| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 13:14:54
I'm trying to find a heatmat that's the right size for a 48 x 15in viv (in the process of saving up for 4 of the mats, got money for the stats so far) I seem to have a choice of getting a 17 x 11 or a 23 x 11. I know the rule is a 1/3 to a half and I would prefer to have one that covers 1/3 of the bottom to allow for more of a heat gradient and give them more of a burrowing area which would be the 17 x 11 mat but it's like 4 inches off in the width of the viv but would would this be ok? I'm probably being silly since there is like 5 inches difference between the 2 choice but I just want to make sure I make the right one. The 23inch long ones just seems a bit too long.
Is the Habistat Pulse themostat good? The other themostat I am eyeing up is Microclimate Pulse although I don't know if there is a great difference between un-pulse stats and pulse ones. Shame I don't know electronic stuff as I bet the components cane be bought for like £5. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kellog |
Posted - 27/04/2010 : 05:46:30
Neither of my heatmats are sealed down and both are covered with lino, which overlaps the edges of the heatmat. The lino is just cut around the black box so it fits perfectly. The stat probe and digital thermometer probe are then laid horizontally on the lino. Both they and the lino are weighed down with heavy hides and rocks, stones....which both snakes love to slither over and it stops them from getting under the lino and getting to the heatmat.
This is the way I have found that works and it seems stable and the snakes are happy with it....which means they have a happy owner!
xxx
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| Sta~ple |
Posted - 24/04/2010 : 14:55:16
I wanted to ideally not seal it down. My snakes don't normally burrow but they sometimes have funny turns in which they will want to climb and burrow and adults would easily get under the mat which I am worried about the whole air pocket thing. Although maybe since the mat is so thing it might be hard for them to actually get under it. They also poo along the edges of the viv and I'm worried that they will get the wire or the little box thing and after reading the instructions about large snakes flooding it with their poo... I suppose I could see how they get on with it unsealed and then if they move it about then seal it down. |
| reptiledanny |
Posted - 24/04/2010 : 12:54:11
i don't seal my heat mat down, cuz monty likes to move all the substrate and ly on it so i have the probe weighed down by his hide and he loves it, he never poos on the mat so i donn't really need to cover it. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 24/04/2010 : 09:25:00
I'm sorry to revive this topic but I just got my heatmats and they weren't what I was expecting, and I really worry and stress about things ^^; I can now see how it is very easy for the snakes to get under the mat, I was expecting something at the weight and thickness of a cutting mat! It says you can use adhesive tape to tape the heatmat down I'm not sure if I would trust tape 100% so I was just wondering if it would be ok just to use aquarium seal to seal it down the edges of the laminate but then of course If I use that it could effect any kind of warranty I have. Unless anyone know of any really good adhesive tape that won't peel away that I can replace every clean. I'm also worried that weighing it down with really heavy objects could actually damage the mat.
And so you guys cover the whole mat or do you leave a bit of room for the black box thing? As I imagine that is the area which if it gets pooped on, there will be problems. And I guess anyway of sealing it down would mean that dirty bedding could get into the unseal places around the black box and cable and there would be no good way of getting it out. Has anyone had experience of a snake emptying it's bowls on that bit? I guess I could just have the mat away from the edges as that's where my snakes poo.
Has anyone fixed or glued their probes directly onto the heatmat so they can't move instead of weighing them down?
Edit NM I read this http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8163although there seems to be confliction of where to pu the stat probe when using lino and I still don't gets how you would seal the lino around the black box and wire. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 14/04/2010 : 12:02:19
Ah good then I thought you guys meant the brown 5mm stuff you can do art prints from. |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 14/04/2010 : 09:06:13
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
It could be moved onto the mat though to help when shedding though right?
Could you use like plastic flooring work like the stuff you put in bathroom floors to cover the heat mat? I'm slightly unsure of lino (or maybe it's a different lino I'm thinking of?) as it's thick and has like some kind of woven bottom that can fray.
Lino is like what you use in your kitchen or bathroom, its has a rubbery texture to it.
You can add an extra water bowl to the warm side to aid shedding, as for moving the normla one over i'd give that a miss. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 14/04/2010 : 08:50:52
It could be moved onto the mat though to help when shedding though right?
Could you use like plastic flooring work like the stuff you put in bathroom floors to cover the heat mat? I'm slightly unsure of lino (or maybe it's a different lino I'm thinking of?) as it's thick and has like some kind of woven bottom that can fray. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 14/04/2010 : 03:36:39
I think all of your questions have been answered really Staple, the only thing I would say is that you mention about the snakes having a big ceramic water bowl - was this in regard to weighing the heatmat down? If it was then it probably is not a good idea, you really want the water bowl in the cool end as your snake wont want to be drinking warm water and it will also increase humidity.
