[Q] Purchasing the right Thermostat.

[ErikBush97]

If you don't want to read my whole life story for two questions, skip to the bold/underlined area.
Hello, everyone. It's a pretty small community, so I am sure I don't have to tell you that I haven't bought a thermostat yet. I finally have the cash and I am ready to buy a thermostat. I was wondering if they made one that you could hook multiple UTH's/Lamps into so you don't have to pay twice as much to heat two terrariums/tubs/etc. I asked a friend and she said that they DO make ones like that. After looking on eBay for like.. 10 seconds I found one for $19.99. The only thing I noticed.. Why is there multiple plug-ins but there's only one probe? How does it make sure each tank/tub is at the right heat? Also... The two animals I am buying one for are my corn snake and my ball python. Those animals have different needs.. different by 5-10 degrees. (I personally keep my BP at 95 on the hot side, and 75 on the cool side, and my corn at 85 on the hot side and 73 on the cool side). so would 90 degrees be a suitable in between point for the animals? and before you say "no! 90 is too hot for a colubrid", I have a question... If the snake was getting hot, wouldn't it just move back to the cool side?... Anyways, I am getting off track. The real question(s) here are;
1. Why is there multiple plug-ins but there's only one probe on some thermostats?
2. What is/is there a suitable in between temp (maybe 90??) for a corn snake and a BP so I am not spending more money than I have available/not spending more money than I need to?

and that's about it...

[Mikoh4792]

If you don't want to read my whole life story for two questions, skip to the bold/underlined area.
Hello, everyone. It's a pretty small community, so I am sure I don't have to tell you that I haven't bought a thermostat yet. I finally have the cash and I am ready to buy a thermostat. I was wondering if they made one that you could hook multiple UTH's/Lamps into so you don't have to pay twice as much to heat two terrariums/tubs/etc. I asked a friend and she said that they DO make ones like that. After looking on eBay for like.. 10 seconds I found one for $19.99. The only thing I noticed.. Why is there multiple plug-ins but there's only one probe? How does it make sure each tank/tub is at the right heat? Also... The two animals I am buying one for are my corn snake and my ball python. Those animals have different needs.. different by 5-10 degrees. (I personally keep my BP at 95 on the hot side, and 75 on the cool side, and my corn at 85 on the hot side and 73 on the cool side). so would 90 degrees be a suitable in between point for the animals? and before you say "no! 90 is too hot for a colubrid", I have a question... If the snake was getting hot, wouldn't it just move back to the cool side?... Anyways, I am getting off track. The real question(s) here are;
1. Why is there multiple plug-ins but there's only one probe on some thermostats?
2. What is/is there a suitable in between temp (maybe 90??) for a corn snake and a BP so I am not spending more money than I have available/not spending more money than I need to?

and that's about it...

1. I do not know why, but after having a similar discussion on this forum, I've agreed with other posters that each heat source should have it's own probe. With my helix thermostat it only has one probe but 3 plugs. I use it only for one heat source which is the heat tape for my racking system.

I think it was meant to be used to heat multiple heat sources that are all the same. For example three 8 watt under tank heaters or three 40 watt light bulbs. However, if the one heating the probe fails, the other two heat sources run at full power which could end up killing the other two animals.

2. I've already said why I wouldn't do it but if I did do that, I would place an extra hide for the animal which needs lower temperatures. For example for the corn I would place an extra hide where it can get to the high 80's instead of having just one warm hide at 90.

But since I wouldn't use that method^ I'd suggest you just buy a thermostat with 2 probes so you can individually control each enclosure.

[ErikBush97]

1. I do not know why, but after having a similar discussion on this forum, I've agreed with other posters that each heat source should have it's own probe. With my helix thermostat it only has one probe but 3 plugs. I use it only for one heat source which is the heat tape for my racking system.

I think it was meant to be used to heat multiple heat sources that are all the same. For example three 8 watt under tank heaters or three 40 watt light bulbs. However, if the one heating the probe fails, the other two heat sources run at full power which could end up killing the other two animals.

2. I've already said why I wouldn't do it but if I did do that, I would place an extra hide for the animal which needs lower temperatures. For example for the corn I would place an extra hide where it can get to the high 80's instead of having just one warm hide at 90.

But since I wouldn't use that method^ I'd suggest you just buy a thermostat with 2 probes so you can individually control each enclosure.
Thanks, man. Do you happen to know a model with 2 probes I could search, or a link?

[Mikoh4792]

Thanks, man. Do you happen to know a model with 2 probes I could search, or a link?

You've told us about your financial situation, so with that in mind I'll say this. You can get two individual thermostats with one probe each for two enclosures(If you buy the less expensive ones) for less money than if you bought one good quality proportional thermostat such as herpstat 2 or vivarium electronics. The less expensive ones will be on/off but will get the job done. These are some choices so you can decide which will be best.

A lot of these are from amazon just show you, you can still find them elsewhere(most have there own website)



on/off thermostats with one probe.

