Underfloor heating

[Mrs. Tiggywinkle]

So, please tell me, are all heating pads very bad and likely to inflict burns? I have a ceramic one.I was thinking of putting a layer of felt or blanket between it and the usual flooring (he has plastic coated shelf paper on his floor). Our house gets very cold at night in winter and no night -time bulb seems to keep the temp up. I will throw the pad away if it's not good at all for anything.

 

[kjinxx2]

They're not really needed, but there is a way that you can use them if you really wanted to - but remember to keep the temperature pretty low at night, since they rely on the temperature changes for sleep. Also, as long as the house is around 65 degrees at night your guy will be fine... Anyway - if you want to use any sort of heating pad you must, I repeat MUST purchase a thermostat for the pad. Something like this is most popular amongst herp enthusiasts: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344976042&sr=8-2&keywords=reptile+thermostat

Set the thermostat to whatever temperature you want it at and put the probe DIRECTLY on the heat pad (under the felt, etc). If the pad malfunctions the thermostat will keep it from getting too hot. Again, it's really recommended not to use under tank heat - but if you set the thermostat to around 70 degrees you should be fine. You may be better off with a simple CHE though.

 

[ClydesGirl]

You mention night-time bulbs weren't doing the trick, which is fine, because night bulbs are bad for beardies anyway. Have you tried a CHE (ceramic heat emitter)? They screw into a normal light bulb socket, but don't put out any light, so they won't disturb your beardie's sleep patterns. They put out a fair amount of heat. Really, though, as long as temps are getting below 65-70 degrees at night, there's no need for an additional heat source.

 

[Mrs. Tiggywinkle]

Thanks for the replies everyone.