Are heat mats safe?????

I was just wondering if heat mats are safe not heat rocks but heat mats the one that goes under the tank??????





thanks :?

 

I have never heard of anyone having a problem with under tank heaters. When a reptile can perch on top of something, such as a heat rock, those items can develope "hot" spots and burn the reptile. The glass of the tank should spread the heat provided by the mat and eliminate that problem. usually the UTH are used in conjunction with a substrate of sand or bark which further separates the reptile form the heat source.

 

yep, under-tank heaters/mats are just fine. heat rocks (or any heating equipment INSIDE the tank) are bad news, though.

 

Yeah, I don't know why hot rocks are still made. On the other hand,I think UTHs are actually suggested as a standard accessory for the captive keeping of many species (esp. ground dwelling) lizards.

reako45

 

thanks everyone for your information

 

Hey swift how do you mesure your temps??

 

for what????????????

 

the heat mat

 

Like the temps inside your lizards tank. What do you use to mesure your temps?

 

probably a thermometer . . .

 

Just a word of caution. Avoid human-use heat pads as they are not made for long-term use and can eventually overheat and char or may catch fire if there is a lot of pressure on them or they are bent or twisted frequently.

 

yea i know i have a lizard under tank heat mat for them and it wirks well and i do use a thermometer but this kind of heat mat goes to a certain heat level so it can not burn the lizard or get to hot

 

(Ok Ill start again-) Hey swift what kind of thermometer do you have???

 

I do not know what kind i have

 

Do you know what type it is?? Can you describe what it looks like??

 

it is like a a strip goes all the way up to 100 degrees and that really it its kinda old but works great

 

I had a freind who would catch a lot of lizards and when he put in a heat rock. But im not sure if it would be a different w/ a heat mat. :?: :mrgreen:

 

Youd be surprised how off those kind (and others) of thermometers can be. Just try it go and get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe from wallmart (or any store like that) and test it out. Some have been known to be 20*F off. The temp of your enclosure is one of the most important aspects of your set up. And please dont use heat rocks...

 

I totally agree with leona&amy, those thermometers can be way off..

 

Another way to see how horribly inaccurate those can be is to go where you bought it and look at other's hanging on the peg. They should all read the same but you'll probably find some are as much as 20 degrees off!! They are horrible, horrible little inaccurate pieces of junk!!!