Hi guys
Does anyone know how to make a heating pad??
The tinfoil type they sell in petshops...

as I can find one big enough for my Iguana's cage.
and I cant keep Spike warm enough in her custom built cage so she has to stay in a smaller one now

Undertank heating is really not applicable with an arboreal animal like iguanas. They need to get their heat from above as if they were basking in the sun.

How big and what type is the enclosure you are trying to heat and what are you using for a heat source?

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Hello,

I too would like to know what type of enclosure you are trying to heat and what methods for heating you have already tried. If you could, post a picture of the enclosure so we have an idea as to what it is you need help with.

What type of lighting are you using with the iguana? Some UV lights (like the Mega Ray SB) produce both UV and heat.

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The 'Enclosure' is Triangular when viewed from above so that it fits into the corner of my Office. The sides are made of Hardboard and top and bottom aswell the front is made from mesh though..

But my question was if anyone had an idea of how to make a heating pad.

I dont have a problem in the general enclosure I struggle to get it warm enough in the basking area.

I have a 220v 60w Basking lamp as bought in the petshops.
and 2 off 12v 50w Downlighters shining in the same spot but I cant get it hot enough.

Spike used to live in this cage but she has overgrown the heatpad and now tries to curl herself up to lie on it so I got a smaller Glass and wood enclosure for her untill I could find a bigger heating pad.

But I have not been able to find one.

I have been told quite recently to use a ceramic emitter.
Could you tell me if the ceramic emitter heats in a spotlight manner or in all directions??

I have gone to speak to all the major breeders in the area and they use central heating + Basking spot so why wouldnt a heating pad work even as a general heating source as to not have lights on at night??

I havent ever had a problem with cold before but it snowed for the first time in 22 yrs this winter in GP

The heat receptors found on an iguanas body are located on the TOP of the iguana. This isn't so unusual seeing as they are a basking species and their primary heat source comes from above.

With that in mind, think about what a heat pad does. It provides heat to the belly of the animal. Since the iguanas' receptors are located an the top portion of their body, how do you think they realize when the belly heat is too much? They don't. At least not until that heat has irradiated throughout their body and has reached those receptors. This can result in what is called a "thermal burn". (Pending the heat source outputs too much heat and creates a hot spot.)

Your best alternative would be to use a Ceramic heat Emitter (or 2 if needed) or a Mega heat emitter (or 2 if needed and my personal preference).

What type of UV lighting are you using?

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Pet store basking lights are usually pointless. They can be replaced by non-reptile specific bulbs like you would buy at a hardware store for a lot cheaper...if your only goal is to provide heat and light. Unless they actually say that it produces UVB, they're not that special, just more expensive.

As Rich has mentioned though, iguanas NEED exposure to ultraviolet light (UV), especially UVB and some UVA (which is automatically comes along with UVB). I'd personally recommend a large self-ballasted mercury vapor bulb to provide both heat and UV light for your iguana. I believe I use a 120 watt MV bulb for my turtles and it definitely gets the job done. The UVB allows for proper calcium absorption, though it doesn't actually produce calcium. Essentially it allows them to metabolize the calcium they intake in their diets.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

The Tubular type but I also have the screw in one.
But spike gets quite a lot of direct sun into her cage.

Direct sun through a window or screening with openings less than 1/4 inch is completely ineffective at supplying UV.

The tube lights are "ok" so long as they are new. The older they get, the lower the UV output they will have. At 6 months old, you would need to buy brand new lights. In order for them to be effective at all for iguanas, the ig needs to be able to get within 10-12 inches of the light. (The shelf should be at 12". This will allow the igs body to get really close to the light itself.) Beyond that, and the UV they produce decays rapidly making it inadequate.

The "screw in one" needs to be a quality MV if it is to produce UVB. There are no normal size bulbs that are not MV that produce anything close to the UVB an iguana requires.

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Unless the cage is directly outside in the sun, then the direct sunshine will not provide UVB as it is filtered by window glass. So your iguana WILL need UVB provided by a good bulb. The screw in type are not good in testing and it depends on what name brand "tube" you are using.....Hope this helps!

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

I thought I would share some pics of a couple of iguanas with very serious burns that came in here, these are caused by heating pads. Iguanas are not belly warmers and their skin is so thick that they do not even realize they are burning until it is way too late as you can see in the pics.
I also do agree that you have gotten some excellent advice already. Good luck with everything and I hope it works out!