Thermostats

[HeKai]

I plan on getting some high quality thermostats, especially since I eventually want a Brazilian rainbow boa-pretty specific heat sensitivities. However, I have a sick gecko on antibiotics who has to be kept at a constant temperature of 85 F. I am thinking it might relieve some of my stress to have a thermostat set up so I am not disturbing him every half hour or hour or so to double and triple check that his temps aren't too high or low. 5 degree F range is tough to maintain.

If I could go out and buy a great thermometer off the shelf, I would.I can probably get:
*** Zilla 1000 Watt Reptile Heat Temperature Controller 68022 R Zilla and know I can get:
***Amazon.com: reptitemp 500r (thought nowhere near as cheaply as Amazon) from a local pet store. Anyone have experience with these? How much do they vary? I will keep receipts because I hear they can fail after a few months. Thanks.

 

[Mardy]

If you're getting one from Amazon, the Hydrofarm thermostat is the best you can buy for the $30 range. Great reviews, digital readings which you won't find for $30, and it works well to keep temperature within a 3-5 degree fluctuation.

 

[GeckoManiac91]

I have the ReptiTemp 500R thermostat and I do not like it. It doesn't even tell you the proper temperature it just has a dial from Cold-Hot. I've managed to keep my floor temp between 88-95 using a digital thermometer probe and playing with the thermostats dial for a bit, never the less, I do not recommend it.

 

[HeKai]

Well that is good to know, thanks GeckoManiac. Mardy, it is more a case of convince than anything else. I am trying to keep temperatures constant for my leo who is on antibiotics. I am in Canada so if I can find some way to ship it, I might see the thermostat in a week if I am lucky or 8 weeks if not. I know I can get the unrecommended Repti 500 at the petstore, which is why I asked

Might get the hydrofarm for two of my snakes, though.

 

[GeckoManiac91]

Well that is good to know, thanks GeckoManiac. Mardy, it is more a case of convince than anything else. I am trying to keep temperatures constant for my leo who is on antibiotics. I am in Canada so if I can find some way to ship it, I might see the thermostat in a week if I am lucky or 8 weeks if not. I know I can get the unrecommended Repti 500 at the petstore, which is why I asked

Might get the hydrofarm for two of my snakes, though.

The ReptiTemp was the only one at my local pet store as well. Spent $60... Huge mistake, but hey, that's how you learn

 

[HeKai]

Or you ask other people their experience and live vicariously through them and possibly save some money and frustration


I can post links to some very expensive high end thermostats that have been recommended-they run $100+, though.

 

[GeckoManiac91]

Or you ask other people their experience and live vicariously through them and possibly save some money and frustration


I can post links to some very expensive high end thermostats that have been recommended-they run $100+, though.

Yes, if you're like me though I need to make most mistakes myself before learning a thing :coverlaugh:

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Or you ask other people their experience and live vicariously through them and possibly save some money and frustration


I can post links to some very expensive high end thermostats that have been recommended-they run $100+, though.

How about those links, Ceri? Your research will be helpful .

 

[HeKai]

It isn't thorough research yet, just asked some reptile experts.

Shawn Heflick says he has had good success with Johnson Controls
Thermostats - Exclusive Snakes
though he hasn't got back to me on specifically which one. He is the Python Hunter and I think it is fair to say he knows a great deal about reptiles. He was the one who said I should not have an UTH under the enclosed hide I have because it traps heat.

Vivarium Electronics on that page have been highly recommended too. I forget by whom.
VE-100

is another link to them. I haven't looked all that closely because I was hoping I could rig something for a lot cheaper. After buying an ExoTerra dome lamp fixture for $40 I found a clamp light at the hardware store (rated for up to 200 watts) for $12... it doesn't glow in the dark (fine, I like sleeping in a dark room) and it has no on/off switch but the socket is ceramic so I don't think it is a major fire hazard or poorly made. For construction workers and warehouses... anyway, I digress. I am simply saying some things can be got a whole lot cheaper. I have heard good things about the hydrofarm but otherwise, thermostats of the $30 range seem to get mixed reviews. Seems I would do better for this piece of equipment to get good quality as I can afford it-especially for more sensitive species (I was hoping to get a Brazilian rainbow boa soon... but.... need to take care of my leo and other snakes first!).

Thermometers, Thermostats, and Timers
Seems like a decent place to get the Viv Electronics- $50 savings compared to one of the links I was given.

Those are the only two brands I have been told about. No direct experience... I though I could manually control temps with my rheostats... at least one does not conduct current anymore so I would recommend thermostats over rheostats or dimmers-peace of mind.

 

[HeKai]

nice, my labels for my bookmarks came through instead of the web addresses... Ooops


Oh, and a typo. The clamp lamp, i.e. the $12 version of ExoTerra's $40 dome, was rated at 300 watts. You would NEVER use a ceramic heater in an enclosed dome like that at 250 watts anyway but in theory, you could put in a 200 watt bulb (they make those???). I guess if you had a gigantic enclosure for something really large....

 

[HeKai]

I am too chatty, I know... but rather than sleep I checked out the specs on the viv electronics. All I can say is WOW, you get what you pay for!

Vivarium Electronics

The most expensive model allows for daytime and nighttime temperatures programmed into the machine, also you can set a temp for when the unit turns the heater back on. So you can tell it you want a max temp of 90 F and to turn back on when it reaches 86. I could SO use that right now! Also, that particular model allows for two zones in your enclosure-hot and cool sides... it will maintain both! At $200 a unit I think this is beyond what I can afford. Nice to know the technology is out there!

