Vivarium Heat Mat

While these are a safe low cost and generally effective way of providing artificial heat they re not without their weaknesses.

Vivarium heat mat.

Wuhostam 7w 11 x 5 9 inch waterproof reptile heating pad warmer with temperature controller power adjustment under tank terrarium heater heat mat for pets seedling small animals 2 pack 4 2 out of 5 stars 141. Simply stated you provide a gradient by providing heat at one end of a terrarium or enclosure. Exo terra s heat mats are an ideal 24 hour primary or secondary heat source for tropical or temperate reptile and amphibian species and essential as a nighttime heat source for many desert species. This mat is a great option for reptiles amphibians arachnids and planted terrariums.

They re designed to sit above the enclosure and heat from the top to the bottom. Once you ve decided which rout to go the next step is to get a thermostat. They re a good way to provide gentle warmth and they heat the floor of your vivarium much like the sun would heat the ground in your reptile s natural environment. Heater cable can be buried in the substrate providing a source of even heating in the vivarium.

Another option is a basking lamp or heat lamp. These mats provide 24 hours of even heat and can be used as a primary or secondary heat source. The problem with heat mats. Proper heating is essential for reptiles.

Whether you use heat mats basking lights heat lamps ceramic heating elements or a combination of these they should all be placed at one end of the tank. Heat mats are used to maintain a constant temperature throughout your vivarium. Heating pads can be attached from the bottom or the side. This produces a natural gradient where it is warmer at one end or the other.

The main problem being that they only produce a gentle warmth. These cold blooded creatures rely on a suitable heat source to stay healthy and happy which means reptile owners must understand their needs and provide ideal heating and humidity. Similar to a heat pad heater cable is basically a long insulated cable that contains a heating element inside. It s a heating mat which is designed to stick to the bottom of a terrarium.

The exo terra heat mat is a terrarium substrate heater that simulates these surfaces heated by the sun. In this section i ll go over the pros and cons of both. Most invertebrate keepers and even many snake owners use low wattage heat mats to warm their vivariums.