# Beardies do not need heat mats!!!!!



## teguchick (Feb 7, 2009)

Okay folks this debate has been done a million times already.

But im sick of greedy shop owners sprouting they are The Best and selling new Beardie owners heat mats! This is a con for more money. Then slagging off other reputable shops for not doing so

In the wild Beardies get their heat from the sun - the earth obviously heats up as a byproduct of the suns heat. This does not mean they need heat mats. 

You run the risk of burning your beardie who will not realise they are overheating

Well, do you agree or disagree


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## spike n thorn (Nov 22, 2008)

i agree, none of my beardies have heat mats as the temps dont drop enough at night for the need of them.


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## bren146 (Apr 9, 2008)

*heat mats*

not needed for beardies


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## Reptypet (May 4, 2009)

Look, by you guys its really a lot colder than here by me, but even in winter (which it is now) by me, they need their heat mat!

The lights in beardies vivs, do not raise the heat enough for them, so the heat mat helps!

If the temps are correct, you cannot overheat them, and you will also notice they stay away from the warm side of their viv all the time, if it is too hot!

My heat mat is off during summer, (unless its a cold day) as their proper heat is obtained without it, but in winter it must be on, or else they are too cold!

So therefore, it is a necessity if the temps that lights provide are too low, which in most cases, they are!


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## vickylolage (Oct 5, 2008)

Reptypet said:


> Look, by you guys its really a lot colder than here by me, but even in winter (which it is now) by me, they need their heat mat!
> 
> The lights in beardies vivs, do not raise the heat enough for them, so the heat mat helps!
> 
> ...


I personally ahve never used a heatmat HOWEVER I know a few people who, when they switch the heat bulbs off on a night ahve a mat on so the beardies dont get too cold. I think whatever works best for each individual. If you find things are better with a mat then keep doing as you are.

The only thing I must say is heat mats are unnecessary during the day.


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## [email protected] (Feb 22, 2009)

my beardies are on a heatbulb and the temp is fine in there for them, they dont need a heat mat aswell i dont want to cook them.
and if your heatbulb isnt providing enough heat get a higher wattage!


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## DuFFs1989 (Apr 22, 2009)

I also use a heat mat at night to keep the temps up, i never use it during the day tho =]


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## reptile boy (Apr 7, 2009)

*heat mat*

i was told they are fine 2 use on a night if ya temps drop really low and 2 put 1 on the out side of the bk wall of the viv just 2 keep temps up for night time but i wud never use 1 on the floor in side of the viv for my beardie as i here tht it can cause serous damage 2 there bellys if over heated


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## Reptypet (May 4, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> and if your heatbulb isnt providing enough heat get a higher wattage!


Personally, I cant get a higher wattage, as my one beardie thinks that she's spiderman, and climbs up the walls, and has a tendency to climb on the bulb, and hang there. I put a guard around it, and she managed to get it off, (i do put it back, but she still gets t off) so a higher wattage would be lethal to her!

Not so sure what to do about that problem...


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

use a better guard/screws and/or get a ceramic for the night time temps... what size viv do you have? if she is climbing toward the heat bulb she is obviously wanting the heat?


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

HEATMATS ARE NOT NEEDED. IF YOU NEED TO USE A HEAT MAT TO BOOST TEMPS THEN YOU HAVE THE WRONG BULB. IF STATED THE BULB WILL BE FINE.IF YOU REALLY DO NEED A HEAT MAT ALWAYS MOUNT IT ON THE WALL AND NOT THE FLOOR.

Just my two pence 
Dave


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## philipniceguy (Mar 31, 2008)

i have never used heat mats for my bd but they used to be in a reptile room which was warm all year round breed many like that no problems but i guess its really upto people and were they keep the viv.


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING :bash:

I find my room doesn't get as cold at night since i invested in more reps so the ceramic is hardly on at night


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## Reptypet (May 4, 2009)

sazzle said:


> use a better guard/screws and/or get a ceramic for the night time temps... what size viv do you have? if she is climbing toward the heat bulb she is obviously wanting the heat?


Not sure of size right now, but its big enough for 3 semi adults...

There temps are correct, and the other 2 never climb, so I cant imagine its that, but she has always liked to climb, and lately she has discovered that she can hang from the bulb. Think she enjoys the hanging more than anything else though, as if i put her in an outside viv, she climbs and hangs from anything she can find!

Anyway, personally I like my heat mats, all my babys seem to like them, and have never had problems, so I dont see what the big deal is! Guess it comes down to personal choice!


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

sazzle said:


> WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING :bash:
> 
> I find my room doesn't get as cold at night since i invested in more reps so the ceramic is hardly on at night


lol to make sure im heard. Nah i forgot i had caps lock on and cba to change it lol

So lazy i know

dave


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## gmorris194 (Oct 20, 2008)

Yeah i agree no heatmats needed, i dont use them although again i had the same problem with a pet shop telling me to use them!
I only use a spot bulb for a basking site and dont have the need for heat sopurce at night as the house doesn't get cold enough.

