# Small animal heating pad?



## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

Hello all
I bought a K&H small aninal heating pad last winter for my rats cage. I place it inside the cage on the top shelf
I removed it after realizing they started chewing on the wire.
The wire has now been fixed up with electrical tape and i realuzed there are small holes in each corner of the pad almost like they are there to attach the pad to something more permanent.
So I was thinking, would it be okay for me to attach the heatinh pad to the outside of the cage pressed flat against the bars?
The heating pad is small in comparison to my cage so it could give them a warm area of the cage if they want because I tend to prefer my room a bit on the colder side (low 60s F).
I would love to hear any opinions


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Definitely don't put the heating pad in the cage. Even reptiles end up somehow hurting themselves when heat pads are inside, with the cord or w/e they decide to get hurt on. You want to put the heating pad on the outside of the cage at all times. Obviously that means the temp on the surface of the pad will be higher than the temp inside the cage, so that's why it's necessary to have a temp gun to check the temperature inside the cage. Not as necessary for mammals like rats as it is for reptiles though, which do require precise numbers. I don't think I would put it against the bars because they'll definitely chew on it. Rats just love chewing on anything outside of the cage, like if you put a toy inside the cage they'll ignore it for weeks, but once it's outside the bars it's priority #1. You want to put it on the bottom of the cage underneath if possible. They should have no access to it, even through bars. Like I said though, that means you will need to adjust the temperature of the pad so that you have the right temp inside the cage itself. If your cage is set up in such a way that you can't put it under the floor of the cage, then it's best to find some other means of providing warmth, like a space heater.


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## Asteria (Jul 6, 2016)

If you want something that you can safely leave in their cage, sew up a sock filled with rice and warm it up  Heat rises, I'm sure you could figure a way to secure the heat pad to the bottom of the cage


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## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> Definitely don't put the heating pad in the cage. Even reptiles end up somehow hurting themselves when heat pads are inside, with the cord or w/e they decide to get hurt on. You want to put the heating pad on the outside of the cage at all times. Obviously that means the temp on the surface of the pad will be higher than the temp inside the cage, so that's why it's necessary to have a temp gun to check the temperature inside the cage. Not as necessary for mammals like rats as it is for reptiles though, which do require precise numbers. I don't think I would put it against the bars because they'll definitely chew on it. Rats just love chewing on anything outside of the cage, like if you put a toy inside the cage they'll ignore it for weeks, but once it's outside the bars it's priority #1. You want to put it on the bottom of the cage underneath if possible. They should have no access to it, even through bars. Like I said though, that means you will need to adjust the temperature of the pad so that you have the right temp inside the cage itself. If your cage is set up in such a way that you can't put it under the floor of the cage, then it's best to find some other means of providing warmth, like a space heater.


I have a double ferret nation that is wrapped in half inch hardware cloth, so for them to bite anything on the outside of their cage is borderline impossible. They probably will still find a way to chew on the heat pad itself and if they do i can very easily remove it. The heat pad was created specifically for small mammals. During the summer my room is 10 degrees F hotter than the rest of the house and during the winter 10 degrees F colder due to my room having the access to the uninsulated crawl space which I cannot do anything about. Last year i had blankets covering their cage and I had a space heater a few feet away to help keep them warm. I cannot put the space heater in the room this year because my uncle got angry last uear for me having the space heater turned on when I was not in the room and this past summer he was getting angry about me having my air conditioner on when I was not in the room, so i thought the heatpad would be a better idea. Plus if I somehow managed to put a blanket or sheet between the heating pad and cage it could add an extra level of protectipn from their chrwing?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

