Does anyone recommend an undertank heater!?!?

[LaDragonEcho]

I have read that people done like under tank heaters because they sense heat through the sensor on their head and that they can't tell if they r getting too hot if they r laying on it... My substrate would be reptile carpet and I'm guessing he is about 2 months and I have to keep a close eye o him at night because I don't want his temp to drop too low like I just checked and it was 68.5 f degrees so now I am typing this while he sleeps on my chest on my heated blanket (his favorite sleeping place). I am so protective of this little guy and I don't want him to get hurt in any way so right now I'm waiting for the UVB bulbs to get here then ill get him a ceramic heat emitter instead of the brihht heat lamp but I was thinking about maybe getting the under tank heater as well....? :?

 

[w0554096]

Under the tank heaters are not good. Beardies don't feel heat from underneath very well, and especially when they're sleeping, they could easily get burned. Beardies actually do well when the temperature drops at night. As long as your temps stay above 65, you're doing fine. It's not a bad idea to have a CHE on hand, just incase it did drop one night, however his nighttime temperature is ok.

UTH are great for nocturnal species like leopard geckos, because normally a leo would sleep during the day, and come out to eat at night once the sun has baked the ground and the ground is warm. Subsequently, they need heat on their bellies to digest their food.

Beardies need their heat from above during the day along with UVB to digest. That's why it's reccomended to give your beardie at least 2 hours or so after a meal before lights out.

So, I definately wouldn't reccomend a UTH for your beardie.

 

[garrett15]

I took an under tank heater and put it on the side of the tank and but his basking log up aginst it and the temerature drops at night he lays aginst it so If the teperature drops in your house at night i would get one an mount it on the side.

 

[Spoony]

It is true that UTHs are dangerous for beardies. If you have a CHE, use that at night when the temps drop, that's what I do. And if need be, get 2 of them. What has been suggested to me because it gets cold in my home, is get a thick outdoor welcome mat and place the viv on top of that. That will at least stop the cool air from coming in through the bottom and provide some insulation.

 

[shootthebunnies]

If you take the right precautions, use a thermostat and set the temp fairly low (75-80 temp taken on the slate) you can use it with out harm. Mine is under the glass, with slate tile on the glass.

I run mine constantly and can use smaller basking bulbs since the ambient temp is higher. I set it at 75-80 on the slate, 92 on the flexwatt, and have it on a thermostat with the probe glued to the center of the mat and the mat covering 2/3 of the 40. Have had no issues what so every and if you were to ever have an issue a good thermostat will save you.

Just my 2 cents as I know I am in the minority.

 

[BlueDevil]

Here is my two cents on the whole UTH debate. I personally use one in my 4x2x2 melamine terrarium. My UTH is on the basking side of the terrarium and then a layer of linoleum is covering the UTH (runs the entire floor of the terrarium) and then I have slate flooring on top of that so my beardie never comes into direct contact with the UTH. My UTH is controlled by a HerpStat Pro and I have had no issues whatsoever. I've ran this same set up for almost three years without any problems.

If someone wants to buy a UTH I would recommend spending the extra $$$ on a really good thermostat and take extra precautions like i did and put a linoleum liner and slate flooring and don't set the temp too high. If you are unable to get a good thermostat I would then recommend a CHE. My HerpStat is probably overkill for what I need but it gives me peace of mind (will automatically shut the output to the UTH if it exceeds a certain temp) plus I love the simulated sunrise/sunset features of it.

 

[tgolden]

I used to use one in the winter when i lived in a drafty old house and had no problems at all. You have to use them correctly as stated above. There seems to be a " o my god you cant use them" attitude in the bearded dragon world but thats not so. as with anything else you have to take the time to research it .