Heat lamp vs heat mat

Which heat source a pet needs depends on the species, and every one needs a thermostat. Pick your pet for the heat source its vet and welfare care sheets give, and the thermostat that goes with it.

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Every heat source needs a thermostat

RSPCA says a thermostat must be used with all heat sources, Merck and the NSW code also call for thermostats, and VCA wants one on a heating pad. Match the thermostat to the heater. For a heat lamp, RSPCA uses a dimming thermostat with its probe above the substrate; for a ceramic heater, a dimming or pulse proportional one; and for a heat mat, an on/off thermostat with the probe directly on the mat.

Zoo Med, which makes the ReptiTherm heat mat, recommends a thermostat or rheostat with it if your home reaches 80 °F or warmer. The vet and welfare sources put a thermostat on every heat source, so use one either way.

Heat lamps

A heat lamp sits above one end and warms a basking spot. Merck lists incandescent bulbs, infrared devices, mercury vapor lamps (which also give UV) and ceramic heat emitters, and says to use heat lamps with extreme caution because overheating is common. A ceramic heater gives off no light, which is why RSPCA uses one for heat at night. A heat bulb doesn’t necessarily give off UVB.

Guard every lamp so the animal can’t touch it or curl around it, and isn’t hurt if the bulb shatters. The distances differ by source: Merck puts lamps more than 18 in (45 cm) above the ground covering, VCA keeps a snake’s heat source at least 4–6 in from the highest spot it can reach, and RSPCA keeps a bearded dragon’s back at least 25–30 cm from its bulb.

Heat lamp at one end, guardedBasking spot

Heat mats

Where a heat mat goes depends on the animal. RSPCA puts one under half the base of a glass vivarium for a leopard gecko’s night heat, Yarmouth on the side of a pacman frog’s tank, and The Unusual Pet Vets on the outside of the back wall of a hermit crab tank. Merck says an under-tank heater should cover no more than 30% of the floor, so the animal can move off the heat, and should be made for reptile tanks.

Zoo Med warns that snakes and burrowing reptiles can push very light substrate, such as pine shavings or sphagnum moss, aside and lie on the glass right over the heater, where they can be burned. It says to lay its Eco Carpet down first.

Burns and hot rocks

The Unusual Pet Vets says burns from direct contact with heat sources are some of the most common causes of illness in reptiles. Heat rocks and mats often malfunction and overheat, so it usually doesn’t recommend putting them inside the enclosure. VCA and Merck advise against hot rocks too, and so does Aliso Beach Animal Clinic for hermit crabs. Zoo Med says its ReptiCare rock heater has no hot spots, and that a rock heater should never be the only source of heat.