# heat mat question



## willtang3000 (Aug 7, 2006)

if i use kitchen roll as a substrate do i sellatape it over the heat mat and if not how do i attach it to the tank? thanks


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## purejurrasic (Mar 18, 2006)

NOOOOOOOO

Hot surface + paper towel= big trouble

depends on the species you have, but normal practice is the tank sits on the heat mat, the towel goes inside.

Also direct contact with a heatmat can very often result in bad local burns.

Tony


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## amanda75 (May 23, 2006)

Avoid selotape inside the viv - the critter inside can get stuck to it and it's not easy to get the tape back off without injuring him/her. Even without that risk it's a bad idea as once you remove the tape then the sticky patch it leaves will end up looking dirty and horrid. Kitchen roll's fine just laid loose.... your baby might decide to have a bit of an explore underneath (which looks really cute!) but will have no problem getting back out again.


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

It also depends what type of viv it is.. if its a plastic/glass one you can put the heatmat under the actual viv but if its wood.. yeah inside.. but i put cork flooring tiles over the heat mat to make sure it doesnt burn the snake/lizard.


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## purejurrasic (Mar 18, 2006)

I agree with NNY

Cork floor tiles are great ! easy to clean and change, look pretty good aswell.


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

I put substrate on top of mine though.. thats just security if the snakes burrow.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

or the heatmat could go on the back wall..


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## NNY (Feb 2, 2006)

Not too good for snakes though.. if im correct the smaller ones at least get their heat through the ground..


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

i have a heat mat under a viv made of 18mm conti and the heat gets through that fine then have newspaper inside.


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

It depends what sort of snake you've got as to wether you put the heatmat on the bottom or the side of the tank.

Burrowing species should have their mats on the side as they go deeper to get cooler, which is the opposite of what happens with the heat on the base of the tank


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

sorry wasnt sure it was fo ra snake [this scenario]
how does the snake gettin it from the ground work then? i mean where or how do they live that means the ground surface is warmer than that of the air?
obviously anyhting nocturnl which will burrow for heat trapped under the sand from the day but..


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

i think she meant if it was a snake that burrows such as a hognose it wouldnt be natural for it to burrow to get warmer as in the wild it would burrow to get away from the heat. But soem nocturnal species would come out and sit on rocks etc that have absorbed heat during day to warm up i.e. heat from below.


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Ground temperature is pretty much always hotter than air temp because of the way the sun heats the earth. The earth's surface and other objects like rocks are heated by the sun more effectively than air by infrared radiation (also used in heat mats/ceramics), the ground then radiates this heat upwards so the snake gains warmth via the belly.

Heat doesn't really get trapped underground, it is conducted upwards towards the surface, so when a snake burrows it generally does so to cool down, not to warm up. Try digging up some soil in the garden, it will be warmest at the top.

I dont know if the viv is for a snake or not, but my general rule is if it burrows put the heatmat on the side, otherwise stick it underneath!
If its for ambient temps in a lizard viv it probably doesnt matter.

I think the cork tile idea was the best so far.


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Exactly what I was trying to say Andy! Wish I'd seen your answer before typing that essay :roll:


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

hey, no sorry i wasnt arguin about burrowing to get cooler that makes sense, altho i did consider that heat could be trapped just under the surface.
i just didnt quite get how a snake gets its heat from below, for instance although i understand heat will be attracted to the surface, if a snake is on the surface the heat will hit it from above b4 it strikes the surface underneath it and was asking in what natural enviroment is the ground warmest, but i get it now, its heated by the sun so when the snake..er slides over it is is being heated from below.

cork tiles are a good idea yeh, i have some which i was gona stick to the walls of our beardies viv but may keep them [or get more] to place on the bottom of the viv for our cornsnake when we get it now.

altho..arent they kinda hard to clean? and dont they stain easy?

Dean


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

To be honest Ive only ever used them on the back on vivs with heat mats behind them so not sure. 
I have seen some that were slightly shiny which would probably wipe clean, or you could put some sort of absorbant substrate over the top


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

dont know why you dont put the heatmat on the outside then you dont have to worry bout covering it?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

i think it depends on the viv... heat wouldnt go through a wood bottom too well.
We have only kept lizards and use heatmat on the back wall but spose itll be the bottom for the corn..initially itll be in a plastic tub with the heat mat underneat but after that i hadnt give it too much thought, back would be easier ofcourse but if it has to be bottom then id spose insidde and covered would prolly work best for us than undertank as the viv most prolly will be thickish wood.


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## willtang3000 (Aug 7, 2006)

my viv is glass so it should be okay to put in under right but i've heard it can sometimes crack the glass


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

i guess it could... id be more worried about it warping the wood [if u have it on a wood stand that is] think its good to use polysterine tiles underneath..i used to... 
i think the danger in the glass cracking is if the heat gets trapped... like too deep substrate... i think... or heavy large objects on the surfae basically not enough air flow.... i think....??


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Willtang - Your heatmat wont crack the glass so long as you leave a small air gap between the mat and the base of the tank. This prevents heat build up with cracks the glass. 
Another good tip is to cover the back of the mat with polystyrene so all the heat goes up into the viv and none is lost down to the furniture!


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

andyj5447 said:


> i have a heat mat under a viv made of 18mm conti and the heat gets through that fine then have newspaper inside.


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## willtang3000 (Aug 7, 2006)

PendleHog said:


> Willtang - Your heatmat wont crack the glass so long as you leave a small air gap between the mat and the base of the tank. This prevents heat build up with cracks the glass.
> Another good tip is to cover the back of the mat with polystyrene so all the heat goes up into the viv and none is lost down to the furniture!


so you mean something like this right?








thanks again for everyones help


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Only put the polystyrene on the underside of the mat, dont put any between the mat and the viv itself.
Otherwise, yes thats what i meant!


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## willtang3000 (Aug 7, 2006)

ooh because i thought you meant leave an air space so it won't crack the glass and cause my tank is flat i needed to riase it from the heat mat so theres an air space


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Aaaah just had a proper look at the diagram and yes thats exactly what i meant,scrap the other comment


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