Human Heat Pad from CVS okay?

[Mitch37]

I am not a fan of the waaay overpriced zoo med or whatever reptile brand heating pads sold in pet stores. I have always found that they dont produce all that much heat and they slowly stop working only after months of use. So I went to cvs and bought the cvs brand heating pad meant for people. Its a good size, and it can get super hot on the high setting(though i keep it on low).
Was just wondering if anyone ever used a heating pad meant for people to heat your terrarium. It works great I can see that my balls are happier. Im just concerned for safety reasons i know these things have started fires before. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[WmHrbst]

They are made for humans not for reptiles. Typically they work in timed intervals to prevent overheating. Have you looked into Flexwatt? Remember just because something is cheaper or easier for you doesn't mean it is okay for the animals.

[Kat_Dog]

The heat pads made for reptile should not be putting off heat you can feel. If it feels warm to you it's too hot!

Human heats pads are just that: Heat pads for humans.
They are not appropriate for reptiles.

You need a heat pad that can be controlled by a thermostat to go down to 90 degrees or less. Human heat pads are not that.

I have 3 zoo-med heat pads, they all work great, and have been for months. One is almost 10 years old and it still works.
But they have to be on a thermostat or rheostat.

[Evildrdee]

Bad idea. Get rid of those heat mats. Most important part of being a reptile keeper is being educated about your pet so as you can do everything possible to ensure a healthy happy life for them.
Get them in a proper thermostat controlled environment, seperate. Yes its going to cost a lot. A good thermostat will be $100+ but you only have to buy it once and will make those zoomed or zilla heat pads last years

[Mitch37]

I appreciate the answers but still none of you gave a reason why i shouldn't use this heat pad. I understand what the needs are for my balls, i have 2 thermostats and one for humidity. Their needs are certainly being met. But why shouldn't I use this? I have always looked for other methods of caring for my reptiles and amphibians because pet stores are basically thieves in disguise, and never had any problems.

[Daybreaker]

I appreciate the answers but still none of you gave a reason why i shouldn't use this heat pad. I understand what the needs are for my balls, i have 2 thermostats and one for humidity. Their needs are certainly being met. But why shouldn't I use this? I have always looked for other methods of caring for my reptiles and amphibians because pet stores are basically thieves in disguise, and never had any problems.

When you say you have two thermostats and one for humidity, do you mean two thermometers and one for humidity? Thermostats are different than thermometers.

I'd look into Reptile Basic's flexwatt: it's cheap (even with shipping), designed for reptiles, and much safer for your animals and yourself/your home than the human heat pads:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/

http://www.reptilebasics.com/heat-tape

For thermostats, I use the VE-200s and really like them:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats

[Neal]

The heat pads made for reptile should not be putting off heat you can feel. If it feels warm to you it's too hot!

Human heats pads are just that: Heat pads for humans.
They are not appropriate for reptiles.

You need a heat pad that can be controlled by a thermostat to go down to 90 degrees or less. Human heat pads are not that.

I have 3 zoo-med heat pads, they all work great, and have been for months. One is almost 10 years old and it still works.
But they have to be on a thermostat or rheostat.

What are you talking about if it puts off heat you can feel then it's too hot. If you touch anything that is warm you should be able to feel it and that doesn't mean it's too hot. So I'm going on the limb to say you meant other then what your post is implying.

I appreciate the answers but still none of you gave a reason why i shouldn't use this heat pad. I understand what the needs are for my balls, i have 2 thermostats and one for humidity. Their needs are certainly being met. But why shouldn't I use this? I have always looked for other methods of caring for my reptiles and amphibians because pet stores are basically thieves in disguise, and never had any problems.

We shouldn't have to give you a reason, it's not meant for reptiles and it's not designed in the same way a reptile one is. If you don't want to give your snakes the proper care with the right tools then in all honesty you shouldn't own a reptile.

[Kat_Dog]

What are you talking about if it puts off heat you can feel then it's too hot. If you touch anything that is warm you should be able to feel it and that doesn't mean it's too hot. So I'm going on the limb to say you meant other then what your post is implying.

What I am saying is that, a heat pad should not get warm enough that it feels hot to you. Reptiles need heat lower than your body temperature, therefore, if a heat pad feels like it's hardly working, it's actually doing its job correctly.

[Neal]

What I am saying is that, a heat pad should not get warm enough that it feels hot to you. Reptiles need heat lower than your body temperature, therefore, if a heat pad feels like it's hardly working, it's actually doing its job correctly.

That's not true actually. What some people don't realize is that the bottom of your hand isn't as heat receptive as say the back of your hand. This is because you're grabbing touching things, sliding them over things and while they still feel soft, the back of your hand is 20x softer and way more receptive to heat. This is why they say in a fire or something like that and you're behind a door or if you want to test the heat to use the back of your hand because by the time you feel the heat through the front of your hand you'll already be burned if it's at that point. So it just takes longer to feel warm, doesn't mean it's too hot.

Now on the upside is if it feels HOT then yea it's going to be to hot to the animal. At about 115 is when our brains register that something is to hot, and if you want to verify this go test your water temp then leave your hands under the water. Within 5 seconds you'll pull your hand out unless you have a higher pain tolerance and then you can keep them there and you'll get used to it but when you pull your hands out you'll have a superficial burn which will go away within a few minutes. This is why your skin turns red.

Some people are just more receptive to heat and just because the heat pad feels like it's hardly working means it's doing the job correctly is a broad statement. Put your back of your hand on the pad, if it feels hot then it's too hot, over 100. If it feels slightly warm then you're going to be in the low 90's. Then you have to account for the heat to get up through the substrate which will cause heat loss so while it may be right on spot at the mat it may not be on top of the substrate. This is the reason it's best to have a thermometer and I'd say a infrared temp gun because you can get top temps. Now don't go adjusting your heat pad which my statement on it feeling warm is okay because I'm just using that as an example.

[satomi325]

Why shouldn't you use a human pad?
Simple, it gets too hot for ball pythons. It has the potential to burn and injure your animals.
Nor does it have the correct features to safely regulate the heat, thus starting fires like you mentioned.

Do not measure temperature with your hands. Get a thermometer or a Infrared Temp gun to take temps. What feels cold too you may actually be perfect for the snake.

If you want something cheap and reliable, get heat tape. It's only a couple dollars/foot.
Reptile Basics sells them.

And make sure all heat sources(heat pad, heat tape, heat cable, etc) are connected to a ThermoSTAT.
A thermoSTAT, not to be confused with thermoMETER, is a device that controls and maintains heating pads to a set temperature. It prevent the heating element from getting too hot or too cold.