# heatmat in wooden viv?



## gwill1 (Mar 24, 2009)

got a new 2 foot wooden viv,with a 40w basking bulb for the day and heatmat for the night,however,ive put the heatmat at the bottom of the viv underneath substrate,if this a problem? thanks


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## Mikeyy (Sep 24, 2009)

if i was you mate, id get on ebay, and get a 75-100watt ceramic bulb

Ceramic Reptile Heat Bulb/Lamp 100w Brand New on eBay (end time 01-Apr-10 13:50:49 BST)


cause i imagine you have it in you room, which is why you turn the light off at night,
there dirt cheap considering how long they last, just double check what kind of stat you have


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## Welsh dragon (Oct 27, 2009)

I got heatmats in my wooden viv`s and they are fine but make sure its the one that's for vivariums and not terrariums


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

there's no problem putting the heatmat under the subtrate, although it depends what you're having in there.


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## Mikeyy (Sep 24, 2009)

theres nothing wrong with having a heat mat in a viv,
its just, if he has the light fitting, then a ceramic would just be as easy


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## RachieValo (Mar 24, 2010)

it wud prob be best to have a mat stat if you want to have the heat mat in the viv, soo it keeps the temp roughly wats best for w.e reptile you are keeping, as it cud burn the reptile: victory:


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

What animal will you be keeping in the viv. We could be a bit more specific if we knew


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## gwill1 (Mar 24, 2009)

thanks for the replys guys,im keeping a corn snake in it:2thumb:


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## Mik3F (Feb 6, 2010)

heatmat is perfectly fine for a corn snake as they like belly heat


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## gwill1 (Mar 24, 2009)

thanks mate,was just wondering about having it inside the viv underneath the substrate as know most of the books say not to do it,just wondered what everyone thought about it and if anyone did it lol,thanks for the advice everyone


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

In a wooden viv - regardless what animal - the heatmat always goes inside. If it were outside it would have no effect at all. It should always be controlled by a thermostat to prevent overheating and the substrate should only be a centimetre or two thick. Hope this helps.


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## gwill1 (Mar 24, 2009)

Helped alot thanks again :2thumb:


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

jools said:


> In a wooden viv - regardless what animal - the heatmat always goes inside. If it were outside it would have no effect at all. It should always be controlled by a thermostat to prevent overheating and the substrate should only be a centimetre or two thick. Hope this helps.


Not necessarily true - I've got two heat mats outside vivs right now, and the floor of the viv right on top of the heat mat is the expected, correct temperature.

I don't like heat mats in with animals - especially corns - who do very wet waste... if it gets into the mat's unsealed terminal block, it can electrocute the snake.


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Ssthisto said:


> Not necessarily true - I've got two heat mats outside vivs right now, and the floor of the viv right on top of the heat mat is the expected, correct temperature.
> 
> I don't like heat mats in with animals - especially corns - who do very wet waste... if it gets into the mat's unsealed terminal block, it can electrocute the snake.


I stand corrected :notworthy:. How do you prevent the heatmats from malfunctioning due to thermal blocking? Every set of heatmat instructions that I have bothered to read specifically states that they should not be used externally on a wooden viv.


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## becky89 (Nov 24, 2009)

jools said:


> I stand corrected :notworthy:. How do you prevent the heatmats from malfunctioning due to thermal blocking? Every set of heatmat instructions that I have bothered to read specifically states that they should not be used externally on a wooden viv.


I use heat mats on the outside with no problem, the viv is propped up though so there is a gap underneath the mat for the air to circulate.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

jools said:


> I stand corrected :notworthy:. How do you prevent the heatmats from malfunctioning due to thermal blocking? Every set of heatmat instructions that I have bothered to read specifically states that they should not be used externally on a wooden viv.


Use drinks coasters under each corner to put the viv onto, then tape the heat mat (using aluminium tape, which is heat-resistant) onto the bottom of the vivarium. Then there's air space AND direct contact with the bottom of the vivarium.


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## Mrs Dragon Wolf (Oct 28, 2009)

Ssthisto said:


> Use drinks coasters under each corner to put the viv onto, then tape the heat mat (using aluminium tape, which is heat-resistant) onto the bottom of the vivarium. Then there's air space AND direct contact with the bottom of the vivarium.


*:2thumb: Thanks, that is exactly what we are doing with ours :notworthy:*


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## Nicky_KM (Feb 7, 2010)

jools said:


> In a wooden viv - regardless what animal - the heatmat always goes inside. If it were outside it would have no effect at all. It should always be controlled by a thermostat to prevent overheating and the substrate should only be a centimetre or two thick. Hope this helps.


Not necessarily. We have a heatmat underneath the CWD viv, 18mm thick wood (I think, could be 16) and bark as substrate, which warms up quite nicely for them.

We have also placed a rock where the heat mat sits, and it warms up to a nice temp for them to go get a heat :2thumb:


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## Scaredy cat (Jan 16, 2010)

what is the best heat mat to get for a fat tail, as all the ones i see say not for wooden vivs and i have a wooden one?
and what is the difference between a heat mat and an under tank mat?
thank you


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## Scaredy cat (Jan 16, 2010)

Hello??


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

There is no practical difference between an under-tank heater and a heat mat. They're American and UK (respectively) names for the same thing.

You could use a heat mat under a wooden vivarium if you used the method I mentioned earlier with the drinks coasters.


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