Would a Reptile heat mat melt a bin cage?

by MousieMomma Mon 02 Nov 2020, 3:44 pm

I'm a first time mouse owner and this is my first cold season with mice, and I'm worried about my babies getting too cold at night (it can get down to 55 degrees fahrenheit in the winter inside my house).

I'm wondering, would a reptile heating mat melt my bin cages?

by chiroptera Wed 04 Nov 2020, 11:05 pm

I use reptile heat mats on my insect bins, and haven't had any issues at all with melting. The insect bins are the opaque plastic bins, rather than clear plastic, but I don't believe it will make a difference.

Though I wouldn't be super worried about the mice getting too cold, especially if they have lots of paper to nest with. Tissue paper or toilet paper is great for nesting, as well as grasses and hays (rodent safe of course).

If you do decide to get a heat mat, I'd monitor the bin closely the first few days to make sure it's not melting or getting overly hot.

by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Thu 05 Nov 2020, 2:42 pm

The material your mousehouse is made of can conduct heat from the pad through the bottom and up the sides, so even if you only place the pad under part of the bottom it could end up warming up the whole structure. You might, therefore, consider leaving some airspace between the mat and the bottom of the mousehouse. Then remember to feel the temperature of the bottom, sides, and insides of the mousehouse regularly, and adjust the mat temperature and/or the amount of airspace to keep the mousies in their comfort range.

Yeah -- my house is maxed at 57-58°F through the winter. Just enough (or so I always hope) to prevent frozen plumbing around the edges, but not enough to have a pet.

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Would a Reptile heat mat melt a bin cage?

Would a Reptile heat mat melt a bin cage?

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