can i use a rheostat instead of a thermostat

or is it just a preference based thing?

From what I understand... a Rheo can just adjust the temp.. a T-stat can control it. Even if you have the Rheo on low, it's running all day and can get too hot. T-stat works like the one in your house.. shuts off when too hot, turns on when too cold.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

A rheostat CAN work if the room the cage is in already has steady ambient temps that stay the same 24/7. But if, as in most normal homes, your temps fluctuate throughout the day and night, then the temps in your cage will also fluctuate by the same number of degrees.


A thermostat will increase or decrease the amount of power being used in order to maintain a constant temp, no matter what the outside temps are doing.

I would only use a rheostat if the temps in your house stay relatively constant. Back when I was in HS and lived at home, my parent's house stayed right around 70 all year long, so all I had were rheostats. Once I moved out, my new place fluxates between 70's at night and up to 80 during the summer, so I've switched to thermostats. The rheostats in that situation just fluxuated the temps way too much.

So yes, if you have steady constant temps, rheostat is fine. If not, go thermostat.

my temps are stable, and with the rheostat I only get a 1-2 degree fluctuation. So I usually set my underpads controlled by the rheo to about ~90, and have a heat lamp adjacent to it that will give a slightly warmer (92-94) spot if he wants a bit more temp.

But, from using a rheo, i've found out a problem with the one I have, I'm not sure if all of them work like this. At first my temps were good, then some times, it would be as if the underpads weren't even on, temps dropping to 74 or so... I was confused, plugged my lamp into my rheo to see if the rheo was the problem, and sure enough it was.

So, with the rheo I have, you have to turn it all the way up, then back down to the area that provides the correct temps for you. If you do it the other way, from nearly off up to the dial position you are used to, the power wouldn't even come through, so the pads (and light when i tested) didn't even come on until turning it up much higher at which point it got really bright all of a sudden.

Until you get your temps right with a rheo, dont' keep your snake in there. And even at that, if you have an underpad heater underneath the snake's hide, and a temp sensor in the substrate underneath your bp's hide to measure it, when he is in the hide the temp will raise as compared with when he's not... So set your temps maybe 4 degrees to cool (86-87ish), then see what they raise to when your bp goes into his hide.