# What do you do with your heat mats in wooden vivs



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I've just had a quick look through the threads and can't find one with this information, although I'm sure a few months ago I read a thread which covered this.

Anyway, I've always used glass vivs and my heat mat is underneath the glass. I'm having a wooden one made and I'm looking for advice about the right way to use the heat mat.

I'm sure I read in this other thread that someone put a cork tile over the top of the mat to reduce the risk of burns to the snake and I know some people put the mats on the side of the viv so the snake doesn't lie on it, so I'm posting this thread for the best suggestions on how to position the heat mat to avoid any risk of burning the snake.

Ta!


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## shaun (Apr 28, 2007)

Heat mats are not the best way, most people use ceramic heating bulb with a stat. : victory:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

But I've already got heat mats. I've always used them and they're what my snake has had all his life. So I would prefer to stay with them if possible.

If the general consensus of opinion from other snake owners is that corn snakes are better with ceramics, then I will get ceramics, but I still want some opinions before I decide.


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## stan (Sep 18, 2006)

I put heat mats under perspex, and seal around the edge with aquarium sealant. Same idea as with glass, but a bit lighter, or cork tiles.


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## shaun (Apr 28, 2007)

Yeah if you do that then it should be fine. : victory:


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## Furrag (Oct 11, 2007)

Note too the importance of the sealant - the heat mats being covered aren't to protect your snake primarily from direct burns, but if the snake knocks his water bowl over, or defecates on it, it can cause electric shock. Someone on here got one recently from a mat where the snake had turd on the wiring join to the mat!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Furrag said:


> Note too the importance of the sealant - the heat mats being covered aren't to protect your snake primarily from direct burns, but if the snake knocks his water bowl over, or defecates on it, it can cause electric shock. Someone on here got one recently from a mat where the snake had turd on the wiring join to the mat!


Yes, that's why I'm asking, sorry I just typed the question in a hurry! 

My OH says we've got some perspex in the garage (we put our cat litter trays on purpose made perspex trays to catch the 'drips') so he can make me up a couple of pieces to cover the litter tray - unless someone comes up with a better idea???

I'm still debating whether to put the mat on the wall so the piece where the wiring goes in can be at the top to avoid that happening.


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## samanslow (Feb 14, 2007)

All our vivs have glass liner trays so the heatmats go underneath them hth :smile:


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I tape heat mats down to the floor and use a thick layer of substrate where possible.. however I don't really like heat mats and although I use them in stacks and all the old vivs at the shop I am going to be switching over to ceramics anyway just because it seems easier really.

But of course, ceramics have their own drawbacks of burning and needing to be adequately guarded also.


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## stan (Sep 18, 2006)

feorag said:


> I'm still debating whether to put the mat on the wall so the piece where the wiring goes in can be at the top to avoid that happening.


Heat mats don't heat the air particularly well, so if its on the wall most of the heat given off will be wasted. They should be underneath the snake and substrate.

I usually tape the mats down with duck (duct?) tape and make sure to cover the connection block, so its pretty watertight under the sealed perspex as well.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I think I'm going with the perspex cover! 

My snake, having been kept in a converted aquarium enjoys being up on the top glass ledge and so I will be putting up some kind of ledge in the new viv (maybe a plastic piece of drainpipe which someone who posted on here had in their viv and which I thought was a great idea), so I'm really not keen at all about using a ceramic even with a cover on it - just in case, cos he does roam about a bit.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

We havent really organised our methods of using heatmats yet to be honest.
I find the biggest problem with them is when the air flow is blocked, which covering them withh perspex and/or deep substrate only adds to the possibilitie of problems.

In our cornsnake viv its under cork bark tiles but without a lot of weight on it so theres an air flow and that seems to work well.
With larger lizards, just for backround temp i find them working well on the back wall [taped]
and with our beber skinks i just have it in the viv, yes they can burrow under it...the bottom side is no warmer than the top side though so there isnt a problem with this, pluss the thermostat probe is directly on the mat so it doesnt get too hot.

What would be great is if there were vivs designed [or a backround or false bottom sold seperatley] that had a compartment for the mat to slip in, directed the heat in the right direction using polysterine or the like to insulate the other side and maybe the usable side could have a fine mesh of soem kind dissalowing direct contact yet ventiated enough to allow air flow.


gota give this all some thought for my own benefit..sorry rant over.


