Reptiles are cold-blooded animals, due to this, you have to provide them a heat source in order to keep them warm, comfortable and healthy in captivity.
The heating mat is the easiest and most economical way to maintain the proper temperature inside the reptile enclosure.
Heating mat is the emanate heat and placing at the bottom of the tank. In this post, we will go over the factors that make the powerfull heating mat and tips for choosing the right heating mat for your reptiles.
How powerful the heating mat should be?
If you do not know exactly the level of temperature that your reptiles need, it would be best to choose the heating mat that can be able to put out 100 degrees heat.
Each type of reptile will require its own amount of heat. However, almost any animal won’t need more than 100 degrees to keep warm.
The best reptile heating pad with the quantity of heat can reach 100 degrees is ideal to heat up quickly your reptile’s tank but do not overheat and damage your tank.
Besides, you should look for the wattage when choosing the heat mat. Generally, for every 20 gallons of the tank, you should have about 8 watts of power.
Due to that, if your tank is 30-40 gallons, it should be offered 16 watts heating mat.
How large the heating mat should be?
Although your reptiles need to keep warm they also need the cold side in their tank. The heating mat should not cover all the bottom of the tank.
Creating two different sides of temperature in the tank will allow your reptile the change to choose and regulate their own temperature by moving to a cooler area if they are getting too hot.
It is better to buy the heating mat that covers 1/3 the tank floor and should not more than 1/2.
Adhesive or non-adhesive heating mat
Adhesive heating mat will suit your tank if you have identified where to place it and have no intention of changing placement. Stick heating mat also puts out more heat than the non-adhesive ones.
Non-adhesive heating mats will suitable for the reptiles that need less heat such as frogs and crested geckos.