Ultratherm heat pads

[Dan W]

I have been using T-Rex Cobra heat mats and I love them. Now unfortunately I hear T-Rex is going out of business and finding the mats is difficult. I have been looking and the Ultratherm pads look good and they are affordable. Has anyone used them? If so what do you think? It says that they do not need a thermostat. I don't use thermostats on the cobras and they do well. This will be for heating boas and pythons.

Thanks,
Dan

[CCfive]

I use one for my Hog Island Boa, but I would never use one without a thermostat. Regardless of what they say, it is unsafe to let any heating device run unregulated. I tried letting it run open (no snake of course) and it reched temps of 107.0F.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

They are great I use them in QT however like ANY heat source they MUST be controlled as they can overheat and lead to severe burn or worse fire hazard and this goes for any brand even the one you are using now.

Not using a thermostat is asking for troubles putting the life of your animal jeopardy.

[ShockBunny]

I use the Ultratherm pads with these:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...9497518&sr=8-1

They're cheap and seem to work well. I attach the probe between the heat mat and glass (I have aquariums, not tubs right now). Because of this, the temperature that is shown on the thermostat isn't necessarily what's inside the enclosure. So you would need a good thermometer to check temps in the enclosure and adjust the t-stat accordingly. I found a nice digital IR thermometer on amazon cheap too, just poke around and you'll probably be able to find a decent one on sale. This is the one I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Temperatur...9497687&sr=8-1


I really love the Ultratherms so far, they seem to be well made. I agree with everyone else though, definitely need a thermostat. They don't run as hot as the Zoomed mats I was using before, but they're definitely too warm on their own.

[Evenstar]

They are great I use them in QT however like ANY heat source they MUST be controlled as they can overheat and lead to severe burn or worse fire hazard and this goes for any brand even the one you are using now.

Not using a thermostat is asking for troubles putting the life of your animal jeopardy.

I totally agree! I use the ultratherms and I'll continue to do so. I LOVE them! They heat nice and even and seem to be more energy efficient. I like how they don't run as hot (one more safety feature) but I would never use any heat source without a t-stat. I tested my first ultratherm before using it and it ran up to 112! But it's easily regulated and, worst case, you could use a dimmer or rheostat until you found a good t-stat.

But as far as quality, you can't go wrong with an ultratherm. I get mine from Reptile Basics. They are great!