New Under Tank Heater, AKA "USE A THERMOMETER AND RHEOSTAT"

[Matt Bridges]

I was putting together a new 20L enclosure for one of my leopard geckos, which included a new (Zoo Med Medium) UTH. After getting everything plugged in and set up, I took the temperature on the hot side using an IR thermometer... 124F!

Use a probe/IR thermometer and a rheostat! Don't trust the packaging that says it only goes to 100!

[RhacIns0mniac23]

Use a probe/IR thermometer and a rheostat! Don't trust the packaging that says it only goes to 100!

QFT. I used this on my ball pythons Vision 332 cage once and it burned him through the cage That was a few years ago and he has since healed but I'll never use those UTH again

[Duster]

Yeah, using a UTH without a thermostat of some sort isn't the smartest thing to do. Depending on how many tanks you need plays a big role in what you want to use.

[cassicat4]

If you search the forums here, you'll find several threads with complaints about ZooMed heat pads. For some reason, compared to their Exo Terra competitor, their pads seem prone to malfunctions and when they do, they tend to overheat (rather than just stop putting out heat).

I don't remember if the Exo Terra states its maximum temperature, but I have checked those ones unregulated and they can reach 110F quite easily.

Always stated, always use a thermostat ideally, or a rheostat with your heat pads.