So....

*HEATMAT......NO!.......DONE!*


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## gemma1983 (May 2, 2009)

I use heatmats for the night when bulbs are off. I don't see why they can't be used, i personally have used them for all my pets in vivs to keep the temps up at night. But each to their own:lol2:


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## gmorris194 (Oct 20, 2008)

gemma1983 said:


> I use heatmats for the night when bulbs are off. I don't see why they can't be used, i personally have used them for all my pets in vivs to keep the temps up at night. But each to their own:lol2:


I dont think its such a problem just to keep the temps up at night and like you say each to their own, i think it just depends on how cold your house gets at night.


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

vickylolage said:


> I personally ahve never used a heatmat HOWEVER I know a few people who, when they switch the heat bulbs off on a night ahve a mat on so the beardies dont get too cold. I think whatever works best for each individual. If you find things are better with a mat then keep doing as you are.
> 
> The only thing I must say is heat mats are unnecessary during the day.


This. sometimes temps drop in peoples houses well below 17oC, and personally i wouldn't want my animals subjected to that constantly in the winter. A heat mat on a thermostat on the WALL of the viv (so its not gonna burn the beardies belly!) can provide a little extra heat if needed, like a ceramic bulb would but a ceramic provides way too much heat for night time temps.

I dont have heat matts myself as the heating is always on in my animal room for my animals, but i can see the need/want sometimes. just to be safe!

So therefore theres no harm in a shop selling them as part of a big set up with light bulbs/thermostats and things, just as a back up. It wouldn't deduct much from the price if it wasn't there anyway, as most shops do a discount if you buy the whole thing together.


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## ooMISSPERFECToo (Jun 17, 2007)

i use a heat mat in the colder months at night for my beardies as its sooooo cold in my flat. but now its getting warmer i dont use it, x


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## Me001 (Aug 23, 2008)

I Understand peoples concern but in the desert at night the temps can drop to below freezing.

So i dont think a heat mat is needed


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

Me001 said:


> I Understand peoples concern but in the desert at night the temps can drop to below freezing.
> 
> So i dont think a heat mat is needed


 
agreed, 

i know loads of people with beardies and never used a heatmat or heat at night.

same goes for other desert dwelling reps, my uro and desert ig get no heat at night.

as said it can and usually does get to or around freezing so why would you need a heatmat?

also as said if you need a mat to get temps up then you need a more powerful bulb.


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## vickylolage (Oct 5, 2008)

I dont get why I was quoted earlier. A heatmat is unnecessary during the day because at this point surely all heat/lights are on? Sorry if Ive got the wrong end of the stick :lol2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Also i dont think anyone yet has said the main reason you SHOULD NOT use a mat with a beardie is because their heat sensor is on the top of their heads and so they guage heat coming down better than coming up and tend to cook a bit of they end up sitting on a mat.

Marina


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

I think - as with most things - it depends on the circumstances...


Whilst most beardie setups don't need heatmats, there are some occasions where one could be used perfectly safely.

I'm pretty sure beardies do have some form of heat sensing underneath, although it may not be as sensitive as that on their backs, which could put them at risk of localised burns from an unstatted mat.

In general though I'd agree - they shouldn't need them during the day (if they do then something is very, very wrong with your setup) and at night a stat'd ceramic is often a better option to keep temperatures up (again - IF required) because a ceramic is much better at boosting ambient temperatures than a mat is.


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## Dave W (May 6, 2009)

would you see a bd turning up the heating in the desert ?
i havent seen this before.

im sure if your house gets that cold and you are worried i would agree with hades a ceramic would be much better than a heat mat.


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## gmorris194 (Oct 20, 2008)

Mind you with this in mind i never saw the point in Exo Terra making those heat rocks with this information in mind! 
If you were a total newbie to reptiles and saw this nice (fake) rock with a picture of a nice happy beardie on it you would think 'ooh look they need that' and buy it!
I think its great that you have a great bunch of people here that actually help out new people.
I myself was a noob until a few months back and i am so grateful of all the help i have received so far.:2thumb:


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## gilbery007 (Apr 24, 2009)

I use only a basking bulb through the day and no mat for night time as temps are not low enough to utilise the need for one. Again i can understand some people using a mat to boost night time temps but this should be positioned on the back wall and not on the bottom (underbelly) of a bearded dragon. Sensory heat organ is on the top of the head which they rely on to determine wether its too hot or too cold.


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## s_f_o_s (May 9, 2009)

High wattage ceramic, thermostat and a thermometer to check the temp end of, keep the temp bang on and nice and steady leading to a very happy little Brucie.


