Kane heat mats

[Kadels]

I have a 6-year-old Sulcata. She is probably about 30 pounds. I am going to purchase a Kane heat mat. Based on something I read here, I'm looking at 18x28. Does that sound about right?

Also, there is a $100+ price difference if I purchase one with a thermostat. It *seems* the thermostat would be better at regulating the heat of the mat, rather than the ambient temperature that a regular thermostat would measure, but I'm really not familiar. Thoughts?

 

[EllieMay]

If you are going to use the mat with a heat panel, or oil heater in an enclosure then you can plug them all into to one external thermostat and save your money. The mat won’t heat over around 30 degrees above ambient I believe so if you shouldn’t have a problem. You can always check it with your temp gun and add on later if needed. These are just amateur thoughts. Wait for a second opinion from someone with a bit more experience. GOOD LUCK

 

[vladimir]

I have a 6-year-old Sulcata. She is probably about 30 pounds. I am going to purchase a Kane heat mat. Based on something I read here, I'm looking at 18x28. Does that sound about right?

Also, there is a $100+ price difference if I purchase one with a thermostat. It *seems* the thermostat would be better at regulating the heat of the mat, rather than the ambient temperature that a regular thermostat would measure, but I'm really not familiar. Thoughts?

I have a 3.5 year old male sulcata who is about 30 lbs. He has a 18x28 kane mat hooked up to an inkbird thermostat and it works well.

As long as you use some thermostat with it I'd think you'd be okay. Use an infrared temp gun to keep an eye on temps until you know everything is good [emoji846]

 

[EllieMay]

I have a 3.5 year old male sulcata who is about 30 lbs. He has a 18x28 kane mat hooked up to an inkbird thermostat and it works well.

As long as you use some thermostat with it I'd think you'd be okay. Use an infrared temp gun to keep an eye on temps until you know everything is good [emoji846]

Thank you for sharing that! That is exactly what I have on order along with a mini oil heater so I feel much reassured ! Hate to give advice on what I “think” I know

 

[Maro2Bear]

Yep...

And for our Sullys nightbox, i have an 80 watt Radiant Heat Panel (RHP) mounted in the far left of his night box roof, and on the floor i have an 18 x 18 Kane heat mat mounted. They are both then connected into a single LL Reptile thermostat that has a probe dangling at about 6-8 inches from the ground level.

Seems to work perfectly fine - this corner of the night box is nice and cozy, and Sully has enough room to move in and out of that warm corner.

 

[Kadels]

Is a thermostat or rheostat a better option for the heat mat?

 

[Big Charlie]

Is a thermostat or rheostat a better option for the heat mat?

A thermostat is better than a rheostat. I wouldn't buy the Kane that comes with the rheostat. I bought that one but couldn't use the rheostat with my thermostat. I have two things, the Kane and the RHP, plugged into a inkbird thermostat. I ended up selling the rheostat on ebay.

 

[vladimir]

A thermostat is better than a rheostat. I wouldn't buy the Kane that comes with the rheostat. I bought that one but couldn't use the rheostat with my thermostat. I have two things, the Kane and the RHP, plugged into a inkbird thermostat. I ended up selling the rheostat on ebay.

My understanding is you'd want to use one or the other. I have pretty much the same setup as @Big Charlie - inkbird thermostat, 18x28 kane mat, 120w RHP and I'm considering putting the kane mat on a separate rheostat. It seems without the rheostat, the kane mat is either off, or the surface temp is 30 some degrees above ambient.

I'd like be able to dial it in so the surface of the kane mat is 90F constantly or something like that.

I actually posted something about this awhile back but I haven't switched to a rheostat yet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/164330/

 

[EllieMay]

I have a small 60w heated pet mat that I got at Atwood’s for my dogs . Its got a built in thermostat to keep from burning pets. It’s made very durable. I just recently decided to let my 10lb sully use it in his hide in the indoor enclosure. I keep a heat sensor on it to monitor and it stays right at 87F. He LOVES IT!

I almost wish I would have thought about it before I had ordered the Kane mat for the out door box. The only thing I wouldn’t be sure of would be the weight load...These are very reasonable.

 

[Big Charlie]

My understanding is you'd want to use one or the other. I have pretty much the same setup as @Big Charlie - inkbird thermostat, 18x28 kane mat, 120w RHP and I'm considering putting the kane mat on a separate rheostat. It seems without the rheostat, the kane mat is either off, or the surface temp is 30 some degrees above ambient.

I'd like be able to dial it in so the surface of the kane mat is 90F constantly or something like that.

