# Why can't i get the heating right in my leopard gecko Vivarium?



## Lord Zebulon (Oct 27, 2012)

I got my new little man about two days ago now and i love him to bits i didn't know much about them but i got some really good advice from a lovely worker in the pet shop who also breads them and i think i have most things under control but the heating i can not get right. 

I got a 7w heat mat when i got him and put it on the base of the vivarium but it seems to do nothing to the tempature and it hovers at about 20 which i know is way to low so today i went out and bought a 60w heating light which shoots the tempature up to 30 in about half an hour and just keeps getting hotter so i have to turn it off but then i am back to the same problem of it being to cold. It was at 18 when i got home tonight which i know is freezing.

I off course i will get and do whatever i need to to get this right for my new little friend and if i can i will do it today but really havent got the money to keep throwing things away so really want to try and get it right this time. Also i know this is strange but could it just be because the thamomater is in the wrong place? (right in the middle of his vivarium at the top.) 

My plan to get a stronger heat pad but not sure to go for a 14w or 2ow and also i rellay like the light because he is so much easier to see because he is in quite a dark area of my flat so would like to keep it there if at all possable. 

Please help, i just want my little man to be comfortable and happy.

EDIT: i have just left the lamp on for about 45m to an hour and the temp shot up to about 33 so i have ha to turn it off but the tempature will now drop dramaticly and i wont be around for a good few hours to monitor it every few minuites.


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## Bennewell (Apr 5, 2012)

Hi, your thermometer should be on the floor on the hot side, with your heat mat stat probe.can have a light but needs to be something like led or low wattage bulb so it won't give of much heat


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## Dave wants hog (Jul 16, 2012)

You need a dimming thermostat for the light and a mat thermostat for the heat mat, if you haven't got them already. Then they will regulate the heat for you.


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## Rvreps (Mar 18, 2012)

Just a more powerful heat mat alone should be suffice without the need of a lamp. Maybe try a 14 or 20w mat as long as you have a thermostat! 

And as above make sure the probes are directly above the Mat on top of the substrate


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

I'm going to add a couple of links at the bottom of this that I urge you deeply to read thoroughly. 

The heat mat should be sufficient, if the right size, to heat the floor adequately. Leopard Geckos need ground heat to aid them in digestion. Ambient heat from lamps can be used but is not necessary. I also see you're getting worried about the temperature and constantly turning the lamp off. This would lead me to suggest you do not have a thermostat. This is a vital piece of equipment for ANY heat source. 

In my opinion also 33 Celsius isn't overheating. My heats hangs around 32.6C. It's fine as long as you're providing a good thermal gradient. If you're using an analogue thermometer then you really need to get a digital one with a probe as well. You can pick these up online for about £5.

Just for future reference, when buying a reptile it is advisable to set up the enclosure in advance and dry run it for a number of days to make sure it's all running smoothly. I left mine on for 7 days before I bought my Leo.

Anyway, I can see you're trying to do whatever you can to make things right so please have a thorough read through these;

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-care-sheets/699119-how-setup-basic-leopard-gecko.html

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...roduction-leopard-geckos-updated-version.html

Good luck!


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## Lord Zebulon (Oct 27, 2012)

OK i know what i am going to do now. I had my thamomater in the wrong place but it still only shows that it is at 20 degress. So i am going to ditch the light all together and by another heat pad and thermostat. 

What i was wondering was how long he will be able to go on at the kind of tempatures he is at now? In my locol shop i can only get either a 12w or a 20w heat mat and i am worried that the 12w wont be powerful enough and the 20w will be too powerful not to mention the fact that it would take up nearly all the base of his vivarium leaving him with a very tiny cool end. 

Online i can bye a 14w what sounds perfect and with a thermostat over heating will be controled however there is a chance of not getting the stuff untill a week monday-ish. It will probably come sooner like tuesday or wednesday but i am worried about him being that cold for so long. I don't want to kill him or make him poorly. 

Any ideas on waht my best bet would be? I don't know exactly because i don't have a tape messure but my Viv is quite small probably no more then 24inch from side and a bit less from front to back.


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

12W, 14W, 20W, 100W! Doesn't matter how strong it is as long as you have a thermostat. A thermostat, used correctly, will not allow your heat source to go above the heat you've set it at. 

What type of thermometer are you using to measure the heat?