I will call the company because the model 200D is for incandescent lights. So I want to know if CHE can be used at all with any of these. But combined with having to replace all my UTH, I am going to have to make some careful decisions-I can't do that AND get thermostats. I do need to eat too.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I haven't looked all that closely because I was hoping I could rig something for a lot cheaper. After buying an ExoTerra dome lamp fixture for $40 I found a clamp light at the hardware store (rated for up to 200 watts) for $12... it doesn't glow in the dark (fine, I like sleeping in a dark room) and it has no on/off switch but the socket is ceramic so I don't think it is a major fire hazard or poorly made. For construction workers and warehouses... anyway, I digress. I am simply saying some things can be got a whole lot cheaper. I have heard good things about the hydrofarm but otherwise, thermostats of the $30 range seem to get mixed reviews. Seems I would do better for this piece of equipment to get good quality as I can afford it-especially for more sensitive species (I was hoping to get a Brazilian rainbow boa soon... but.... need to take care of my leo and other snakes first!).

As far as I know both the Hydrofarm (testing one right now) and the Big Apple one ($44) have the same variability (+ or - 3 degrees F). The advantage of the Hydrofarm is its digital readout and small metal probe.

There are 5 links to thermostats on the main page of the Leo Caresheet...lined up one by one for convenience and visual ease.

I am too chatty, I know... but rather than sleep I checked out the specs on the viv electronics. All I can say is WOW, you get what you pay for!

Vivarium Electronics

The most expensive model allows for daytime and nighttime temperatures programmed into the machine, also you can set a temp for when the unit turns the heater back on. So you can tell it you want a max temp of 90 F and to turn back on when it reaches 86. I could SO use that right now! Also, that particular model allows for two zones in your enclosure-hot and cool sides... it will maintain both! At $200 a unit I think this is beyond what I can afford. Nice to know the technology is out there!

I will call the company because the model 200D is for incandescent lights. So I want to know if CHE can be used at all with any of these. But combined with having to replace all my UTH, I am going to have to make some careful decisions-I can't do that AND get thermostats. I do need to eat too.

I have ceramic heat emitters from 30 watts through 100 watts. Most my Fluker's domes, large and small, and my cheaper aluminum chicken brooder dome are rated to 250 watts. Not sure why that would not work for you?

Use the large domes (10 inch diameter) over large enclosures. They do a better job redirecting the heat back down into the enclosure. The small domes are just too small.

Proportional thermostats do more, but they are much more expensive.

Consider FlexWatt heat tape to heat your enclosures (post #44 after the Leo Caresheet).

 

[HeKai]

As far as I know both the Hydrofarm (testing one right now) and the Big Apple one ($44) have the same variability (+ or - 3 degrees F). The advantage of the Hydrofarm is its digital readout and small metal probe.
There are 5 links to thermostats on the main page of the Leo Caresheet...lined up one by one for convenience and visual ease.

Thanks. I have started to check out the thermostats. Just for ease I asked about the one or two I can buy here. I think I might go for the Hydrofarm. Going to call some businesses tomorrow to see if they carry them. If I can find someone in western Canada shipping will be much cheaper.


I have ceramic heat emitters from 30 watts through 100 watts. Most my Fluker's domes, large and small, and my cheaper aluminum chicken brooder dome are rated to 250 watts. Not sure why that would not work for you?

I am confused by the dome question. I have two. An exoterra one and one from the hardware store. They both work well. I just don't know if they work with the thermostats I posted about. I currently have a 100 or 150 watt one over Akinna's cage and it is holding a pretty consistent temperature.


Consider FlexWatt heat tape to heat your enclosures (post #44 after the Leo Caresheet).

Might do, though, again depends on availability and shipping. A lot of stuff available on Amazon cannot be shipped here, though I do have a couple of people with US addresses so might be able to get some favours

 

[HeKai]

Opps, I still don't do this properly. You'll have to read inside the quote :S

 

[GeckoManiac91]

Might do, though, again depends on availability and shipping. A lot of stuff available on Amazon cannot be shipped here, though I do have a couple of people with US addresses so might be able to get some favours

It really sucks that amazon doesn't ship to Canada, I was very depressed when I found that out

 

[HeKai]

That is what US contacts are for... I have my brother's girlfriend picking me up two Hydroframs from a hydroponics place in Phoenix Az tomorrow....

 

[Mardy]

If you need something with stable temperature controls, with humidity control and day/night temperature drops, I would recommend Spyder Robotics Herpstat for that. There's a big price difference between proportional and non-proportional thermostats, I wrote a blog & posted a video on the differences.

Pretty much Hydrofarm and other $30-$50 range thermostats are non-proportional, meaning they'll have a 3-5 degree temperature fluctuation due to the way it turns off your UTH and turning them back on to control the temperature. They have very basic functions of simply turning your UTH on/off based on the temperature probe reading.

For breeders and extreme hobbyists alike, you'll want to look into proportional thermostats. These thermostats don't turn UTH on/off, they keep them on with a steady current. They simply adjust the voltage of the current when they need to up/lower the temperature. This way the temperature is a lot more steady, I would say the normal fluctuation to be between 1-2 degrees at the most. This is pretty much a must for breeders and anybody with temperature sensitive animals. I know snake owners like to have a nighttime temperature drop, which is something Herpstat can manage.

And yes Spyder Robotics do ship to Canada so definitely check them out if you want to go that route

 

[HeKai]

Thanks.... yeah, I figured for now I could use the non-proportional thermostats and I can later use them for my less sensitive species. I have a king snake, for example, who requires less specialized care compared to many other. I read Viv Electronic manuals last night and got a really good sense of the extra bells and whistles you can get. In many ways, they are worth it. Know how to make extra cash? lol.

Once my gecko is off antibiotics I can have him at a much wider temperature range. I would guess he is my most sensitive species.