Heat mat too hot!

EightLeggedFrea

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
818
I bought a small heat mat and one of those adjustable dimmer things from Petco, but the darn overheats so easily. I have the dimmer switch set on below 70, but the digital thermo probe I have suctioned right on the source reads 95! I think that's a bit too hot, so I'm trying to get it in the 85 to 90 range. What am I doing wrong here? This is ridiculous. This is also the first time I started using a heat mat, switching from an infrared lamp because the model I was using at the time wouldn't get the temp in the desired range (with the wretched winter coming, a 75W bulb could only reach a 78 degree warm area, on a 15-gallon long.

The mat is underneath the cave my leopard gecko most frequents, and I am using paper towels as substrate. The thermo probe isn't underneath the cave though. Could it be the paper towels are trapping the heat or something? I even have the cage slightly elevated with the little rubber things the mat also came with.
 

JColt

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 25, 2007
Messages
277
sounds like dimmer is bad. Take it back. 95 is about what they get on full power
 

Lucas339

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 28, 2009
Messages
448
get a thermostat! a dimmer isn't going to keep the temp constant. it is only going to keep the heat mat temp constant. as the room temp changes, the heat changes.
 

spiderslight

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
42
Thermostats are totally the way to go. I have a ranco controling the Temps for my leopard geckos and it works better then anything I could have imagined. you can set it to have a degree variant so if it drops below so many degrees below the target temp it turns on when it hits the target temp it turns off.
 

sharpfang

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
909
I use Desert Sand

Above my leo's heat areas - thus, they can dig to depth/warmth, that they preffer :p

Luna is 13 years old this Dec! :razz:
 
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