Do heat mats actually work?

[Pauls_Pythons]

3 kms is about 30 mins. Is that really such a drag?

 

[Lazreilly]

Too many poor quality heat mats on the market for my liking.
The concept is fine but the risks associated to the poor quality ones make them a no no from my side of the fence.

Few years back i had one in a glass enclosure that caught fire when i was at work thank, god my partner at the time had spent the night and had woken up to it smoldering/smoking !!! NEVER USED ONE SINCE !! not saying that this happens all the time but it did to me
Ps this one was from a reptile shop of supposedly good quality .. dont quote me on brand i cant remember

 

[Yellowtail]

The only electrical problem I've ever had in my snake room was traced to a URS heat matt that kept tripping the safety switch and it was just used under a spare tub I used when my rack was full. It came with a used enclosure and externally looked ok, I have not had one since.

 

[pinefamily]

The bad rep of heat mats has mostly come from the green URS ones. A few years back they did have some issues, which I believe have been resolved. I'd still stay away from the cheap Chinese knock offs.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

The bad rep of heat mats has mostly come from the green URS ones. A few years back they did have some issues, which I believe have been resolved. I'd still stay away from the cheap Chinese knock offs.

I feel safer staying away from the things full stop.
Electricity is something not to be messed with which is why my preference is for globes, I can see when they work and when they don't. If theres a fault the globe blows. Well known technology that is used the world over with minimal problems.
Also a good reason not to run heat 24/7 unless its really necessary, (which is never if we are all honest)

 

[Yellowtail]

The bad rep of heat mats has mostly come from the green URS ones. A few years back they did have some issues, which I believe have been resolved. I'd still stay away from the cheap Chinese knock offs.

That's what this one was and the problem was intermittent, only found it with testing everything trying to find cause of tripping.

 

[azzmilan]

Don't trust heat mats . Have heard and seen so many horror stories.
Such as them breaking and overheating causing burns to animals.

I have heard of heat tape but never used it therefore can't vouch for it.

Go for a globe and if need be place in some sort of wooden enclosure, wood generally absorbs heat better. But do take note, in the wild would the temperatures go lower at night time ? Temperature flunctuations is natural.

 

[SpottedPythons]

I use heat mats for my hatchies and some antaresias. Not a sufficient heat source for larger snakes - reliable enough for smaller ones. Stay away from dodgy brands... common sense will help you get good ones. Always place a layer of something between where the snake will be and the mat.

 

[Wally]

The only one's I've ever used are the lime green Ultimate Heat Mat ones.
View attachment 321757

This style of heat mat is known as the "bag of doom" and is responsible for at least one house burning down that I'm aware of with multiple close calls reported on this forum. They are basically a heat cord in a green bag.