I actually posted something about this awhile back but I haven't switched to a rheostat yet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/164330/

That was my plan when I bought it with the rheostat. But it wouldn't work with the setup I had. The rheostat covered up the entire outlet so you couldn't plug anything else, like the thermostat for the RHP, in and I didn't think it was a good idea to use an extension cord.

If you read the Kane website, I don't think it ever gets more than 35 degrees over ambient. Why would you want it to be 90F? That seems too warm.

 

[Big Charlie]

I have a small 60w heated pet mat that I got at Atwood’s for my dogs . Its got a built in thermostat to keep from burning pets. It’s made very durable. I just recently decided to let my 10lb sully use it in his hide in the indoor enclosure. I keep a heat sensor on it to monitor and it stays right at 87F. He LOVES IT!

I almost wish I would have thought about it before I had ordered the Kane mat for the out door box. The only thing I wouldn’t be sure of would be the weight load...These are very reasonable. View attachment 261430View attachment 261431

I think you are safer with the Kane. You'll need it anyway when your tortoise gets bigger. Charlie is too big for the 18 x 28 mat.

 

[EllieMay]

I think you are safer with the Kane. You'll need it anyway when your tortoise gets bigger. Charlie is too big for the 18 x 28 mat.

I’m sure your right. I like that the farm mat doesn’t get more than 10 degrees over body heat but I think a grown Sulcata would actually crush the mat. It looks similar to a very thin RHP in its build. I do have the inkbird thermostat, Kane mat, and a mini oil heater for the night box that we are building..the mini oil heater has its own thermostat so hopefully I can use the inkbird to keep the Kane mat regulated. By the time I get to my third sully, I might know something ))

 

[Big Charlie]

I’m sure your right. I like that the farm mat doesn’t get more than 10 degrees over body heat but I think a grown Sulcata would actually crush the mat. It looks similar to a very thin RHP in its build. I do have the inkbird thermostat, Kane mat, and a mini oil heater for the night box that we are building..the mini oil heater has its own thermostat so hopefully I can use the inkbird to keep the Kane mat regulated. By the time I get to my third sully, I might know something ))

Tortoises are cold blooded so 10 degrees over body heat is the same as 10 degrees over ambient. So if it is 50F, it will be 60F. The RHP goes on the ceiling - the sully doesn't sit on it.

 

[MrT for me]

I have a 18x28 (PHM28R model) for our 4 year old Sulcata. It is also monitored by a Vivosun digital heat mat controller to make sure there’s no chance of overheating. I know the Kanes have a built in protection but I’m a pessimist and believe in redundancy. Can’t go wrong with a Kane. Very robust product. Plus you will notice that our friend gives it his stamp of approval. He looks so relaxed. I love it when he lays on his belly and hangs his legs out like that. ☺️

 

[vladimir]

That was my plan when I bought it with the rheostat. But it wouldn't work with the setup I had. The rheostat covered up the entire outlet so you couldn't plug anything else, like the thermostat for the RHP, in and I didn't think it was a good idea to use an extension cord.

If you read the Kane website, I don't think it ever gets more than 35 degrees over ambient. Why would you want it to be 90F? That seems too warm.

Ah, that makes sense.

My ambient temp is between 75 and 80 in the indoor enclosure, so I wanted to bump the heat mat up 10-15 degrees above ambient instead of 35 above.

One takeaway from this thread: sulcatas love kane mats [emoji16]

 

[MrT for me]

That was my plan when I bought it with the rheostat. But it wouldn't work with the setup I had. The rheostat covered up the entire outlet so you couldn't plug anything else, like the thermostat for the RHP, in and I didn't think it was a good idea to use an extension cord.

If you read the Kane website, I don't think it ever gets more than 35 degrees over ambient. Why would you want it to be 90F? That seems too warm.

Home Depot has these really neat (and cheap) “pig tales” that resolve the obstruction of the outlets. They’re a 14 AWG pigtails so they can handle some amps (15-20). I included a picture of two of them plugged together to give you an idea how they work. Pretty cool!

 

[MrT for me]

Oops, it’s 16/3 wire. Still works great though.
Home Depot part# 649532620784

 

[Kadels]

I actually posted something about this awhile back but I haven't switched to a rheostat yet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/164330/

I read that thread, and that's where I started wondering if the thermostat or rheostat would be better. A lot of people seem to just plug into a thermostat, but that is measuring air temperature. My air temp is sometimes 90, so I don't want the heat mat to be 120!

 

[Kadels]

Charlie is too big for the 18 x 28 mat.

So would you recommend a larger mat?

 

[Kadels]

It is also monitored by a Vivosun digital heat mat controller to make sure there’s no chance of overheating.

What is that?!! And where did you get it?