How do those things work? Does one use them in place of a basking light? My vet recommended one, he doesn't want Lee's temp's going down low at night. I have seen them but I heard they might be dangerous around kids - and I have two 3 yo's that so far stay away from the habitat but you never know...

Ceramic heating elements (Ceramic Heat Emitter) produce heat by using a resistive element within the ceramic case. In short, they get very warm but unlike a basking lamp that produce light the Ceramic Heat Emitter only produces heat. The only reason they might be considered more dangerous than visible basking lamps it that CHEs look the same on as they do off and one could easily grab a hot Ceramic Heat Emitter by accident.

i would ay if you use on keep your kids far from it..you wouldnt want to risk them getting burned

CHEs are no more dangerous to animals and children than a bulb is; both can cause burns if touched when on. So, for safety don't let your children any where near the enclosures without your supervision, and have you considered getting cage locks for your tanks so that your children can't accidently open them?


CHEs produce heat but not light, as John explained, so therefore you can keep the temperatures constant without having a light on, disturbing your WDs photoperiod. They do get very hot and should be ideally controlled by a thermostat meaning that the temperatures will stay constant and accurate. Your vet's advice sounds good; with a sick reptile temperatures need to be kept warm and constant and the environment needs to be quiet and calming, so keeping it a kid-free zone will probably be the best idea while Lee makes his recovery.

If you can't get a Ceramic Heat Emitter right away or would prefer to continue using a bulb then you could also consider the use of a Under Tank Heater (under-tank heater/heat mat) - I don't like using these inside lizards' tanks as there is a risk of burns, but used underneath, outside the tank, or, if the tank is wooden, you could use it inside the tank but mounted to the side, to provide a background heat at night making sure the temps don't drop too low.


Sounds like Lee is about to make his trip home, or has done already.? I hope he makes a quick recovery and gives you something to smile about knowing how well you have done for him.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

would he still need the basking light AND the Ceramic Heat Emitter? So far I haven't had luck with the Under Tank Heater - it doesn't heat up the tank enough.

Hello,

You could avoid using a Ceramic Heat Emitter all together and purchase a HE. (Mega Heat Emitter). They produce no light but produce as much heat as a Ceramic Heat Emitter does. The difference is how the heat is produced. The Mega HE doesn't cause burns because of the technology behind the heating element.

A basking light would likely help during the day to raise the temperatures in the basking spot. The HE will keep the tanks ambient temperatures from dropping too much at night and will contribute to the ambient temps during the day.

If you are interested in the HE, let me know. I have a couple available. (They are $20.00 and $5.00 for shipping.) Here is a link to info on them:

Mega Heat Emitter

Shoot me a PM if this is something you may be interested in. I have an HC paypal account.

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the Under Tank Heater is only supposed to heat up the bottom of the tank...If I were you Id try the HE too..I actually think I may buy one or 2..just to try them out

Hello,

The Mega heat Emitters are great. I use several of them with my Bearded Dragons.

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I am also a big Mega Heat Heat-Emitter fan. They are still a dark source but if you grab it without thinking it won't severely hurt you, you will know it though just as you would a 60 W light bulb. I've used one in my iguana cage for about 18 months. The only down side to these is the focused heat "beam" takes some getting used to and work with placement. 18" away from the element surface you are able to get the same temps with a 60 W Mega Heat as you do with a much higher power Ceramic Heat Emitter.

I've had two CHEs and won't go back to them even if the Mega Heat were not on the market. One 150 W unit I had literally burnt itself out from the inside out. The other melted its own copper electrical connection in the socket. If you go with this route use a ceramic socket firmly mounted to a solid wood structure and wired with high temp rated 12 ga wire.

My other complaint is CHEs are easily available in power levels people otherwise would not use in a similar device. As you don't commonly work with them it is not uncommon to not realize how hot a 200 W lamp sized device gets. Serious thought should go into any device you intend to use in reptile care rated for much over 100 W.

I can safely and easily heat my iguana cage -- much the same requirements as the WD -- without using devices over 60 W by using one of these Mega Heats.

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Is it a Mega Heat Heat-Emitter or Heat-Projector? The various webpages use both and are inconsistant. I remember being corrected in a post in that it is a heat projector but notice on my box that it is labled Heat Emitter.

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~ Mark

WD and Iggys have almost the same husbandry requrements so I think I will give th HE a try...you should too dperlis!