So I was wondering what the best way is to heat their "home". I want to breed dubia roaches. Would I be fine starting off with 10 females and 3 males, I'm feeding one beardie. Also I've heard UTH are not safe? What are your thoughts? On the package it says only use with glass tanks, has anyone ever had problems using a zoomed UTH with a Rubbermaid bin? Does the bin need to be lifted off the mat a little and how would I do that? Lastly, is the heater fine to be sitting on carpet? Sorry for all the questions...
With any heat source you want to have a thermostat with it just in case. Heat pads/matts, flex watt and the like run the possibility of spiking or overheating and melting, causing a potential fire hazard. This doesn't happen often, but it's not worth the risk. Also, it would be better to wrap it around the side rather than putting it on the bottom. Those heat matts need to have some gap rather than being on the bottom of a tub flat on a surface. You could put it on the bottom and then use the rubber 'feet' they provide to give it an air gap too.
I use a heating pad from Amazon. Just be sure if you get a heating pad it doesn't have the "auto off" feature built into the switch. I also throw an old blanket over the top of the tubs (breeder tub and feeder tub). It keeps them in the dark and helps hold the heat in when the AC cycles in the house.