# Urgent Help - Viv not hot enough...



## Trevtol (Dec 21, 2009)

Hi all

Just starting out with this and am currently setting up my viv ready for my first leopard gecko - very exciting!

I've got a 'komodo habitat' (glass terrarium) and purchased an exo terra heat mat (small 8watts) but it just isn't getting hot enough! I even tried measuring the temp without any substrate and the surface temp was bearly 25C and as for the background temp...

Do I just need to get a bigger mat or have I done something wrong?

Really need to sort this out quickly before everything closes for Christmas as I'm hoping to get the leo before New Year

Thanks!


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Have you tried:

1. Insulating the back, most of the top and both sides of the glass tank so that only the front and part of the top are open? Glass is no good at retaining heat.
2. Is the heat mat inside or outside, and is it on the floor or on the side of the viv?
3. Heat mats don't effectively heat the air. They're object heaters that will warm up things sitting on top of them. Putting something like a slate tile over it will warm up the slate, which you may find will get warmer than the mat with nothing nearby.

And lastly... is the heat mat plugged into a thermostat? If it isn't, it should be; if it is, check your thermostat dial and tweak it to make sure it's not preventing the heat mat from reaching the temperature you need.


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## Trevtol (Dec 21, 2009)

Thanks for the reply

The heat mat is stuck to the outside of the bottom of the tank. 

Yep, I have a mat stat attached and even with the sensor put on top of the glass above the heat mat it's not getting hot enough!

Insulation wise I've got a foam background which should help but it seems like I'm not getting enough heat to start with rather than losing it, I think!


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

What is your mat stat set to? Have you tried turning it up to the maximum on the dial to see if the heat mat will reach the temperatures you need? The dial temperature is a guideline - if it doesn't work in your application you'll need to calibrate it to reach what you do need.


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## ollie1 (Oct 13, 2009)

you may need a 20w...even a 20w only gets to 82c on max inside a wooden vivarium.


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## Trevtol (Dec 21, 2009)

I've got the mat stat on it's highest.

Tried it without it too and measured the temp with a thermometer but still no joy.... Just wondering if it's a dud mat


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

Trevtol said:


> Yep, I have a mat stat attached and even with the sensor put on top of the glass above the heat mat it's not getting hot enough!


Try moving the sensor so that it's not directly over the mat, but into the cool end of the viv: that _should_ increase the temperature.


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

ollie1 said:


> you may need a 20w...even a 20w only gets to 82c on max inside a wooden vivarium.


does it ?

:whistling2:


It'll get a lot hotter than that left unstatted.

Not that it should be left unstatted, but I've never heard of a working 20w mat stopping at 82C.........


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## C.Bruno (Oct 8, 2008)

Trevtol said:


> Hi all
> 
> Just starting out with this and am currently setting up my viv ready for my first leopard gecko - very exciting!
> 
> ...


get a infrared heat bulb on a dimmer thermostat


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## ollie1 (Oct 13, 2009)

its not on a stat...


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## hillzi (Mar 14, 2009)

I'm having the same problems with the corns.

HOPEFULLY new stats and mats for both will end the problem, theyr'e hardy critters will survive for a few more days being a lil chilly and hungry, (I dont feed at temps under 25* - food may rot internally)

One viv is glass, i throw a towel round top (mesh) and back and sides and does a little to increase the temps..

Good luck. If you go for a bulb, use a gaurd!!!

Ollie you MAY want to check out the sticky.. "do I REALLY need a thermostat"..


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

Trevtol said:


> Thanks for the reply
> 
> The heat mat is stuck to the outside of the bottom of the tank.
> 
> ...





ollie1 said:


> its not on a stat...


erm, yes it is - the bit that says 'I have a mat stat attached'....
And if it wasn't it should be, see the sticky thread mentioned above.


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

Hi

the mat should be at least 1/3 to half the size of the viv. Tape the stat probe to the mat itself.

possibly put the aquarium on a sheet of polystyrene which will reflect the heat lost to the underneath. 

I have my mats inside the viv under the substrate and make sure they dont get above 95f. Also have a 25w lamp fpr daytime and ambient temps.

P


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## ollie1 (Oct 13, 2009)

i have had it on for 3 weeks and it has not got past this temp though...


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Three weeks in winter, Ollie - when it's reasonably expected to have cooler room temperatures. Are you measuring the temperature on the floor, as close as your animal can possibly get to the mat?


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## Hatman123 (Dec 9, 2009)

im having the same problem with my corn, it's only getting to 25 max outside, and obviously, not all going through.

I'm going to buy a new mat tomorrow, to see if this solves the problem.


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## ollie1 (Oct 13, 2009)

yup same room temp and it is measured from the top of the substrate.


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

I have had the occasional exo terra mat prove to be completely useless. I always use Habistat now and have no problems getting the temps high enough. So it may be that your mat just isn't up to the job. Test the mat - take it off the tank, sit it on some polystyrene, take the stat off it and place a piece of slate or a tile over it. See what temperature the tile gets to - should be well over 35C.


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## ollie1 (Oct 13, 2009)

well i did get it cheap of ebay...It's one of those £11 ones:whistling2:


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