Do i REALLY need a thermostat?

[Meko]

tin foil isn't allowed but you can use 6 sheets of newspaper.

[Morgoth]

Originally Posted by Ssthisto

I'm sure I've got a heat mat we can try the "fry an egg" experiment on. Am I allowed to put a piece of foil on top of the heat mat just to make sure I don't get egg in the electrics (since an electrical fire is NOT something I'd like to try out)?

Apparently it takes temperatures of 158 degrees fahrenheit to actually denature the proteins of an egg, so even with the foil I might wind up with a pretty runny nasty mess....

Hmm, isn't there that saying about that place in Australia that reached a daytime temp of over 100f each day, that they could boil an egg on the road?

So if the temp needed to do that is 158f, and the rocks reached that temp everyday in that place in Australia, then I suppose all the reptiles must be dead.

[Morgoth]

Yep, use newspaper instead of tinfoil.

[Meko]

Originally Posted by Morgoth

What I can say, on a factual basis, is that every reptile shop near me that sells heatmats, never once have I, or have I heard them recommend to someone else, that they use a stat on a heatmat. Guess I must be living in a place of complete sin.

you'll find a lot of them do that.

Now answer this honestly. You've been doing this for 10 years and don't use a stat with mats. If you were in your local reptile shop and somebody went in saying they wanted to buy a snake, never kept a reptile or exotic pet before and was completely new to it; would you think it'd be acceptable for the shop to NOT recommend a stat with a heat mat where there is the potential for it to over heat and burn the snake. Don't forget, its a complete novice to reptile keeping, somebody who is technically being told that it doesn't matter what heat the mat will get to as everything will be fine.
That person wouldn't know if it was burnt until it was too late..

acceptable or not?

[Morgoth]

Originally Posted by Meko

you'll find a lot of them do that.

Now answer this honestly. You've been doing this for 10 years and don't use a stat with mats. If you were in your local reptile shop and somebody went in saying they wanted to buy a snake, never kept a reptile or exotic pet before and was completely new to it; would you think it'd be acceptable for the shop to NOT recommend a stat with a heat mat where there is the potential for it to over heat and burn the snake. Don't forget, its a complete novice to reptile keeping, somebody who is technically being told that it doesn't matter what heat the mat will get to as everything will be fine.
That person wouldn't know if it was burnt until it was too late..

acceptable or not?

Thats an interesting question. And it would depend on what they were getting.

Assuming they were getting a small Corn or Royal, I would sell them one of the plastic vivs to start with. I would sell them a heatmat and advise them to put it under the viv itself. This drastically reduces an already limited heat supply, and would probably be just enough to keep the viv temp at 80f, if that. A heat rock I would not recommend, because THEY are capable of burning - you can tell becuase they often crack after a while.
I would them get them a 40watt bulb and put it near one end of the viv (I would do this before they take it out of the shop). I would turn it all on and wait an hour, make sure temps are good and then sell it to them (in future I wouldn't need to do this as I would know what a 40watt bulb and heat mat could reach in this sized viv), along with a decent themometer and tell them that the hot side should not exceed xxxx, and that the cool side should not exceed xxx. Then if they encountered problems they would turn off the light and give me a call with the temperatures it was reaching, and I would recommend a suitable wattage bulb.

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by Morgoth

Hmm, isn't there that saying about that place in Australia that reached a daytime temp of over 100f each day, that they could boil an egg on the road?

So if the temp needed to do that is 158f, and the rocks reached that temp everyday in that place in Australia, then I suppose all the reptiles must be dead.

Apparently, "cook an egg on pavement" - like "three-second goldfish memory" and "snake sizing up owner to eat him/her" - is a myth. 106 degrees air temperature in Texas wouldn't cook an egg on pavement after an hour.

Originally Posted by Morgoth

Yep, use newspaper instead of tinfoil.

That won't keep the egg from leaking into the electrics, and who wants ink on their fried egg anyway?

I can measure the temperature on top of a piece of the same mat with newspaper over it if you like, though....

[Lynne]

if you can do it and post them yourself do it. i have pictures but i will need to resize and send them to someone as i cant post pics.

[Morgoth]

Either way it won't matter mate. Because, as is the nature of the internet, no one wants to admit they are wrong.

If you do perform the egg experiment and find that the tepid heat provided by the mat won't have any effect on your egg, you'll then just chuck it in the frying pan, get it nice and active, sling it on the heatmat, take a picture or video clip and then say 'Proof!'.

Or you'll just heat the thermometer up to 150f (putting it onto a radiator or lightbulb), and put it on the mat, take a pic and say 'Proof!'.

[Meko]

the newspaper is because Morgoth uses newspaper to keep the heat down so it was a joke

i think you should try it with an egg and tin foil.

[Morgoth]

Originally Posted by Meko

the newspaper is because Morgoth uses newspaper to keep the heat down...

Aye, the newspaper doesn't have much work to do, does it?