What's important is it's the right size. It needs to be between 1/3 and 1/2 of the size of your vivarium. For a 24 inch vivarium your looking at 11 x 11 inch mat. But really you need to measure. 

As for how long can he go without... Without the right ground heat your Leo will not be able to digest its food properly. Leo's are hardy but there at great risks of impaction with them and that could easily be caused. 

I suggest you measure the vivarium and go out and buy a suitably sized heat mat, whatever wattage you like, and a thermostat. ASAP. 

Hope that helps.


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## LeoBoris (Jul 21, 2012)

Lord Zebulon said:


> I got a 7w heat mat when i got him and put it on the base of the vivarium but it seems to do nothing to the tempature and it hovers at about 20


Here I've quoted something that's important for heating vivariums.
You have the heat mat inside the vivarium right? Not underneath the wood as it suggests by the phrasing? 

And if I'm honest I find it difficult to get temps right around this time of year! It's current at 33.1'C which is about right. I have a 11/12W (11x11) Heat mat, and a 25W Heat Bulb to get it at that temperature! without the bulb the heatmats does like 28'C at this time of year.
No I don't use a heatmat stat as it doesn't even reach 30'C on its own.


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

LeopardGeckoBorris said:


> Here I've quoted something that's important for heating vivariums.
> You have the heat mat inside the vivarium right? Not underneath the wood as it suggests by the phrasing?
> 
> And if I'm honest I find it difficult to get temps right around this time of year! It's current at 33.1'C which is about right. I have a 11/12W (11x11) Heat mat, and a 25W Heat Bulb to get it at that temperature! without the bulb the heatmats does like 28'C at this time of year.
> No I don't use a heatmat stat as it doesn't even reach 30'C on its own.


I have a similar Heat mat, 12W 11 x 11, and it can quite comfortably exceed 35 Celsius without a thermostat.

To be fair, just because yours doesn't seem to go above 30 Celsius (which I'm not disputing), doesn't mean it may not fail and heat up rapidly. 

I just wouldn't like to discourage the OP from a thermostat just because you're fine without one. It's an essential IMO


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## Braz (Feb 10, 2011)

On thing I would add also is to ignore the setting on your new stat and adjust it using your digital thermometer as a guide. Oh and also if you have one of those useless disc exo terra thermometers open your back door and throw it as far as you can. I don't know why they still sell them.


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## Lord Zebulon (Oct 27, 2012)

Mine is a disk thamomater and yes i am begining to see were you come from its pretty useless. however i am really short on money now and i am about to spend nearly another 50 quid on a heat mat and thermostat so really can't affort a digital one to pay day :devil:


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## Rvreps (Mar 18, 2012)

Try swell reptiles you should get sorted for less than £50 from there!

I think a ministat 100 is less thn £20 and they also do home branded heat mats wich are of very good quality and VERY reasonably priced. Check them out!


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## Lord Zebulon (Oct 27, 2012)

I wish i saw your post before! 

I got a thermostat today and a digital thamomater with probes however i havent got a new heat mat. The stupid little disk thamomater i had actually fell on the mat today and wnen i looked the temp was about 30ish. so obveously when he is lying on it he must be getting about that too. : victory:

OK i just want to know if this is true. I went to a certain pet shop today to get the thermostat and thamomater and someone in the shop freeked out saying i was going to cause a fire in my home becuase of where i puit the heat mat so now i'm freeking out!! There again he also sad that he should be on sand which i know isn't true!:bash:

I don't preticulerly like or trust this shop though so i wanted to see what people on here say. 

My viv is wood and i have stuck it to the wood at the bottom with the self adesive that was on it inside the viv. there is kitchen towle over the top so he doesn't burn himself and so far it seems to be going well but the guy freeked out saying that i should have tacked it to the side of the viv with drawing pins to aid the air cerculation so it doesn't pose a fire hazered but i am not sure who that would help and i thought that Leos need the heat through their tummys. The other thing he said was to lift the viv up on legs and put the heat mat under the viv, I am not sure how that would work either because the viv has a thick block of wood on the bottom and it is on top of a renforced glass coffe tabel (i know it sounds unstabel but i have had a full 30l fish tank on that thing and a huge rat cage with four hefty rats and lots of toys in it and it was fine) so surly most of the heat would be lost downwards onto my floor? The mat reaches like 30 32 at most so i am not sure how this is a fire hazzered. It get nearly that hot in the summer anyway and my other wooden peaces of furnature don't start to spontaneously combust!! 

