paper towels and under tank heaters?

[Marissa]

I have a 10 gallon Zoo Med under tank heater. I just got a leopard gecko.

I was going to use paper towels as my substrate but on the manual it said using paper towels is not appropriate for this heater.

My pet store is 40 minutes away so I can't go back tonight to get another form of substrate.

Also, how do I control the temperature on the heating pad without a thermostat?

 

[Tony C]

Paper towels will be fine with an undertank heater, but you will probably need a thermostat or rheostat to control it. Thermostats are easier, you only have to set it once, but rheostats are cheaper, if you don't mind tweaking it every now and then. You can buy a "reptile" branded unit or go to your local Home Depot/Wal-Mart/whatever and get a plug in lamp dimmer. Make sure you have a good digital thermometer with a probe, the analog dial thermometers sold in pet stores are worthless for measuring floor temps.

Dimmer example

 

[Marissa]

I have 2 layers of paper towel. Should I add more? Maybe I can put a layer of felt then paper towel over it?

Also, can you please explain to me how a thermostat or rheostat controls the heater's temperature? I'm confused about that.

Thanks.

Paper towels will be fine with an undertank heater, but you will probably need a thermostat or rheostat to control it. Thermostats are easier, you only have to set it once, but rheostats are cheaper, if you don't mind tweaking it every now and then. You can buy a "reptile" branded unit or go to your local Home Depot/Wal-Mart/whatever and get a plug in lamp dimmer. Make sure you have a good digital thermometer with a probe, the analog dial thermometers sold in pet stores are worthless for measuring floor temps.

 

[Tony C]

A thermostat has a temperature probe, you set the desired temperature and it controls the voltage to the heater to produce the desired temperature. A rheostat allows for manual control of voltage to the heater, you will have to adjust it yourself to compensate for changes in room temperature.

Either option is better than having a heat pad running too hot, adding a thicker layer of substrate may reduce surface temps, but if your gecko gets under the substrate it can burn itself.

 

[Marissa]

Tonight is it okay to use a layer of felt and paper towel with the heat mat on? and get a thermostat tomorrow?
I don't want it to get too hot and cold during the night.

A thermostat has a temperature probe, you set the desired temperature and it controls the voltage to the heater to produce the desired temperature. A rheostat allows for manual control of voltage to the heater, you will have to adjust it yourself to compensate for changes in room temperature.

Either option is better than having a heat pad running too hot, adding a thicker layer of substrate may reduce surface temps, but if your gecko gets under the substrate it can burn itself.

 

[Tony C]

How hot is it over the heat pad?

 

[Marissa]

How hot is it over the heat pad?

Well I didn't set it up yet because I'm afraid to burn the gecko, and the manual says it will take 6 hours to get to a stable temp.

 

[Tony C]

Set it up and see what the temps are. It will probably be ok for now.

 

[Marissa]

Ok, great, Thanks for the advice. :main_thumbsup:

Two more questions-
Once I get the thermostat are the paper towels okay to use?
What should the temperature be on the warm side of the enclosure?

Set it up and see what the temps are. It will probably be ok for now.

 

[Tony C]

Yep, paper towels are fine. 92-95 is a good target for the warm side.

 

[Bongo]

I use paper towels with my ZooMed UTH's. 3 or 4 layers works well, plus a heat lamp.

 

[maximusx6910]

Dont forget a cool side!

 

[Northstar Herp]

Do you really need a thermostat with a heater sold in a pet store? They don't really sell flexwatt, and the pre-made uth stuff comes set to a max temp already?

 

[project1]

i use 2 paper towels over my uth's

 

[serialzombie]

Do you really need a thermostat with a heater sold in a pet store? They don't really sell flexwatt, and the pre-made uth stuff comes set to a max temp already?

I was under the impression that you do not need a thermostat with the UTH pads we're talking about. But I use them anyway, so I can be 100% sure. Additionally, I can modulate the temperature fairly effectively.