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## teguchick (Feb 7, 2009)

Reptypet said:


> Look, by you guys its really a lot colder than here by me, but even in winter (which it is now) by me, they need their heat mat!
> 
> The lights in beardies vivs, do not raise the heat enough for them, so the heat mat helps!
> 
> ...


Im confused, so do you not have a thermostat control for your basking lamp?? methinks not or the beardie wouldnt be trying to get away to the cool end to thermoregulate -which end is your heat mat? As for cold temps, its bloody chilly in the outback/desert at night you know. Even in Scotland with central heating and NO heat mat its bloomin warmer than in the wild


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

I'm not sure where in Australia beardies are from but the middle of Australia gets to about 3-5c at night in their winter, although that's an average and so you do get nights below freezing, sometimes -10. In the height of summer it can be about 20c at night, again an average so you could get a hot spell where it's 25c at night or a cooler night of say 15c. Bar those winter and summer temps it's about 17-7 at night in their autumn(say 17 is start of autumn, 7 is entering winter) and about 6-16 in their spring( say the 6 being march time and 16 being may-early june).

However iof beardies are ony found in northern australia then the night temps there are way warmer, even in winter rarely below 12c and in Darwin it's pretty tropical all year round with not much change in the seasons. However I'd imagine you don't get beardies in the north because it's a lot more humid and tropical like there, not the desert like landscape I assume you find beardies in.

So in conlusion, central australian outback gets to close or below freezing at night in their winter, about 20c in the height of their summer. So really they'd be used to the kind of night temps we get in England if not even colder ones.


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## Reptypet (May 4, 2009)

teguchick said:


> Im confused, so do you not have a thermostat control for your basking lamp?? methinks not or the beardie wouldnt be trying to get away to the cool end to thermoregulate -which end is your heat mat? As for cold temps, its bloody chilly in the outback/desert at night you know. Even in Scotland with central heating and NO heat mat its bloomin warmer than in the wild


You seriously misunderstood me! I didnt say MY beardies try to get away to the cooler end, i said that IF A beardie is overheated, he would go to the cooler end! I also said that my babies dont have a higher wattage bulb as the one climbs, so in winter i use their heat meat, as the room they are all in is not very warm at all,but is the only spare room, so i make sure they all have enough heat!


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## Reptypet (May 4, 2009)

Me001 said:


> I Understand peoples concern but in the desert at night the temps can drop to below freezing.
> 
> So i dont think a heat mat is needed


Also guys, I am all for simulating natural environments etc, but lets be honest... Most of our reps are like our children, and even though in the desert it gets freezing, i doubt very many of our reps are wild caught! 

So, my point is, a human being can withstand fairly cold conditions, but we put our heaters and warm clothes on etc, so why is it so wrong for me to not want my beardies to freeze??? , when in all seriousness, they have never ever been in such harsh conditions!!!


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

Reptypet said:


> Also guys, I am all for simulating natural environments etc, but lets be honest... Most of our reps are like our children, and even though in the desert it gets freezing, i doubt very many of our reps are wild caught!
> 
> So, my point is, a human being can withstand fairly cold conditions, but we put our heaters and warm clothes on etc, so why is it so wrong for me to not want my beardies to freeze??? , when in all seriousness, they have never ever been in such harsh conditions!!!


 
noone is telling you to freeze them.. but they should naturally drop temps to room temp at night winter/ summer as long as its not a ridiculous drop

this is actually for a VERY good reason.. they need the thermoregulation drop to ensure they shut down at night then warm up correctly at the right temps by day.. it encourages healthy digestive tracts.. therefore lowers the chance of parasites if a bearide is kept on a heat mat and say for example is styressed in anyway the higher temps at night can aid the multiplication of parasites and worms..

hope that helps..


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## Reptypet (May 4, 2009)

sparkle said:


> noone is telling you to freeze them.. but they should naturally drop temps to room temp at night winter/ summer as long as its not a ridiculous drop
> 
> this is actually for a VERY good reason.. they need the thermoregulation drop to ensure they shut down at night then warm up correctly at the right temps by day.. it encourages healthy digestive tracts.. therefore lowers the chance of parasites if a bearide is kept on a heat mat and say for example is styressed in anyway the higher temps at night can aid the multiplication of parasites and worms..
> 
> hope that helps..


oh boy... I can see if I have been sadly misunderstood in all this! I sincerely apologise for that! : victory:

I do actually know and understand beardies to a certain extent. I know that their temps have to drop etc, but unfortunately, without a heat mat, their temps in the viv, during winter, at night, (in my house) drop down very low, and having the heat mat in, keeps it a little more up! The heat mat is also VERY well covered, and is not an exo terra, (it doesnt get very hot at all) so it just gives that little bit of extra heat to my viv!

I hope I have explained better this time??? :2thumb:


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