# Conflicting views on heat mats!



## Kate Atkinson (Jun 29, 2012)

When I bought my viv, I asked for it to be all set up before I took it home. It came with a heat mat that you can plug in to turn it on and unplug to turn it off, as I don't have a timer set up yet. 

I've been reading on here that they are not worth the time ... In some books they agree with this and others disagree. 

My house doesn't tend to hold heat very well, as the living room is rather large and the walls are fairly thin due to the house being generally old. So I thought that having the heat mat would be a good thing to have on at night. Although when I find him asleep, he tends to be up against the wall that's near the mat, or up on a branch slightly further away. 

Should I keep it or not? Any suggestions?


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

A heat source should be controlled by a thermostat. Heat mats can get very hot if just left on by themselves.

What animal are you keeping?
How is the enclosure set up?


Sent from my ST18i


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## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

Hannah81 said:


> A heat source should be controlled by a thermostat. Heat mats can get very hot if just left on by themselves.
> 
> What animal are you keeping?
> How is the enclosure set up?
> ...


It's a 14 week old beardie


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## awh (Aug 20, 2008)

bearded dragons do not need a heat mat

you should have a basking light which is your heat source this should be run on a dimming thermostat this in turn controls the tempreture of the bulb (on 14hrs during summer and 12 hours winter)

at night you can allow the viv to drop to 60f which 

if it drops below high 50s then use a ceramic heat bulb run on a pulse thermostat


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Like awh, although I disagree on the last big. Australia gets cold on winter nights so I've never provided night time heating. 
Beardies shouldn't be kept at low temperatures for long periods of time and unless you're keeping your house in sub zero temperatures, there's no reason to worry about night time heat.


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## Kate Atkinson (Jun 29, 2012)

I have a basking light which is controlled by a dimming thermostat and it gets left on for just over 12 hours at the moment. I also have a uv light strip which is attached to the top of the viv. 

Should I turn the heat mat off all together and leave it off? Just carry on using the uv strip and basking light during the day with nothing at night?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

That's how I've always done it when I've had beardies.

The isue with heat mats is that they work like an electric blanket. So you have to lie on it to feel the benefit, if your heat mat is on the floor and the beardie is on a branch 8inches off the floor.... the heat mat isn't actually doing anything.

Turn it off and he'll probably sleep in the same places because they're his 'safe' sleeping places, rather than it being warmer.


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## Kate Atkinson (Jun 29, 2012)

Ok, thanks. I'll turn it off tonight and see how he gets on with it, but I'm sure it will be fine :2thumb:


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## ConnorTrussell (Apr 5, 2012)

I stapled mine to the side of the side of the inside of the viv, he don't lay on it and doesn't need a stat as it's never going to over-heat


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## winno (Jun 6, 2009)

the other option is to use a tubular heater with pulse stat set to a night temperature just for them really cold nights make sure you get or make a guard though
Tubular Heaters

generally beardys manage quite well with our indoor night temps but if its freezing then its better to have it there.


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## Bab1084 (Dec 9, 2011)

When I got my beardie he had a heatmat that was on 24/7 I was given the same advice that he didnt need it so I switched it off, my beardie still sleeps on the same side of the viv, and is fine. I have checked his temps late at night and they dont fall below 70f. The vivs hold heat suprisingly well. 

If you are really worried about the temps at night you can get a thermometer that records maximum and minimum temps so you will be able to tell if you need any additional heat of a night.


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## chalky76 (Aug 23, 2007)

ConnorTrussell said:


> I stapled mine to the side of the side of the inside of the viv, he don't lay on it and doesn't need a stat as it's never going to over-heat


 
Sorry but this is pap advice. Any heating can malfunction and be a fire risk. ALWAYS use a stat 

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/465329-heat-mat-malfunction-picture.html


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

ConnorTrussell said:


> I stapled mine to the side of the side of the inside of the viv, he don't lay on it and doesn't need a stat as it's never going to over-heat


You should NEVER use ANY heat mat without a mat stat. They are too dangerous to not have the heat controlled AND they can get stupidly hot.

CV 
on my Tablet!  
(ZT282 - C91 upgrade)


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Beowulf1976 said:


> You should NEVER use ANY heat mat without a mat stat. They are too dangerous to not have the heat controlled AND they can get stupidly hot.


Yes you can. 

they _can _get too hot but as it's on the side of the viv and not the floor, the beardie isn't going to sit on it and get burnt.


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## Kate Atkinson (Jun 29, 2012)

Well I've not put the heat rock on for a few nights now ... Sorry for saying heat mat, not quite sure why I did in the first place lol. 

I have little stick-on thermometres, one at each end. I've been checking the temperatures in the morning when I put his light and lamp on and they don't seem to be going out of the red (hot end) and yellow (cool end), which is good. His behaviour hasn't changed so I don't think he's even noticed!


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

Ahhh if it's a heat rock you're using best thing you can do with that is remove it and put it in the dust bin!
They're notoriously dangerous as they cannot be controlled and regularly burn occupants.


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## Kate Atkinson (Jun 29, 2012)

I've left it in the viv as the basking lamp is right over it, I've just not turned it on for a while. Max likes laying on it from time to time. 

Or should I take it out completely, regardless of him laying on it?


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

Kate Atkinson said:


> I've left it in the viv as the basking lamp is right over it, I've just not turned it on for a while. Max likes laying on it from time to time.
> 
> Or should I take it out completely, regardless of him laying on it?


If it's not plugged in, it won't be a problem, but it might be worth swapping it out with a normal rock from a garden centre. 

CV 
on my Tablet!  
(ZT282 - C91 upgrade)


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

Meko said:


> Yes you can.
> 
> they _can _get too hot but as it's on the side of the viv and not the floor, the beardie isn't going to sit on it and get burnt.


No you can't. Unless your beardie cannot get anywhere near the wall that the heat.mat is on, then the mat would be quite pointless as they're not designed to heat air, they're designed to heat substrate.

I know for a fact that every beardie I've met so far has spent some time lying up against the back or sides of the viv... either in the day or at night. If he were to lie up a non-temperature controlled heat mat, he would get a nasty burn. Especially as 99.9% of beardies will open their mouths to cool down BEFORE thinking "hey dude, this is TOO HOT, I had better move".

CV 
on my Tablet!  
(ZT282 - C91 upgrade)


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

Kate Atkinson said:


> Well I've not put the heat rock on for a few nights now ... Sorry for saying heat mat, not quite sure why I did in the first place lol.
> 
> I have little stick-on thermometres, one at each end. I've been checking the temperatures in the morning when I put his light and lamp on and they don't seem to be going out of the red (hot end) and yellow (cool end), which is good. His behaviour hasn't changed so I don't think he's even noticed!


Are they the exo-terra dial thermometers? If so, bin them when you can and buy a digital fridge thermometer on eBay for about £2.39 Free Postage. The dial thermometers are notoriously unreliable! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINI-LCD-DIGITAL-THERMOMETER-REFRIGERATOR-FREEZER-/290691846312

Used to be able to get them for 99p until the sellers realised there was a market for them for reptile keepers... 

You can get them for £1.20 from Hong Kong if you can wait that long. 


CV 
on my Tablet!  
(ZT282 - C91 upgrade)


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## Kate Atkinson (Jun 29, 2012)

Ok, thanks. I'll have a look around =)


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## Kiel (Aug 20, 2009)

ConnorTrussell said:


> I stapled mine to the side of the side of the inside of the viv, he don't lay on it and doesn't need a stat as it's never going to over-heat


But it won't be adding any benefit. You practically need contact with the mat to get any benefit, even a few inches away it'll be like it's not there.


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