Reptile Heat Lamps, Heat Mats and Thermostats: What to Use Where

Put every reptile heat source on a thermostat, as the RSPCA directs. Basking bulbs and halogens give light and heat by day; deep heat projectors and ceramic emitters heat without light, day or night; mats warm from below. Makers pair dimming thermostats with bulbs and projectors, and the RSPCA uses on/off thermostats for mats.

Heat sources compared

Arcadia publishes how hot its Deep Heat Projector makes the basking zone:

The Fahrenheit figures are our conversions. The table shows why a thermostat matters: a few inches change the basking temperature by 10°C or more.

Basking bulbs, deep heat projectors, ceramic emitters and guards

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Which thermostat for which heater?

Arcadia explains the dimming choice: switching a bulb fully on and off would be visible to the animal and can shorten lamp life. Zoo Med adds that its ReptiTemp thermostat must not control mercury vapor lamps, compact fluorescent lamps or rock heaters.

Placement matters as much as the type. The RSPCA puts a heat mat’s probe directly over the mat, and for a heat lamp puts a dimming thermostat’s probe above the substrate in the basking zone.

Dimming and proportional thermostats and heat mats

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Do you need a thermostat on a heat mat?

The sources disagree. The RSPCA says a thermostat must be used with all heat sources and connects mats to an on/off unit. VCA says thermostats keep a heating pad from getting too hot and burning the lizard. Zoo Med’s under-tank heater sheet recommends one only if room temperatures can rise above 80°F. We follow the RSPCA: a thermostat on every heater.

Where the heat goes, day and night

VCA says heat sources for a bearded dragon should always sit outside the enclosure, above one end, so the other end stays cooler and the lizard can move between them. The same warm-end, cool-end layout runs through every species guide on this site.

Night is where the heater choice changes. A basking bulb gives light, so it goes off with the day lights. For nights that get too cold, the RSPCA uses a ceramic heater, which gives no light, set on a thermostat: for leopard geckos only if the room drops below 18°C (64°F). Arcadia says its Deep Heat Projector, which gives virtually no visible light, can run through the day and night. VCA lets bearded dragon nights fall to 65 to 80°F, so check the night temperature with a thermometer before adding a night heater.

Burns and hot rocks

VCA’s snake problems page says burns happen when a reptile, seeking a warm place, finds one that is too hot or stays there too long. VCA calls hot rocks “dangerous, ineffective” and notorious for burning reptiles. Zoo Med’s own rock heater instructions warn that covering the heater can make temperatures escalate to an unsafe level. Spyder Robotics does not recommend its Herpstat for rock heaters or other devices the animal touches directly. We do not list heat rocks.

Check the numbers every day

The RSPCA says thermostats are not always accurate, so check every day with a digital thermometer in the basking zone and another at the cool end; an infrared thermometer can also be used. VCA suggests a thermometer at each end or an electronic temperature gun aimed at either end.

For target temperatures by species, see the bearded dragon, leopard gecko and ball python guides, and pair heat with the right lamp from the UVB lighting guide. For backup power in a winter outage, our sister site Winter Storm Gear covers portable generators. The reptile supplies checklist lists everything else.