# Opinion on heating mats



## wizard27 (Dec 12, 2011)

So generally i wouldn't even consider using a heating mat for a reptile, but my tegu i got just this last summer is now brumating and our house gets quite cold at night. I don't want to keep her day bulb on 24/7 so i have been testing out a heating pad underneath and she really seems to enjoy it. Just wanted to get some peoples opinions on it since I have never really dealt with them, wouldn't want to burn her!


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 12, 2011)

_Heating pads should be used with a thermostat to prevent burns and power surges. It pretty much depends on the person some like and use them while others don't. Since tegus like to dig, can and will move the substrate to be closer to the heat. 
An alternative would be a ceramic heat emitter._


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## james.w (Dec 12, 2011)

I would also suggest a ceramic heat emitter. It will allow him to burrow and escape the heat if he wants.


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## dragonmetalhead (Dec 12, 2011)

I don't like under-tank heat mats. When I was in high school, a classmate of mine had a ball python who moved all the substrate out of the way to coil up on the warm glass and basically got melted to the bottom of his vivarium. They had to literally scrape him off with a spatula and when they went to bury him, they found out the snake was still alive. Ever since, I've stuck with ceramic heaters and infrared bulb. In recent years I've come to prefer the infrared since you can tell when the burn out more easily than with a ceramic.


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## kellen.watkins (Dec 12, 2011)

How cold does it get where your tegu is?


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