I am not a beardie keeper but i thought they needed a night time drop so most people turn off vivs at night ??? You could pin it to the back of viv instead of floor and run it from a stat so that it only clicks on if the room reaches really cool temps ??

 

Yea heat Matts are a huge no no they can burn the underneath of your beardy as they can't feel the heat when it gets to warm and just stay there.
I honestly Wouldn't worry about night-time temps aslong as it's not absolutely freezing in your house there from the desert and deserts are cold at night time.

 

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

 

Actually some people do use heat mats for a night time heat source, they will usually tape it to a side wall to stop burns to the Beardie, you will of course need a mat stat for it.

I don't use additional heat for any of my beardies as my house I warm enought, as said a night time drop is fine as long as it 70+

 

You've been had by that shop keeper commonly happens.

Beardies need a night time temperature drop otherwise they don't 'shut down' and rest properly.

You can try selling it on here... or saving it for another rep

Heat mats are useless on the wall, they don't heat the air. You're just using up electricity and gaining nothing.

A drop below 70F is fine too, it can easily drop into minus numbers where they live and they manage to survive quite well.

 

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 :/

 

Problem with it being under an inch or so of substrate, is that most of the heat will be blocked anyway. That's more of a fire/burn risk. If it's loose substrate there's every chance that they will come into contact with it when digging around.

They sense heat from above, not so good at detecting heat from below, hence the risk of burns. Once they realise how hot it is, they may already have caused damage.

Why do we allow them to thermoregulate if they prefer being warm? They only require short periods of being warm before going off and doing their thing in cooler temperatures. They have no need to be warm at night and actually it's detrimental to their health.



Heat mats are unnecessary for beardies.

 

You don't really need a heat mat and they are not the best for beardies but if you are using one on a thermostat then they are perfectly safe for you beardie ( 35-37deg is only slightly higher than the palm of your hand) it is very very rare for any lizard to burn itself on a heat mat if they are properly used with a thermostat ,as long as your night time temps don't get too low you should get away with no heat source.

 

No, you havent been 'had' by the shop keeper. The fact of the matter is that some people just dont like heat mats. Thats their prerogative. Though having said that, most of the 'against arguments' are a bit daft. The one that does stand true is that of 'malfunctioning equipment'. Malfunctioning equipment can burn your reptile, this is true of all the equipment you use hence the most important piece of kit you can buy is a decent thermometer. I cant tell you whether you actually need an additional heat source at night, as I just dont know what the temps in your house where you keep the viv at 4-5.00am, and I doubt anyone else on here can either really! Invest an a max/min and place it overnight to get an idea of whether you need it. Beardies like to drop to 18-22C. Ive certain lived in property's as a younger man- single glazed with no insulation and prehistoric heating- that got much colder than that, so the viv required additional heating. Thankfully these days I'm a grown up (?) so have UPVC windows, a lagged loft and a decent thermostat on my wall too, so dont really need them. The shop did the right thing to sell you one. They didnt know what temps your house gets to. Provided the primary heat source (bulb/ceramic) is on a decent stat- I'd get a dimmer- than having a mat on the wall will be of no detriment to your animal. Hope this helps.

 

If it helps, his viv temp this morning before his light went on was 14C (57F). He warmed up quite quick once the light went old but that's pretty cold. It's tacked onto the back wall, not underneath, as the reptile shop said the same, they detect heat from above. 14C sounds too low to me. My house is pretty chilly at night

 

fair enough.... that shut me up.

 

Yeah, 14C is pretty nippy for a beardie. Its not dire, but definitely the cooler(est) side you'd want to let a young beardie drop. I'd say your options are; move the viv to a warmer area of the house. If using a ceramic, install a day/night stat (which cycles the primary heater to a lower temp at night). Install a red bulb to take the night temps up a bit. Or, put in a bigger heat mat (I'm not convinced this would be too effective, as it wasnt massively cold where I was last night and a bigger mat would prob only get you a couple of degrees C's, whereas it sounds like you could do with 5C ish)

 

Not really needed they can hit minus temps but if you want the heat up put the bulb on a dimming stat so if it hits below a certain temp it turns slightly on

 

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.

 

so much wrong with that post,but just 2 things,sticky tape of any kind is a big NO NO in vivs,and i take it you don't use stats on mats in the viv:bash::bash:

 

I would never use a heat mat for a beardie. They arent great at sensing heat through their feet. So they are likely to get burned if the mat gets too hot

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Ok before this goes any further down the bitching road, I've bought a thermostat for the heatmat which can be set at 18C so won't burn him or boil him, just keep him nice and warm and it's tacked onto the back wall, not on the floor. He sleeps at night on his basking rock, every night without fail so there's no risk of burning. Once the stat comes, ill use the mat but I won't before it comes. He's been at 14C again tonight. It'll just be for winter use when his viv gets cold. I prob won't need it when the nights get warmer.

Thanks for all your help and advice guys. We're all in the reptile owners club so we should work together to keep happy, healthy pets

 

how far away from the heatmat is the basking rock?

as already mentioned, heat mats work by heating the area they touch. If the basking rock isn't close to the heat mat then it's not having a huge effect; although when you use it you'll be able to see for yourself if it's having any effect on the temperature.