Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Following someone's advice i went out an baught my geckos an undertank heater. There is no indication how hot it gets, it just get it is 25watts... Is this suffice?

Thanks!
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Oh, and will this be OK to use on my plastic rubbermaid enclosure?
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The thermostat will allow you to control the temperature, and then it will be safe. UTH's can get up to 110°, which is way to hot for leos, whether the enclosure is glass or plastic.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

this was the only one as the pet store... Do i need to get a whole new heater with a thermostat?
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np
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Sohni
(aka Jeannie, but other people have similar names, too confusing, so I switched)
0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa (Bella)
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake (Bess)
1.1 Rubber Boas (Esther & Isaiah)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (George)
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise (Moxie)
2.0 Adopted DSH Cats (Amos & Silas)
1.0 Rescued English Springer Spaniel (Jimmy)
and...
2.0 Kids (Riley & Noah) w/ 0.0.1 California King
Snake (Rex), 1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa (Lucas), 0.1
Leopard Gecko (Geico)
1.0 Husband (no pets, just us, lol)

I plugged this thing into the wall to see how hot it would get... and it just got 'warm', so i stuck it under my tank and this thing prolly only raised the temp 2-3 degrees... I definatly wasted my $35.
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What brand is it? Can you take it back? If not, even 2-3 degrees of under-tank heat will probably benefit your babies

I believe hooking it up to a thermostat should allow you to bring it to the temp you need, a thermostat is seperate. If it doesn't the heater is defective and you should take it back.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Do you know if they sell thermostats at Petco? I tried looking for one but to no avail.

Or do you know of any trustworthy sites you could recommend where I could get a thermostat?

One last question: With a thermostat, it can actually raise the temperature of my UTH more than it is already producing?

Thanks for the help.

I believe you can get at many places online, beanfarm or reptiledepot, often they are at Petco and Petsmart too...the one near me has them.

I'm not sure if they can make them produce more heat, usually for leos we need to cool them down...that being said I don't know of anyone with thermostat that can't get UTH warm enough. If it doesn't get warm enough the UTH is probably defective.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Ah, so the main purpose of the thermostat is to turn the temp down as most UTH get too hot?

Maybe i'll try calling this company... i've been monitoring the UTH for the past hour or so and it's only about about 85-86degrees...

Or it that an OK temp?
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you want the warm side to be 88-90°. Though 86° is way better than lower than that...

Your state consumer protection laws should provide you with the legal right to take back to the store, and let them deal with the manufacturer. A big store like Petsmart should not give you any problems if product is defective, if they do print out the info on the link and give to them. "Implied warranty of merchantability" Read about here:

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:SpSInhv8bVYJ:www.akronbar.org/public/pdf/consumer.pdf Implied warranty law consumers&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Looks like i dont have to worry about it... the tempurature is now at about 89-89 and seems like it's staying there... good thing im an insomniac because i'm gonna be monitoring the temp all night JUST INCASE! hehe...

Thanks to all who replied.
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members.lycos.co.uk/herpforum/ CHECK OUT MY BRAND NEW HERP FORUM!!!

It's a ExoTerra... I cant takeit back since it is an adhesive UTH (you have to stick it to the bottom of the enclosure..)
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Implied warranty of usability for purpose sold. But as another poster pointed out, check temp with a good thermomenter, and give it a couple hours to heat up.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

86 degrees is not warm enough for many reptiles, so I would suspect the UTH is defective if it doesn't heat up more than that within a few hours. Personally, I don't like the UTHs that adhere to the bottom of a tank. I use Cobra heat mats or the equivalent sold by the Bean Farm (made by the same company) and use foil tape to attach them. An 11" x 11" one is $20 plus shipping at the Bean Farm, and they are great to deal with. Try Outback Reptile Co. for a thermostat. Their show prices are very good, but I'm not sure about on their website. Don't get a thermostat at Petco, you'll pay way more than you need to.
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Sohni
(aka Jeannie, but other people have similar names, too confusing, so I switched)
0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa (Bella)
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake (Bess)
1.1 Rubber Boas (Esther & Isaiah)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (George)
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise (Moxie)
2.0 Adopted DSH Cats (Amos & Silas)
1.0 Rescued English Springer Spaniel (Jimmy)
and...
2.0 Kids (Riley & Noah) w/ 0.0.1 California King
Snake (Rex), 1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa (Lucas), 0.1
Leopard Gecko (Geico)
1.0 Husband (no pets, just us, lol)

Have you checked the temp with a reliable thermometer? What feels slightly warm to the touch could be hotter than you think.

I use that heater and without a thermostat it will easily reach 110 degrees. I built my own regulator by wiring a light dimmer switch in the middle of an extension cord and then plugging the heater into the extension cord. Works good at lowering the temps. Make sure you give your heater enough time to warm the ground. I believe the instructions on mine said it can take 5-6 hours to fully heat up. Also make sure your substrate isnt too deep as this will really limit the amount of heat that gets up through it.

Petco sells thermostats for $30-$35, but you can get a rheostat at Petsmart for $20. It won't allow you to set the temperature like a thermostat, but it will still let you control the heat that the UTH emits.
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chickabowwow

3.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 3 eggs a' cookin'