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## lilworm (Aug 11, 2007)

My heat mat is underneath my wood viv but on the outside the viv is stacked so bd's bottom snake on top for ventilation we put card board layers on each corner so theres a few mm gap between viv letting the mat breathe so to speak i also use a bulb 60watt too this is me learning how its done but she was a non feeder when we got her and has eaten every feed since the first offering and she is on rats now so im hoping so far so good


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## DraigGochHerp (Jun 15, 2005)

I use artificial roofing slates cut to size to cover my internal heat mats. For climbing I use plastic guttering rather than drainpipes. Have used this in a couple of vivs and my Radiated Rat and Taiwanese Beauty love it.
Graham.


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## This is my Clone (Jul 8, 2007)

For my internal heat mats I either use newspaper or tiles. I have them both on stats, and the water bowls are always the opposite end of the Viv.
This is for Leo's though, not snakes.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

DraigGochHerp said:


> I use artificial roofing slates cut to size to cover my internal heat mats. For climbing I use plastic guttering rather than drainpipes. Have used this in a couple of vivs and my Radiated Rat and Taiwanese Beauty love it.
> Graham.


Yes, that's what I meant, guttering, so he can lie in it, but not roll off! 

What sort of material is artificial roofing slates made of?

My new viv is a double stacker (getting myself a Miami zig-zag once it's all set up!) so I need something safe for the top viv, can't put it underneath you see!

I've ordered myself a Habistat Twin Thermo so both heat mats can plug into that which hopefully will prevent overheating and burning, it's more to stop them being electrocuted if they defecate on it. The water bowl is always at the cold end anyway.

Thanks for all your suggestions though - it's very helpful!


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## amylou123 (Jul 2, 2007)

I have my heat mat taped down with some special insulating tape and the stat probe on the mat taped also i then has a thick layer of substrate over the mat, I kno a few people dnt like doing it like this but how i see it is if you have a stat on the mat its never going to get hot enough to burn your snake? i always have the thermometer disc right above the mat on the substrate and not on the wall/front etc


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## DraigGochHerp (Jun 15, 2005)

feorag said:


> What sort of material is artificial roofing slates made of?


They look like natural slates from a distance but up close you can see they are man made. When you cut them the inner looks like a thin wafer of concrete and the slate colour is from what I assume to be a waterproof coating as cement becomes porous with exposure to water.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

That's interesting! I've never heard of them and I mentioned them to my husband he wasn't sure either. Now I'll show him this and see if he can come up with something like this locally. 

Thanks


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## zukomonitor (Nov 11, 2007)

ive got wooden vivs and i put the heatmat under the viv, between the viv and its stand, or if its on the floor between viv and polystyrene mat, but ive got lizards dont know a thing bout snakes


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## Mojo (Nov 15, 2006)

I put a layer of 6mm polystyrene in the bottom of the viv (from a roll, B&Q sell them for about a fiver I think), for the full length of the viv. Then I put the heat mat on the polystyrene and fit more polystyrene following on from the heat mat to the other end of the viv (if that makes sense?) and a small strip (about 3cm) of polystyrene the other side of the heatmat, butting up to the viv wall. 

Then fit the perspex to the full base of the viv and seal. The 'second' layer of polystyrene keeps the perspex off the heat mat, with a nice little 6mm air circulation gap. Seal all the edges and stick the thermostat probe onto the perspex above the mat, jobs a good 'un!


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## kiriak (Feb 10, 2006)

Insulated foil roll. (Used behind radiators to reflect the heat out into the room) Put this on the botom of the viv to reflect all the heat upwards. Then put in a few of those little plastic blocks that hold kitchen units together to form a ledge of sorts. Sit a piece of 5mm toughened glass onto that 'ledge' and seal with silicone or builders caulk. This will provide you with about a 10mm void in which to put your heat mat. If you want ventilation you can drill holes in the back of the viv in this void area. 
I have the whole of this void area open at the back of my viv so if the heat mat dies it can be easilly replaced. The gap can be covered with a taped on strip of the foil roll to ensuse that no heat escapes. 
Thermostat probe can be placed directy onto the mat in this set-up or, on top of the glass in the viv itself. : victory:


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

I use false floors in all my vivs that use heat mats.

Cover the element in silicone sealant aswell just in case.


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