Confused n00b needs your help!

[Colin]

oooook so i have recently laid a deposit down for a 6 month old spotted, which i will be recieving in the next week or so. the guy im getting it off is giving it to me in a click clack which he said ill be able to keep it in for the next 6 months or so, the only thing i will really need is a heat source. so for the past couple of days ive been going a little nuts with research on the best way to do so...this has only left me very confused....so i have a few questions for ya'll:

1. is there a brand of heat mats that you would strongly recommend? I use microclimate heat mats
2. will i be needing a thermostat to control the temp of the heat mat? whats the deal with them..? I use microclimate B2ME thermostats but theres quite a few excellent thermostat brands available.
3. i will get a temp gun and was wondering, as its point and get a reading, where should i be pointing it to within the click clack to get the most accurate reading? take a few readings at the hot end and also at the cold end and check the temps for a few days at least. tweak the thermostat dial to the correct temperature.

thats about it for now haha im sure i will think of more though

thanks in advance guys!

see comments in blue above

Whats the best way to put the heatcord on the tub? Duct tape?

I use one thermostat to run a few banks of mats and several tubs so I have the thermostat probe in an empty control tub.. and I use duct tape to hold it in position (the tubs empty) they will drag the probe and move it if they get a chance and it becomes annoying after a while. having the probe in an empty tub solved this

 

[reptileKev81]

I just tried taping my heatcord to the underside of this tub with electrical tape as advised by Br3nton.

Anyways, looking at it, it looks to me I haven't done it well enough, kinda bodgey lol
What do you guys think? Should I re-tape it again?

Tips for keeping it looking neat and tidy?

Cheers
Kev

 

[SYNeR]

I must say, after having used an infrared temperature gun over the last couple of weeks, I definitely think they're essential. It's good to be able to scan the entire enclosure and look out for hot spots.

I was amazed when scanning my enclosures with the gun how variable the temperatures were at times..

 

[reptileKev81]

I've got my click-clack all setup and I'm currently in the testing phase. Where should I set my thermometer and thermostat probes? Should I tape the probes to the floor? Or should I tape it to a perch seeing as gtp's spend most their time up on the perches. What do you guys think?