Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to get a Kane heat mat. I am deciding whether I should get an 18"/28" or a 13"/48". I think that I should get the former one because heating the legs and main body is more important then the tail, but the problem is, I don't know exactly how wide these guys can get(when sprawled out). Though what I have said is likely true, they do seem to have pretty meaty tails(that need to be kept warm). Which one is better?

1) Are you getting the heat mat for an outdoor enclosure
hide box?
2) How old is your cyclura?
3) If outdoors, what part of the country?

I don't actually own one yet, but I am planning ahead for when he will be bigger. It would be used in an outdoor enclosure in the summer(in CT), and it would also be used indoors during the colder months. Shouldn't the heat pad be kept in the sun(with a rheostat of course)so that he can get the UV light he needs but also the heat he requires? Should you have a heat pad in the hide box also?

What species and sex do you plan to purchase ? A male nubila will require a larger mat than a female. I raise rhinos and find the 13x48 is good for laying over a double hide box(two separate hide boxes using the same heat pad) for subadults. I don't like the wider mats because the cyclura needs to be able to get on or off to thermoregulate. I have used 4 diffferent sizes, and of them the 13x36 is my favorite. You might consider getting 2, one for the hide box, one for the basking area.

thanks, I think I will go with the 13/36 also.