According to the manufacturer of this particular heat pad (though this really goes for any heat pad) it isn't safe to cover it with with straw, bedding or "other materials." If there was a blanket over it, eventually it could get very hot and pose a hazard. It says this pad is set to 100F. When I used heat pads for the reptiles I set it no higher than 85 degrees, and even at those temps you need to make sure that you aren't putting it under something that can melt or combust. For example, there are many types of plastics that would melt over time with a heat pad under it. So for a 100F pad I would be cautious when covering it with anything. You can try putting it outside of the hardware cloth, just make sure that the metal doesn't get too hot and that they don't find some way to reach it.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Is there a particular reason your rats need the heating pad? My girls live in my basement, which can easily dip below 60's F in the winter, and they do just fine. In fact, they seem to prefer the cooler weather. I just provide them with some extra nesting material (which they ignore all other times of the year ) like fleece strips, felt, and tissues, and they have a blast building a little "den" to sleep in.

Generally I find that rats do better in colder weather, and since they have each other to snuggle up with, low 60's should be just fine for them.


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## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> According to the manufacturer of this particular heat pad (though this really goes for any heat pad) it isn't safe to cover it with with straw, bedding or "other materials." If there was a blanket over it, eventually it could get very hot and pose a hazard. It says this pad is set to 100F. When I used heat pads for the reptiles I set it no higher than 85 degrees, and even at those temps you need to make sure that you aren't putting it under something that can melt or combust. For example, there are many types of plastics that would melt over time with a heat pad under it. So for a 100F pad I would be cautious when covering it with anything. You can try putting it outside of the hardware cloth, just make sure that the metal doesn't get too hot and that they don't find some way to reach it.


Okay, thank you for the information, I will keep a really close eye on the temperatute of it and of the cage bars and i will make sure not to cover it with anything



Shadow <3;2432169 said:


> Is there a particular reason your rats need the heating pad? My girls live in my basement, which can easily dip below 60's F in the winter, and they do just fine. In fact, they seem to prefer the cooler weather. I just provide them with some extra nesting material (which they ignore all other times of the year ) like fleece strips, felt, and tissues, and they have a blast building a little "den" to sleep in.
> 
> Generally I find that rats do better in colder weather, and since they have each other to snuggle up with, low 60's should be just fine for them.


My room gets well below 60s during the winter. And although I have 7 rats and lots of nesting material I would like to give them an option of a warmer place in the cage to go if it gets too cold for their taste. Plus this year I am worried about my little senior citizen getting too cold


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## theratmom (Oct 6, 2017)

Maybe try the SnuggleSafe heating pad? You can buy it on Amazon for about 15 bucks (I think!!). It has no wires, stays warm for 10 hours and is covered in fleece. I was looking for a heating pad a few days ago myself and someone recommended it to me. Apparently many rat owners use it and are happy with it.


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## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

theratmom said:


> Maybe try the SnuggleSafe heating pad? You can buy it on Amazon for about 15 bucks (I think!!). It has no wires, stays warm for 10 hours and is covered in fleece. I was looking for a heating pad a few days ago myself and someone recommended it to me. Apparently many rat owners use it and are happy with it.


I will look into that, that sounds like a much safer option for when i am not home


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## Harleygurl30 (9 mo ago)

Basiltheplant said:


> Hello all
> I bought a K&H small aninal heating pad last winter for my rats cage. I place it inside the cage on the top shelf
> I removed it after realizing they started chewing on the wire.
> The wire has now been fixed up with electrical tape and i realuzed there are small holes in each corner of the pad almost like they are there to attach the pad to something more permanent.
> ...


There is a microwavable heating pad on Amazon that provides up to 10 hrs of heat which is perfect. You can use it at night when it is coolest and if they get too warm they can always move to a cooler spot. My older rats get quite cool sometimes and I worry about them getting sick. So that's a good option too..no cords to worry about.


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## Enne (Dec 12, 2020)

Rats should not need a heating pad if they're being kept indoors where you live. Rats can overheat much more easily than becoming cold. If you fear they are going to get too cold, increase the temperature of the room, or use an external heater in the room itself (like a space heater), or give them fleece scraps and boxes to nest in. They will sleep together to stay warm.


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