? A post started about sumthin like this but it trailed off into information about NERD & stuff. So, seeing as how I will be upgrading Hissy's house sooner than later, I would like to know if a reptile UTH is alright to use.

As long as you use it with a thermostat or rheostat, you should be fine. Otherwise, not a good idea.

Yeah, I have a rheostat hooked up to the UTH under my current tank. I know that I cannot peel & re-use the one that I have now but i can get them for pretty cheap at the local petstore around here.

I would rather use a human heating pad with a rubbermaid or sterilite.

Personally I'd recommend the Ultratherm heat pads from the Bean Farm. They're inexpensive, easy to control with a rheostat or thermostat, and best of all, non-adhesive, so they can be used on different enclosures as your snake upsizes.

You can find them here: https://secure.ioncart.net/beanfarm/...asp?Search=Yes

I have personally used a variety of sizes of these heating pads on all sorts of different rubbermaids/sterilites in the past & wholeheartedly recommend them. As with ANY heating element, make sure you control it with some sort of rheostat or thermostat for the safety of your animal(s).

http://newenglandreptile.com/webpics/twocents.gif

K

What is the difference between a thermostat and a rheostat?

My understanding is that thermostats actually read the temperature and adjust the heating device according to the actual temperature in the enclosure. With a rheostat, you have to get the enclosure to the temperature you want it and set the rheostat according to your temperature readings. Basically, it works like a fish tank heater.

which is better?

I would think thermostats are. They actually work like the one in your house that reads the temperature and adjusts accordingly.

yeah I have one of each and love my Thermostat.

A Rheostat acts as a dimmer switch - you control the amount of electricity actually flowing to the heating device. Thus if outside temps drop (lets say the A/C kicks on high for some reason) the device will continue to operate at the electric level that you set with your rheostat so unless you manually turn up the rheostat cage gets cold.

A Thermostat comes with a plug and a probe from the same unit. I personally put my thermostat probe next to my hot side probe in the hot hide so that I could monitor temps exactly where my buddy hangs out. The thermostat probe actually measures temperature and on the thermostat unit you set what temperature you want maintained around that probe. Thing is with a thermostat lights and heat pads or whatever click on and off repeatedly - to maintain heat round that probe, just like your heater or A/C unit kicks on to maintain the temp in your house. So bulbs don't last as long because they are constantly being turned on and off.

So to re-cap a rheostat is like a dimmer switch, you set how much power the heating device recieves to operate on and the rheostat maintains that flow.

a Thermostat is like the one in your house- maintains a specific temp around the probe.

I got my thermostat here (BAH-1000)
http://www.bigappleherp.com

If you have time to manually monitor temps and such a rheostat is great for you - as my schedule is scattered and I am sometimes away for weekends playing gigs on short notice, I use a thermostat. :)