Heat & Cold Packs
The need for a hot or cold pack will depend on the temperatures the package will be exposed to on its way to the destination. As a general rule, if the temperatures are between 65 and 80°F, normally you don't use either. If the temperature exceeds this range use the approrpiate pack to help keep the proper temps inside the box.
When using either of these, it is important not to let them lay in direct contact with the container holding the reptile. They are there to change the air temperature inside the box, not to heat or cool the animal directly.
Heat packs are chemically activated and can only be used once. When the pack is exposed to the air and shaken, it reacts with the oxygen to generate heat. Nothing less than a 30 hour heat pack should be used.
A 30 hour heat pack will reach a surface temperature of about 115° at it's peak. It takes 20-30 minutes to activate, and peaks betwen 12 and 14 hours. A 40 hour pack takes 40-50 minutes to fully activate and will peak at 110°or so at 17-19 hours.
Cold packs are reusable. When using a cold pack, we wrap the cold pack in a paper towel to soak up any condensation given off as it thaws. Again, the pack is placed so that it cannot come in direct contact with the container holding the reptile.
