heat rocks....

while i was wokring at petco yesterday, i had a customer asking about his BP not eating since halloween.i gave him advice about the set up and temps and he said he'd do the changes that i asked him to do. i noticed he was buying a heat rock and i told him that they arent good for heat sources and to use a heat mat that we sell there.he said he keeps his BP in a wooden tank and an UTH wouldnt work. he then said what he could do is palce the heat rock at the very bottom and then cover it with a thick layer with the aspen bedding he's using to provide heat. would that be a good idea?

heat rocks are a bad idea period.

ok i'll start saying that, thanks.

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Originally Posted by Snakeman

ok i'll start saying that, thanks.

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Heat rocks are responsible for more burns than people would like to admit.

and that goes for all reptiles or just snakes?

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Originally Posted by Snakeman

and that goes for all reptiles or just snakes?

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All reptiles. Because you have no way of monitoring the temp the surface of the rock is getting.

So what animal are the heat rocks really aimed at? Leos? :confused:

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Originally Posted by Sausage

So what animal are the heat rocks really aimed at? Leos? :confused:

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I think reptiles in general--when I was younger (and way less experienced), I was sold a setup including a heat rock for a green iguana. He didn't make it to a year old, though :( That's what inexperienced keeping gets you.

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Originally Posted by Sausage

So what animal are the heat rocks really aimed at? Leos? :confused:

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heat rocks are aimed at mainly lizards to offer a "basking" spot. But without being able to control and monitor the heat they are very dangerous.

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Originally Posted by Snakeman

while i was wokring at petco yesterday, i had a customer asking about his BP not eating since halloween.i gave him advice about the set up and temps and he said he'd do the changes that i asked him to do. i noticed he was buying a heat rock and i told him that they arent good for heat sources and to use a heat mat that we sell there.he said he keeps his BP in a wooden tank and an UTH wouldnt work. he then said what he could do is palce the heat rock at the very bottom and then cover it with a thick layer with the aspen bedding he's using to provide heat. would that be a good idea?

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the snake could easily move the aspen off the heat rock, too.

Well wouldn't they be ok to use if they were regulated by a thermostat?

just tell people about this forum, and they will be good to go. :rockon:

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Originally Posted by Reptilian

Well wouldn't they be ok to use if they were regulated by a thermostat?

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I believe the rocks are notorious for hot "spots", meaning a spot here and there will be very hot, but the rest of the rock will be at normal temps. that's the reason for the burns.

If you placed a probe on it, then another spot could get hot and the probe would never sense it.

only good use for a heat rock is to warm tender spots of pet store empoyees that insist on selling them or well if you need somthing to throw thru a window.

i use them in place of beat sticks. they get a little more momentum...

*warning*...only beat sticks and heat rocks may be used for the dumb. failure to do so will result in the death of one more smart person, and you will be held accountable for making the world dumber.