# viv and heat mats



## EmmaBlue (Jul 24, 2012)

Hi all, Emma again!!

Have just discovered that my Leo Milo is actually a Millie so that is my bit of news 

I have got one of these vivexotic viv's : Vivexotic Products - LX range, ellmau beech, winchester oak and tobacco walnut LX24, LX36 and LX48 vivariums. Housing for small terrestrial reptiles including lizards and snakes.

I have the LX36 viv, and it currently has a heat bulb on the right side of the viv which is attached to a thermostat. But Millie seems to be having problems with her pooping habits so I think its not warm enough for her to digest properly?

I would like to switch to a heat mat but not sure how to go about it. I currently have Millie on beech wood chip substrate on top of newspaper, but have some repti carpet on order as I always panic she's going to eat the chips as she dives for crickets! Also I have no stand for the viv its just on my bedroom floor so I'd have to put the mat inside the viv I presume?

Basically what I'm asking is what is the best heat mat to buy, how to put it in my viv without it being too hot or too cold for Millie? And is it ok for the mat to be placed under repti carpet?

Thanks all, still learning but I'll get it right! xx


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Hi 

With wooden vivariums the heat mat should be inside the viv on the floor with substrate over the top. Repticarpet is good as it doesn't block the heat like sand or wood chips can (also less risk of impaction).

You don't seem to be sure of the temperatures so a digital thermometer is a must (analogues are crubbish!). If the temperatures aren't correct then she won't be able to thermoregulate properly and her feeding, digestion and pooping can be affected.

Habistat heat mats have never failed me so I highly recommend them  to keep the temperatures at a correct and stable level you need a thermostat - mat stats are preferred but you can also use pulse stats with them (I'm assuming you have a dimmer stat for your bulb?)

Lights can work for leos but it's best to have a rock or similar underneath that keeps the heat after lights out. If the tank isn't getting to temperature it may be worth changing the bulb to a higher watt or turning the thermostat up (need to do this with a digi thermometer though as the dials on the thermostat aren't accurate).

Hope this helps and that I haven't forgotten anything


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## EmmaBlue (Jul 24, 2012)

Thanks again for all the info 

I have a ministat at the moment connected to my bulb. It just comes on when the temp drops. I have one of those exo terra dial thermometers on the viv wall and the temp seems to get to around 90 before the light switches off. Is this correct?

I don't know if you've read my first post here but this is my first reptile/gecko and I was totally unprepared. It was given to me by a relative who just wasn't interested anymore. All Millie's live food was dead bar a couple of meal worms so it was a mad dash to the pet shop to get her what she needed.

I've read a couple of books I've purchased from amazon, and have looked around on the net. But the info is sometimes so conflicting I would rather get advice from here and listen to peoples personal tastes and experiences. I've had her just over a month now and seem to have everything in order apart from the heating situation!

Will the ministat thermostat be ok with a habistat heatmat? and will the bulb then be redundant or will I need that to warm the general viv atmosphere?

Thanks again, oh and I will purchase a digi thermometer too :2thumb: xx


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Well with leopard geckos the most important thing is surface temperatures rather than air temperatures. As they are terrestrial and crepuscular they get most of their body warmth from the ground/rocks that have been kept warm during the day. This is why most people prefer under belly heating (i.e. the heat mat). 

The thermometer you already have is measuring air temperature and to be honest not many people measure that so I'm not sure what is a good air temperature. Try and get that digi thermometer as soon as you can, they really are a valuable piece of kit in terms of your animals health 

That ministat is perfect for a heatmat, the makes of the mat and thermostat don't have to be the same in order for them to work  so that should be fine. If you have a heat mat I wouldn't bother with the light but that's up to you.

When you get the heat mat and digi thermometer place the probes of the thermometer and thermostat on top of the substrate over the heat mat (I think that makes sense?) so that you measure the warm temperature. It should be around 90F/32C according to the thermometer.

I'll find the good care sheets so bare with me


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Home - Moon Geckos

Leopard Gecko Care Sheet - Classy Collection Leopard geckos

^ these are both pretty good


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## EmmaBlue (Jul 24, 2012)

Thanks soooo much! :notworthy:

will get my bank card out tomorrow!! xx any particular brand of digi thermometer so its totally reliable??


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

I haven't heard of any brands being more reliable than others when it comes to digi thermometers, but I don't see that you can go wrong with an exo terra or komodo. You can also get dual readers that measure temperature and humidity if you're interested.

Glad I could help 

P.S. If you're able to put pictures of him up we wouldn't complain


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## EmmaBlue (Jul 24, 2012)

milo1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

milo2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Try those


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Aww he's lovely and looks nice and healthy  Hope you have fun with him!


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## EmmaBlue (Jul 24, 2012)

Thanks, looks much better now then when I had her. What a difference a month makes  

I do love her even though I've not had her long :flrt:, I can see how keeping lizards can become addictive!! xx


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Glad she's getting the attention she deserves  watch out, you'll be adding to your collection in no time ;P


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## Jeffers3 (May 18, 2010)

I've got a mixture of digital and analogue thermometers. There isn't a great difference in accuracy to be honest (especially if you calibrate them properly), but they do tend to measure slightly different things. The advantage of a digital thermometer is the ease with which the probe can be positioned exactly where you want it.

I bought several digital thermometers off ebay

Digital LCD Thermometer - Reptile / Vivarium | eBay

These are quite good. All were measuring within a degree or so of each other, which I thought was quite good for the price.


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