For anyone housing their herps in a standard aquarium type tank an UTH is recommended BUT some are very bad!!

Through trial and error, and the many years of experience and great advice from my local family owned herp shop, ive learned there is really only 1 brand of UTH that can be safely used without a herpstat or other temp control device.

Natures Heat UTH (in my opinion & that of the couple who owns Three Rivers Reptiles) is the only UTH which is not known to overheat and burn your animals.

The ones made by Zoomed and some other companies should NEVER be used without a thermostat/temp control unit taped directly on the UTH. They get VERY hot.

I had one made by zoomed and before i was able to get the proper herpstat controller i had to put 2 layers of cardboard in the tank over where the UTH was at as well as the bedding i used. Just to diffuse the heat and prevent burning my snakes.

Then i talked to my friends at Three Rivers. They discontinued selling this brand due to many complaints and their own experience with them being very dangerous. Even getting hot enough to crack the glass on a tank that wasn't raised at least a half inch..

So please.. If you use an UTH i personally recommend Natures Heat. They can be used without a thermometer because they are lower wattage and designed to not overheat. If you use any other type of UTH, even flexwatt tape, always invest in a good quality thermostat sensor/controller. A double thermostat is even better since the second one kicks in if the first ever malfunctions or the temp raises higher than what you set it at.. But no matter what. Its always a good idea to double check the temp of your UTH on a regular basis. Over time, even the best will malfunction. If you are using one without a thermometer, everytime you clean the tank or change water, just move the bedding material aside and put your hand flat on the glass over the UTH for at least 10 seconds. If it feels too hot to you, then its too hot for your herps.

Just some friendly words of advice aimed at those who do not have the budget to invest in thermometers/herpstats etc...