Heat matts under the terrarium are the issue not attached to the side. Plus space heaters use a lot of electricity and I'm on a meter. And I won't always be here to regulate a whole rooms temp. Much easier to use a matt with a thermostat to knock it up a few degrees automatically when needed
yes there are many people with Ts in the UK. I generally keep mine 68-70F night, 70-75F day.
Fantastic. I know I don't want to turn up the heat too much on her but it will be good to give her a bit of heat to keep her more comfortable
It's still really not a good idea to use a heat mat. Even when hooked up to a thermostat and/or attached to the side of the enclosure (where it's even less help in what it's supposed to be doing), there's ways that it can be detrimental to your T. And an unnecessary risk when they can be kept fine around room temp. It'd be a shame for you to spend so much time and money on your dream T just for it to end up ill or dead because of something entirely avoidable. Ultimately up to you, but that's just my 2 cents on it. Very gorgeous species, not a good choice in a first tarantula by any means but it looks like you've already made up your mind on this. Good luck!
Initially I buried the tunnel into the deepest substrate so she would have somewhere to go. I have since corrected this and it is pointing more towards the side of the tank.
Heat mats are common when being used with reptiles, since they need external heat sources for thermoregulation/digest food, normally higher than average room temperatures can offer. I own several reptiles, and I don't keep my Ts the same way I keep them - it isn't necessary, and fussing over some of the finer points (exact temps/humidity/etc.) is ultimately unnecessary when it comes to tarantulas, IME. They're much simpler than the care my ball pythons and boas require. Tarantulas don't need that external heat source, just a good ambient temp, and as Keira mentioned, the biggest risk they present when unregulated is potential dehydration. Tarantulas will seek out that heat source and camp on it, which can present dehydration risks. Something I wouldn't personally want if not necessary.
I'm curious to know which owners you've come across that use heat mats? Not saying that you're lying, nor that it can't be done, but almost anyone I've ran into whom is worth their salt would likely advise against the use of a heat mat. And if you're only plugging it in for an hour at a time, I really don't see it making any difference that's worth having it in the first place, IMO.
I've actually come across many varying reports of using heat mats both online and in books. But I do get your concern.
Hot spots are definitely a potential problem as well. It was to my knowledge though that tarantulas may seek out a heat source like a heat mat and will hang out next to it, causing potential for them to dehydrate faster with the higher temperatures. Is that not true?
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Thankyou!!!!!@Arachnophoric
Careful who you call 'not worth their salt'
Many reputable Dutch and Belgium breeders use additional heating in the form of mats or cables.
Heat mats are a point of contention between US and European keepers it seems.
The point with heat mats is how you use them, and which kind you use. A heat mat that gets over 50°C like the sticky ones used for reptiles have no business in or on a Theraphosidae enclosure.
But a mat that gets 38°C is safe to use when put in the upper most corner on the outside. Used with a thermostat, nothing goes wrong.
I use a heatcable that has a core temp of 38°C, the outside of it gets 27, two cm beyond the cable it gets 25. I keep my Ts in a cabinet and have put the cable on the underside of the boards. The enclosures are some 6/10 cm away from it and it's a comfortable 20/22C in them. The cable never touches the enclosure, but the spiders are still comfortable. Living in a country that has very high energy bills, a cable or mat is a more convenient solution. I can't keep my spiders without additional warmth, the house cools down to 14C at night and some rooms barely reach 18C during the day. Which isn't warm enough for the tropical species.
I'm sorry but i have to disagree; thermostats, rheostats or any other controller can fail, and contact heating elements fail as well,. There is no way to guarantee that electronics won't fail. I will personally never advocate direct / close proximity heating elements to maintain T temperatures when there are other options. My issue isn't they they don't work or that they are ALWAYS harmful, but the fact that they CAN harm the T.
As for the weather in Europe, i am quite familiar with the weather in the UK as i have lived in London for quite some time. Your post failed to mention financial constraints with regards to heating, my main concern is for the well being of the T and the safest method of heating is a space heater. If this is not financially feasible, insulating and raising the ambient temperature of a smaller area would be just as effective, as well as more affordable, and eliminates any possibility of the T being harmed by whatever choice of heating element you go with.
In that situation i would expect the tarantula to cook itself. Dehydration implies a slow decline, i would expect the T to cook itself pretty quick.
Thankyou for your time and replies.
I meant heating a something like a cabinet or cupboard or broom closet, if you just insulated a cheap cabinet and had your heating element inside (even a small one would work for this setup) you would easily be able to maintain higher temps with no risk to your T. And the substrate dam on that exo terra is at 4.5 inches, yes you have maybe 9 inches of sub piled against the back, but maybe 5-6 inches of usable depth, it won't hurt your T, but from personal experience the more burrowing room i'v given my lividum the less defensive she was and more willing to hide/retreat during maintenance.
Which is why i never apply a heat mat or cable directly to the enclosure.
I had no idea that was a more popular practice over there, thank you for letting me know. I still personally wouldn't do so, but to each their own. Like Mojo mentioned and I'm sure you already know, heating elements can malfuction - I've had one of the heat mats that was hooked up to a thermostat fail fantastically and hit temps over 100 degrees. It was a good thing I caught it, or my poor boa Jethro would have baked. So if it isn't necessary, like it is with my reptiles that need additional heating for thermoregulation and digestion, I'd rather not use it at all. Just eliminate the risk altogether, ya know?@Arachnophoric
Careful who you call 'not worth their salt'
Many reputable Dutch and Belgium breeders use additional heating in the form of mats or cables.