Heat Mats any good?

shana hawkes

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Hi all, i'm buying a viv, its second hand but is a very good deal. Comes with all lighting and its approximately 4ft. This will be my first tortoise, so i'm wondering if heat mats are ok? it comes with the viv. Or shall i buy a heat bulb instead? Im getting a baby Russian. Thanks.
 

wellington

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Ditto, not the kind of mat that would fit in a viv. Do not buy the cheap coil type bulbs either, they can and have caused eye damage.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I've got a 15 watt "heat rope" taped to the bottom of my vivarium on the outside of the glass. Inside I have a layer of moist orchid bark covered by a layer of dry potting soil. I find that the heat at the bottom makes the moisture come up through the soil, like in nature, but allowing the soil to remain dry. (And being only 15 watts, it can NOT burn anything/one. It simply doesn't get really hot.) It's a closed system with an inside 5.0 UVB tube and temperatures stay around 77-84 with over 80-90% humidity. Perfect for a baby redfoot. I'm not sure what species you're keeping.
 

Tom

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Pig blankets work well for large species in sheds or outdoor boxes, but outside of that I would not use any sort of heat mat.
 

Alaskamike

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I use a heating pad ( meant for people ) under the substrata in my leopard night box for babies. It has 3 settings low, medium & high. On the medium setting it keeps my enclosed humid box at 85-88f It's not too hot to lay directly on your skin and provides a constant even temp. These are expensive compared to a reptile heat pad - but the ones sold in pet stores are junk to me.

My night box has too low a lid for a ceramic heat bulb. So this works great for my < yo leopards.

Unless you have a closed chamber , heat bulbs can have a desiccating effect. When tort lays right under it they dry the shell out unless you have high humidity , and even then it can
IMO
 

G-stars

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I've read that if you have your ambient temps higher they will spend less time under the heat lamp. Therefore spend more time where it's more humid. I've noticed this with mine ever since I raised my temps in my closed enclosure.


— Gus
 

Yourlocalpoet

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I used various heat pads/mats underneath tanks, and tables on a thermostat for about for 7 years with my tortoise with no apparent issues. I have one now but don't use it very often as it isn't needed. Thick layers of substrate, the right size mat compared to the enclosure size and temp monitoring worked for me.


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Tom

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I've read that if you have your ambient temps higher they will spend less time under the heat lamp. Therefore spend more time where it's more humid. I've noticed this with mine ever since I raised my temps in my closed enclosure.


— Gus

Ditto!
 

Len B

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Using heating mats (not always under the substrate or on the floor) I have achived the temps needed to eliminate the use of basking lights on all day, or not at all, and any other hot heat from above. The youngest tortoises I have are two sulcatas that are almost 2 1/2 years old and they live outside with their houses heated this way. I use mats and heated tiles more than hot lights and CHEs today. Air circulation along with a slight air exchange is important for it to work properly in a smaller indoor closed chamber type set up.
 
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