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Originally Posted by Reptgal

i have all my reptiles on heat mats, including my beardies. i disagree with the comment that they burn, heat rocks should never be used as they do burn the animal because they come into direct contact with it. but you can place your heat matt under an inch or so of substrate. it will not burn them like the rocks, they are also not stupid and do move when they get too hot. they do require a night time drop but i turn off their basking light and UVB light, and keep their mat on. if they cant keep their body temperature up, they will become tired and lose their appetite. remember they cant keep themselves warm like us :/

A large majority of dragons will dig at night to make a little hole for them to sleep in, they will probably lay right on the heatmat to be honest

Originally Posted by tremerz97

not a HUGE no no. but you are best without it. if you are still going to use it put it on a stat.

i know you get some stick on this forum tremerz but thats the best advice youve ever given! use a stat...mats, cables, strips should all have a stat

Originally Posted by GeorgiaAndJayFuzz

I have 2 beardies and they BOTH have heat mats. They are good for keeping a consistent temp, especially over night when the lights are off. Mine are selopated to the bottom of the viv (round the sides) on the hot side with a thick layer of substrate over the top.
The way I look at it, is that they come from a hot country, a heat mat is not going to reach the temperature that a rock would out in Australia, and they bask on those all day. Although they cannot regulate their own body temperature, if they get too hot they will move!
I've have no problems with mine what so ever. And I think they are brilliant, especially as I live in a very old Victorian house and the temps do drop very low.
I also have a heat mat in my tegu enclosure.
If you feel the temps drop a lot in your house, then use it.
If you are worried, connect a thermostat and set it at a temperature that you feel comfortable with.

there is no requirement for them to have a consistent temperature over night, in fact that is very different from the wild where they would have large drops over night.

tape in a viv is not good. they can dig down through the substrate. often you will find dragons scratching at the bottom of the viv. if they happen to pull up the tape and get caught to it its bad times for the dragon! tape is extremely hard to safely remove from a reptile without damage, trust me ive learnt the hard way. plus the heat from the mat softens the glue which over time makes it very tacky and easy to pull up, but sticks to everything.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaAndJayFuzz

With the lights being on during the day, that makes the substrate hot, as would the sun. I find that overnight when the lights are off, the heat mat helps to keep the substrate warm.
I do use a thermostat.
I was giving my opinion, everyone has a different.

But rather than biting each others heads off, we are meant to be helping others.
This forum is starting to get reallllllll bitchy.

there is no sun during the night so the substrate wouldnt be hot anyway.

the forum also has alot of people who seem to not like the way it is yet they still use it?

Originally Posted by Meko

Central Australia, such as Alice Springs, can drop below freezing in winter

a quick note on that meko is right but most would be in a state of brumation where they can tolerate a much lower temp

Originally Posted by vgorst

Alice Springs Climate and Weather Averages, Northern Territory

Simpson Desert Climate

The Territory | Climate

^ Info for Central



They may be captive bred, but the majority are still adapted to cope with hot, arid day conditions and the freezing cold nights (until you get to freaky 'morphs' like silkbacks).

This forum does seem to be going down; people recommending absolute rubbish (not referring to this thread ) and cat fights everywhere! It's turning into a minefield!

it cant be that bad if you still come on here, there are much worse forums!