Beardie set-up questions?

[oddsleepjunkie]

Should be getting my vivarium for my beardie on tuesday, a few quick questions so i know roughly how to set it up! 1.Where do you put the stat probe for the heat lamp? 2. Im getting a heat mat to keep on hold for the winter in case my room gets cold at night.Prob a stupid queston, but am a bit confused. Do i put the heat mat in the bottom of the viv, or underneath? And finally-sorry it's a lot of questions- should the heat lamp be enough to keep the temp up in the whole viv? thanks!

[Hellcat]

personally i use a ceramic heat bulb (probe at the hot end, near the heater), and a heat lamp (60w spot lamp)
heat mats are not needed for beardies cos they dont feel heat from underneath, although you could probably use it as a temp measure to keep the heat at a good level at lights out. heat mat goes in the bottom of the viv under the substrate

[Tung Chung]

Usually room temps don't get cold enough to use a heat mat, but on the coldest of days I would place the mat on the side of the viv rather than the bottom.

I usually have the stat probe at the center back of my viv and approx 1 inch off the ground. Recommend buying the temp gun so you can keep an eye on the temps in the basking spot and adjust the position (or setting on the stat) of the probe, where further from the basking spot for hotter temps and closer for cooler basking temps.