Reptile Heat Cords for perches

[SamDavis]

Was just checking out pet stuff on ebay and noticed reptile heat cords. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GCE-101-Rept ... 2a0f74af05I've seem them many times in pet shops but I'm unclear how hot these things actually get.

I'm thinking they could be strung up in an aviary as a heated perch for use during winter. Maybe would be safer if they were inserted into a length tube - hose or similar. I've seen heated perches designed for pet parrots and this could be a cheap option for finches.

I know heaps of finchos also keep reptiles - maybe someone can comment on if this would/might work?

[Danny]

They mustn't be exposed as mice love to chew them. They do get very hot (60C+) so must be used with a thermostat but could be used routed in a timber perch if its really that cold.

[SamDavis]

If they'll zap any mice then that'd be a bonus

I'm thinking they could be used within the shelter area of an aviary, so I'm not sure a thermostat would help as the air temperature will still remain low - potentially 0 - freezing at night. The sensor would need to be attached directly to the heat cord and would turn the cord on and off completely. I'm thinking a simple dimmer would actually achieve a more consistent warmth for this application. Or maybe just some insulation - like used on water pipes - may reduce the temp sufficiently.

I wonder if warming just the bird's feet will actually achieve anything? Certainly helps me!

[Danny]

If they'll zap any mice then that'd be a bonus

I'm thinking they could be used within the shelter area of an aviary, so I'm not sure a thermostat would help as the air temperature will still remain low - potentially 0 - freezing at night. The sensor would need to be attached directly to the heat cord and would turn the cord on and off completely. I'm thinking a simple dimmer would actually achieve a more consistent warmth for this application. Or maybe just some insulation - like used on water pipes - may reduce the temp sufficiently.

I wonder if warming just the bird's feet will actually achieve anything? Certainly helps me!

The problem is that they don't zap the mice and leave exposed wires for humans to zap themselves. As far as a thermostat is concerned you would need what is called a pulse proportional Microstat that maintains a pulsing on/off cycle so there are no specific periods of off at any time. You could potentially use it up the inside of thin water pipe but whether it provide any better benefits than a well placed heat lamp is hard to say

[gomer]

Sounds like an interesting idea.I use one in one of my flyboxes though,As i was sick and tiered of blowing globes.The one in my fridge flybox is thermostatically controlled.Would be to costly i think for perches having thermostat's on them all.Maybe you can get a very low wattage cord perhaps,I know you can buy low wattage heat pads like 5 or so watts.

[Danny]

Sounds like an interesting idea.I use one in one of my flyboxes though,As i was sick and tiered of blowing globes.The one in my fridge flybox is thermostatically controlled.Would be to costly i think for perches having thermostat's on them all.Maybe you can get a very low wattage cord perhaps,I know you can buy low wattage heat pads like 5 or so watts.

I'm just doing a new flybox with heat cord. Do you have some visible light as well or are the flies still productive despite dark nights??

[gomer]

Heres a link to mine based on southys design.And a few more notes for you Danny.

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