Keeping heat during winter?

[asiankanye]

So here in North Carolina, the weather can be EXTREMELY unpredictable. Just last week, the temperature was probably 85-95, but suddenly over the weekend that changed to 55-65. This has taken the temperature in my crabitat from about 84 degrees to 74 degrees, and my parents won't let me raise the temperature inside the house above 71. I have one heat mat on the tank on the side (not the back), but I don't think it's enough and all the other heat mats that I know of are about 30-40 dollars and my parents definitely won't let me get that. Any suggestions to raising the temperature?

Sidenote: this is my first winter with my crabs

[avocadocrabbies]

I would suggest getting a UTH heater, but those are on the pricey side. What kind of heat mat do you have? if it is UTH, you can insulate it with these steps:

get a piece of cardboard as big as the heat mat, and tape aluminum foil to one side of it. then tape that piece of cardboard against the heat mat with the foil against the heater and the bare cardboard facing outward away from the tank. make sure the edges of the heat mat are all covered by the cardboard and tape.

however, if it is not a UTH, instead a zoomed or something else, you shouldn't insulate it with cardboard as it already may be padded. I would recommend making sure that the lid of your crabitat is completely sealed, and that you cover the tank with a blanket when it gets cold to keep the heat from escaping. You can also try getting some moss (usually cheap at the store) and spraying it with warm dechlorinated water to keep the humidity up, therefore promoting warmth. hope this helps! i'm sure others have some more tips.


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[GotButterflies]

Ultratherms from bean farm and reptile basics are more effective at warming your tank.

If you have an ultratherm, you can try to insulate over your heating pad and tank to raise the temperature of your tank. There are several ways to do this. Don't insulate over your heating pad if it is a zoomed, or any other heating pad that is insulated (padded). If your heating pad is insulated, you would insulate AROUND the heating pad.

Cheaper way: You can use aluminum foil (shiny part facing the crabitat), then cardboard. Attach using packaging tape, duct tape or Reflectix tape.

More expensive: Purchase a product called Reflectix. This product looks like car shade material. It is sold in rolls at local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot. You can also purchase it on Amazon. Cut the Reflectix to fit your tank. Attach using packaging tape, duct tape or Reflectix tape.

It can take several hours to see the difference. If doing the insulation doesn't raise your temperature, you might want to consider getting a bigger and or better heater. Most of us use ultratherms. They are great heaters. www.reptilebasics.com or www.beanfarm.com sells them.

[Xenocrab]

I agree with Got butterflies!

[asiankanye]

Thanks for the suggestions! Right now I’m using the zoo-med reptitherm uth


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[CrabbyLover77]

So here in North Carolina, the weather can be EXTREMELY unpredictable. Just last week, the temperature was probably 85-95, but suddenly over the weekend that changed to 55-65. This has taken the temperature in my crabitat from about 84 degrees to 74 degrees, and my parents won't let me raise the temperature inside the house above 71. I have one heat mat on the tank on the side (not the back), but I don't think it's enough and all the other heat mats that I know of are about 30-40 dollars and my parents definitely won't let me get that. Any suggestions to raising the temperature?

Sidenote: this is my first winter with my crabs

How big is your tank? I just purchased an Ultratherm, 6"x47", for only $30 on Reptilebasics.com. It was $20-$30 more expensive on Amazon and The Bean Farm.
A few of the mats are under $25, and only one mat is over $30 and it's out of stock.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

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[asiankanye]

My tank is about 18 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and either 36 or 48 inches long i forgot


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[asiankanye]

oh wait those dimensions are totally wrong, it’s much bigger than that


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[CrabbyLover77]

Ok, I was just trying to see what size uth you'd need and if the price was cheap enough. I have a 55 gal tank, appx 48"x13"x21". My substrate is about 10" high, so that's why I bought the 6"x47" mat.

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[wodesorel]

You'll have an easier time if you can save up for a good quality UTH. If online ordering is out, I personally use Flukers brand pads and I can find them at local pet stores. Price is about the same though. No getting away from it, but it is a one time cost which is nice.

The Zoomed pads cannot be insulated over directly, but you can insulate around it, all the other sides, the bottom and the top of the tank with aluminum foil, cardboard and/or Styrofoam. If things get really bad a blanket can work magic!