I have the habitat pule and have found it great. Started off with the microclimate on/off and hated it, cos it would allow the temp to drop about 5 degrees before switching back on....whereas my pulse keeps it within a degree, if not less.
Both my heatmats are covered. It is just something I prefer to do to protect the heatmat and to protect the snakes. I know they are waterproof but I am just unsure as to how they would survive a water bowl being tipped over them....and despite them being weighed down with a hide and stones, the lino also does add an extra layer of protection to stop the snake from going underneath. I have found that you dont need to up the stat very much at all to achieve the desired temp in the viv - my pulse stat is set just under 30 degrees and my digital thermometer shows 28.7 degrees.
xxx
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| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 13/04/2010 : 20:44:29
they are fairly flexible.
You can get a lino cut out which you can put over the heatmat and seal it down, then if you need to get to the heatmat allyou have to do is cut away the sealant. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 13/04/2010 : 20:19:18
Thanks again. I know but I'm not sure how much or flexible heat mats are. I have a big ceramic water bowl and both my adults can move it. I also have a clay or cerment pipe they use as a place to hide and they somehow Venom can move that ._. |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 13/04/2010 : 19:01:33
They can if the heatmat isn't statted but statted to the right temperature and they can't. Although it is a good idea to have something heavy over the heatmat so no substrate goes underneath it. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 13/04/2010 : 18:36:40
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBrown91
No the mats make no noise what so ever, and the dial for the microclimate ones has to be turned by a screw driver.
If its 15 inches deep you would be better with the 23x11 as the 17x11 wouldn't cover 1/3 of the floor space.
Thankyou :) I'm not good with size stuff. I had to measure and cut the sizes out of paper and the 23 x 11 is better. I just hope Venom will have enough room for his chubby bum to burrow.
Can snakes also get burnt if they get under the heatmat? A lot of research tells me yes but I don't see how they can if the mat has a stat. |
| zandefloss |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 20:52:53
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBrown91
No the mats make no noise what so ever, and the dial for the microclimate ones has to be turned by a screw driver.
If its 15 inches deep you would be better with the 23x11 as the 17x11 wouldn't cover 1/3 of the floor space.
Although if you dont have a screwdriver to hand I've found you can use a hair grip, pair of tweezers, 2p coin, pen nib......the list goes on. It's quite easy although you deff. need a thermometer with a microclimate because the temps. printed on the dial can be a bit off, but they're easy to use!
zan x |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 20:38:33
No the mats make no noise what so ever, and the dial for the microclimate ones has to be turned by a screw driver.
If its 15 inches deep you would be better with the 23x11 as the 17x11 wouldn't cover 1/3 of the floor space. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 19:14:00
Yay that makes me happy! I read so much stuff about people using lino to make them poop proof but I'm sure that would mean that it would heat up a lot.
The vivs will be 48 wide by 15 wide and 16 heigh. I'm just really stressing about the burrowing area and heat graident as I have no experience with mats what so ever.
I have no idea if microclimate are fiddly but from pictures it does look like the knob thing is harder to turn if that makes sense but I guess it makes it more child friendly. I just bought 2 habistat pulse for cheap and I am now kicking myself in the teeth for not buying them sooner so I could have got 4.
Another weird question but do heatmats make any kind of noise? |
| eeji |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 18:35:35
all my heat sources are statted with microclimate with no problems. I don't know how you can find them fiddly though :S |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 18:29:13
There laminated so there ok with splashes of water and stuff.
Depending on how deep the tank is then the 17x11 might be ok |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 17:09:22
Thanks guys :) I guess if it doesn't need to touch the sides a 17in one would be ok as well?
This is going to sound silly but are they poo proof? Or do I have to make them poo proof? |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 14:19:28
I think a 23x11would be fine.
It dosn't really matter that the heatmat dosn'ttouch the sidesas 23x11 is still around 1/3 of the floor space if not slightly more.
I havn't tried either of the pulse stats but microclimate ones are abit fiddly so i would probably go with the habistat pulse stat, thats what im going to get for my royal when i get it and will also start replacing my stats with and keep the on/offs as spares. |
| HannahB |
Posted - 12/04/2010 : 13:39:41
the pulse stats are great.. my royals have them, where as the on/off stats only come on once the temp has dropped below the required temp the pulse stats continually stay on and keep the heat up to the right level so its at more of a constant 
tbh i dont think the heat mat not reaching the corners of the viv will cause too many problems - as long as theres a warm end with a hide or two over it |
