# How hot should a heat mat be?



## sjblore (Jan 30, 2009)

I've got a 11" x 11" prorep heatmat in my vivarium. - it's a 12watt
So far temperature recorded in there is 26 degrees C - so falling short for a recommended temperature of 30 degrees C for my Leo.

What sort of heat should the "hot" end be recording?
I use thin lino flooring as a substrate. The Leo seems happy enough, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything right.

I use an exo terra 25w daylight bulb during the day but this doesn't seem to raise the temperature - should I get a higher wattage bulb to raise the temp during the day?
Is 26 degrees C ok for night time temperatures?

I use a digital thermostat to record the temperatures.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

sjblore said:


> I've got a 11" x 11" prorep heatmat in my vivarium. - it's a 12watt
> So far temperature recorded in there is 26 degrees C - so falling short for a recommended temperature of 30 degrees C for my Leo.
> 
> What sort of heat should the "hot" end be recording?
> ...



Is your heat mat attached to a thermostat? ThermoSTATS control the heating device, themoMETERS measure temperatures. If you haven't got a thermostat then it would be advisable to get one ASAP as they can get seriously hot & burn your Leo (or any other reptile who is contact with an unstatted mat). A simple mat stat will do the job, these are only about £20-£25 off ebay (or on here). Where are you measuring the temps of the warm end? Ideally you need to measure the temps on the floor on the heat mat (this is where the Leo will be sitting so you need to measure where they are). You really need your warm end temp upto 32*C as they use belly heat to digest their food :2thumb:.


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## sjblore (Jan 30, 2009)

I'm using a THERMOSTAT and measuring the temp at the warm end - directly above the heatmat.
The 25w bulb has raised the heat to 30*c, but the temp drops to 26 at night.
Is this ok?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Yes, the temperature drop is safe for a leopard gecko - it gets VERY cold at night in a desert.

What sort of thermometer are you using to measure the temperature directly on top of the heat mat - digital, infrared or dial?


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