# Nearly had a fire, kinda rattled, need suggestions.



## Spreebok (Jul 4, 2012)

Hi all, I'm coming to you all this morning kinda scared.

Last night, when I went to bed, my room smelt like burning/heat. My sister told me it was her laptop and it had overheated. Being the anxious/paranoid sort I am, I went and checked all the plugs, and touched all the heatmats to ensure they weren't over heating. Everything looked and felt fine, so I put the smell out my mind and went to sleep.

Got up this morning and spotted a poo on the edge of the mat in my bottom viv housing one of my corns. I opened the viv and the smell from last night was there. I removed the hothide, scooped up the corn hiding in there and it became apparent the liquid from the poo had seeped into the heatmat base, and the heatmat had proceeded to start burning through the base and the laminate section. As I removed it to look closer, it sparked and burnt a little bit, so I whipped the plug out and snipped the cable to get it out asap.

I am extremely lucky no harm came to Lister, and apart from a black mark on the bottom of the viv everything is okay. But I'm left feeling really rattled and worried. This snake does poop on the heatmat every time, and whilst the heatmat wasn't a big brand (It was something like Reptile Australia or something, it was a heatmat with an inline adjustable thermostat), I'm concerned this is going to happen again.

I was considering getting a Habistat Reptile radiator/guard and putting it on a pulse thermostat, but this is going to cost a fair chunk. I could always get a Habistat mat and mat stat, but I'm just so paranoid and scared this is going to happen again, and I might not be so lucky.

Basically, any advice and reassurance will be really appreciated right now


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## Sylvi (Dec 30, 2008)

I raise my vivs slightly using feet or lengths of wood and slide the heatmat right under the viv. It heats the wood to the required temp with the thermostat creating the hot spot, and means the snakes can't sit or poop on the mat. I drill a little hole in the side of the viv at the bottom to thread the temp probe and themometer inside the viv to the right spot.


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## Spreebok (Jul 4, 2012)

Sylvi said:


> I raise my vivs slightly using feet or lengths of wood and slide the heatmat right under the viv. It heats the wood to the required temp with the thermostat creating the hot spot, and means the snakes can't sit or poop on the mat. I drill a little hole in the side of the viv at the bottom to thread the temp probe and themometer inside the viv to the right spot.


Aaaah, that's an idea! I have 4 3ft reptistax stacked up, and they're on the feet you can buy for them, so plenty of space underneath, and this viv is the bottom one. I can just thread the probe through the holes in the back board (I install the backs upsidedown because then I don't have wires trailing from top to bottom.

Suberb idea that


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## Spideypidey (Jan 23, 2014)

Notwithstanding some manufacturers instructions to the contrary, heat mats should not be placed inside the enclosure even if covered with substrate because the safety instructions state that they should not be immersed in water.

I would have thought that a thermostat fitted to the heat mat would have turned it off in the case of overheating.

A better option might be the Exo Terra Heatwave desert of rainforest substrate heater which is self-adhesive and fits to the outside bottom or outside wall of the enclosure. It also comes with spacers (feet) to raise the enclosure.

Or indeed heat cable/rope for inside the enclosure which is made for the job.


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## Spreebok (Jul 4, 2012)

Spideypidey said:


> Notwithstanding some manufacturers instructions to the contrary, heat mats should not be placed inside the enclosure even if covered with substrate because the safety instructions state that they should not be immersed in water.
> 
> I would have thought that a thermostat fitted to the heat mat would have turned it off in the case of overheating.
> 
> ...


I looked at those Heatwave mats, but it says that they're not to be used with wooden vivs, so I'd rather avoid them.

I'll look into slightly raising all my other vivs so that I can slide the mats underneath though.


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## Herpard (Jun 11, 2010)

What about waterproof heat mats?

Reptile Vivarium Propagator Seedling Deluxe Waterproof Heat Mat Multi Layered | eBay

I've had a couple near misses with my reptile bulbs, the one day i heard a loud bang, went upstairs to find one of the bulbs 4 feet away and the inside of the plug was completely melted. Also had a heat mat, the stat became faulty and the heat mat overheated melting the plastic tank that was on top of it.


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## Spideypidey (Jan 23, 2014)

Spreebok said:


> I looked at those Heatwave mats, but it says that they're not to be used with wooden vivs, so I'd rather avoid them.
> 
> I'll look into slightly raising all my other vivs so that I can slide the mats underneath though.


Sorry, I didn't notice you had a wooden viv. No heat-mats don't work on the outside because the wood insulates against the heat. Personally I would go with heat rope inside the viv or at a pinch a bulb covered with a guard.


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## Hagen UK (Sep 28, 2012)

Spreebok said:


> I looked at those Heatwave mats, but it says that they're not to be used with wooden vivs, so I'd rather avoid them.
> 
> I'll look into slightly raising all my other vivs so that I can slide the mats underneath though.


Wow that was a lucky escape! You're right, Exo Terra heat mats are not recommended for use directly on wood - in fact no heat mats are perfectly safe for use on wood and covered by substrate. That's why we've developed the Vivexotic heat mat holder. It holds the mat away from the wood, stuck to toughened glass. It allows air to circulate underneath the mat and because the mat is under glass it is protected from spills. 

https://uk.hagen.com/Reptile/Heating/Interior/PT4068

Check it out, it could be the answer you're looking for!

All the best, 

Paul


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