Grrrr, it's all so confusing! :bash: Please tell me that i am doing all right by what i have done. I really am trying to do right by him!


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

7W heat mat with self adhesive?

By any chance is this an exo terra desert heat wave mat? 

If so, and considering it has adhesive, then this type of mat is for glass vivariums only. 

I hate to say it but if you have this heat mat it may cause you problems and can in fact be a fire hazard as it's not designed for wooden vivs. And the guy at the Petshop would be right, this brand of mat comes with little feet to hold it up. However don't listen about putting it on the side of the viv. Not for Leo's anyway. 

If you had for instance a habistat brand mat then you'd place this inside the vivarium on the vivarium floor and then use your substrate to cover it. 

You then place the thermostat probe and thermometer probe directly on top of the substrate. So they're touching. This gives you an accurate reading of the heat your Leo will be getting. 

If you have the heat mat described you may be ok with it until you have the money but I'd seriously suggest getting a new one. This would cost about £13-16.

Again; a read of this would help 

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=699119


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## Lord Zebulon (Oct 27, 2012)

Oh hell that is exactly it!!!! Damn damn damn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The two girls in the shop had a fight over the heat mat and in the end the wronf one won over!!!!!!! Damn!!!!! OK it will be changed tomorow as there is no way i can get one tionight!!!!! bother!!!!! :bash::bash::bash::bash:

I can get a ProRep one very easily tomorow is that any good? and waht about tonight. Should i keep it on for him or turn it off for one night! Oh hell!!! :bash:

The idiots! I'm sorry i told them i was clueslees about them and the sold me a terrarium heat mat instead, the brad was a Komodo mat


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

It should be ok for now to be fair. Long term it's going to be bad. But it makes sense why it's not giving off the right heat. Keeping it on is better than turning it off, especially if you've plugged it into the thermostat. 

You can use pretty much any other heat mat lol. As long as its not glass only. The exo terra ones usually have this in the packaging.

And unfortunately the one you've got is going to be pretty useless now. Once they're removed all the stick will be gone. It's pretty much in the bin unless your planning on breeding locusts or something.


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## Lord Zebulon (Oct 27, 2012)

Sorry i just PMed you at the same time as you were writing that! Sorry u answer my question here. I don't care about it being a bin job really i just want it ok for my little guy. I will leave it on tonight buy a new one tomorow morning and just hope it hasn't ruiend the Viv. Thanks.


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

No worries. It will leave some residue but nothing major. Just clean it off with some warm water


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## lucozade3000 (Aug 16, 2008)

To make it simple : heatmats are useless. I just use them for some spiders.
They won't raise the temp inside your tank but warm up the furniture and animal itself if it's in front of it. They are contact heaters
Get yourself a dome with a dimmer so you can use a heat bulb and control it to the degree.
Nothing beats that.

-J


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

lucozade3000 said:


> To make it simple : heatmats are useless. I just use them for some spiders.
> They won't raise the temp inside your tank but warm up the furniture and animal itself if it's in front of it. They are contact heaters
> Get yourself a dome with a dimmer so you can use a heat bulb and control it to the degree.
> Nothing beats that.
> ...


The features of a heat mat you've just described are exactly why they're widely used and highly recommended as a heat source for Leos. 

Stick to your inverts :lol2:


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Just wanted to confirm that IMO you have had excellent advice from Jesterone. Good luck with your new little Leo!


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## dramen (May 29, 2012)

lucozade3000 said:


> To make it simple : heatmats are useless. I just use them for some spiders.
> They won't raise the temp inside your tank but warm up the furniture and animal itself if it's in front of it. They are contact heaters
> Get yourself a dome with a dimmer so you can use a heat bulb and control it to the degree.
> Nothing beats that.
> ...


Aside from the fact that Leos require underbelly heating for digestion NOT basking heat lamps. Yes they do it in the wild because they have something to lie on in the evenings that hold the temperature of the sun but that is not the case in the current set up the OP has.
Seriously dont advise on things that you dont keep if you dont know the basic care requirements.

Note to OP
Jesterone is completely correct and giving advice so follow his advice and you'll be fine


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