Exo Terra heat mat on PVC?

[Tiamat43]

I just set up a PVC tank for my BRB, and I was wondering if it was OK to put a Exo Terra mat on the bottom.

The reason I ask is because although the Radiant Heat Panel I have heats the air temp to what is needed, it has little affect on the ground and so she has no true belly heat hot spot to go to.

This would only be a temporary fix until work picks back up and I have the extra money to get some heat tape as only one place sells it where I live (A 30 minute drive) and nobody online that I have seen ships to Canada.

[Reinz]

It would be fine as long as you have a Thermostat or rheostat to control the heat output. If not, do not use it. It's just not worth the risk of a burn to your snake.

Besides, these snakes don't have to have belly heat. My 13 yr old BP
has never had it. My rescue RTB of only a few months has not, but I don't believe she had ANY heat from were I rescued her from. And those folks rescued her from someone's outside porch that did not even know she was there!

As long as you have all of your normal temps, you're fine.

[KMG]

As long as you are talking about outside the cage with a tstat you will be good.

My large pvc cages all have uth mats and one of the cages has my BRB. He hardly ever uses that spot but its there for him.

[bcr229]

I use RHP's in my melamine enclosures, and rather than installing under-tank heat to create a hot spot I put a ceramic/stone hide under the RHP. The RHP heats the hide, and I've seen some of my snakes basking on top of it, while others prefer to go under the hide.

Just be careful not to put in too tall a hide so there's plenty of space between the RHP and the snake if it does bask on top of the hide.

[Sauzo]

Like Reinz said, snakes don't need belly heat. In about 30 years of keeping snakes, I've used a UTH once and then ditched it after about a month. If you plan to use any type of thick substrate like aspen, Eco Earth, Cypress mulch or anything other than paper towels or newspaper, then you need to only use 1/2" thick at the most or your UTH is will more or less be useless. Sure the snake can burrow to the bottom of the cage but whatever. As long as your ambient temps are good, that's all they really need. I use nothing but RHPs in my PVC cages and CHEs in my glass tanks and my snakes are happy and fine. Of course I run them with a Herpstat 1 and Herpstat 2. That is the most important part, don't skimp on the thermostat. Spend the extra and get the best since that is the most important piece of equipment for your reptiles.

If you want to add belly heat to a RHP, do what I do and throw the warm hide off center of the RHP so half of it is under it. The RHP will heat the hide which in turn will heat the air plus give the snake a nice toasty place to go hide in for right after a meal.