Amazon.com : Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats : Plant Germination Heating Mats : Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_1/186-7316989-4771816?ie=UTF8&qid=1373185807&sr=8-1&keywords=hydrofarm+thermostat)

Ranco Digital Electronic Thermostat - ETC-141000-000 - Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Ranco-Digital-Electronic-Thermostat-ETC-141000-000/dp/B005FYN9ZY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373185886&sr=8-2&keywords=ranco+thermostat)

Amazon.com: NEW DIGITAL CHIP - BAH-1000DC Reptile Thermostat With DC Chip Technology: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.com/NEW-DIGITAL-CHIP-BAH-1000DC-Thermostat/dp/B00AOA0UD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373185907&sr=8-1&keywords=big+apple+thermostat)

Amazon.com: Zilla 11939 Temperature Controller, 1000-Watt: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11939-Temperature-Controller-1000-Watt/dp/B002CZ0J3E/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1373185985&sr=1-2&keywords=thermostat)




Single thermostats with two probes

Spyder Robotics (http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html) , Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce (http://www.spyderrobotics.com/store/) look at herpstat 2

Thermostats (http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats) look at VE 300x2

[ErikBush97]

You've told us about your financial situation, so with that in mind I'll say this. You can get two individual thermostats with one probe each for two enclosures(If you buy the less expensive ones) for less money than if you bought one good quality proportional thermostat such as herpstat 2 or vivarium electronics. The less expensive ones will be on/off but will get the job done. These are some choices so you can decide which will be best.

A lot of these are from amazon just show you, you can still find them elsewhere(most have there own website)



on/off thermostats with one probe.

Amazon.com : Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats : Plant Germination Heating Mats : Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_1/186-7316989-4771816?ie=UTF8&qid=1373185807&sr=8-1&keywords=hydrofarm+thermostat)

Ranco Digital Electronic Thermostat - ETC-141000-000 - Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Ranco-Digital-Electronic-Thermostat-ETC-141000-000/dp/B005FYN9ZY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373185886&sr=8-2&keywords=ranco+thermostat)

Amazon.com: NEW DIGITAL CHIP - BAH-1000DC Reptile Thermostat With DC Chip Technology: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.com/NEW-DIGITAL-CHIP-BAH-1000DC-Thermostat/dp/B00AOA0UD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373185907&sr=8-1&keywords=big+apple+thermostat)

Amazon.com: Zilla 11939 Temperature Controller, 1000-Watt: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11939-Temperature-Controller-1000-Watt/dp/B002CZ0J3E/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1373185985&sr=1-2&keywords=thermostat)




Single thermostats with two probes

Spyder Robotics (http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html) , Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce (http://www.spyderrobotics.com/store/) look at herpstat 2

Thermostats (http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats) look at VE 300x2
Thanks, man!

[MDT]

I have 3 thermostats...Two VE-300's and one Herpstat 1.
Personally, I run similar species (with similar requirements) off of one stat. My carpet pythons (two of them) are controlled by one of the VE-300's. My retics (three of them) are controlled by the other. My diamond python (one- requiring a different heating /cooling parameters) is run independently off the Herpstat. They all control ceramic heat emitters. I do have individual digital thermometers in each enclosure as a "backup". My animals are managed daily and conditions in the enclosures are checked routinely.

[Abby]

So I have a 20 gallon long bearded dragon set up. (It's just for a baby.) I've got a basking lamp and a UVB strip. I have a digital thermometer, but I do not have anything to control the temps, like a thermostat. Should I get two thermostats, one to control the UVB and the other to control the basking lamp, or will one do for both?

[formica]

I'd recommend a pulse/dimming thermostat for your BP for more stable control, your corn is more tolerant and will do fine with a standard on/off thermo stat used mainly to ensure temps dont go to high

Also always worth having a spare on/off thermostat incase one breaks, then you can set a Max desired temp and ensure no damage is done by using heating without any control while you sort out a replacement

I'd also recomend at least 2 digital thermometer/hygrometers for each snake, one on the warm end and one on the cool end - you can get these for less than $5 on ebay. IR thermometer gun is recomended too - its important to measure temps because you may need to tweek your thermostat higher/lower to get the right gradient

[Amadeus]

So I have a 20 gallon long bearded dragon set up. (It's just for a baby.) I've got a basking lamp and a UVB strip. I have a digital thermometer, but I do not have anything to control the temps, like a thermostat. Should I get two thermostats, one to control the UVB and the other to control the basking lamp, or will one do for both?

Unless the uvb light produces heat then no leave it on with your day/night whatever cycle.

[Abby]

Thank you! :)

[Aaron_S]

So I have a 20 gallon long bearded dragon set up. (It's just for a baby.) I've got a basking lamp and a UVB strip. I have a digital thermometer, but I do not have anything to control the temps, like a thermostat. Should I get two thermostats, one to control the UVB and the other to control the basking lamp, or will one do for both?

The more expensive, higher-end models of thermostats have it built into one.

I know the herpstat 4 does, you could check the next version down to see if it does too.

I don't see why people cheap out on these things. You've spent countless hours researching, money setting them up properly and on them to purchase them, countless hours loving and adoring something (or so the people say) and yet decide to risk their life for a few bucks.

The OP wants to eventually breed and yet doesn't realize going cheap on this kind of stuff is stupid. Why breed anything at all if you're going to risk hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars of "inventory" on poop thermostats? Get it right the first time. It's not like thermostats have expiry dates.

[Amadeus]

OP breed? Impossible.

The whole idea of a thermostat is to not loose your collection on crappy electronics. What is one case where a 30$ thermostat seriously harmed a reptile. They are made to not have catastrophic failures. They have fuses and circuit breakers. An expensive model may control another variable or make it more accurate but I highly doubt a cheapy is a risk to your animals.

[Mikoh4792]

OP breed? Impossible.

The whole idea of a thermostat is to not loose your collection on crappy electronics. What is one case where a 30$ thermostat seriously harmed a reptile. They are made to not have catastrophic failures. They have fuses and circuit breakers. An expensive model may control another variable or make it more accurate but I highly doubt a cheapy is a risk to your animals.

Why is it impossible for OP to breed?

[Mikoh4792]

The more expensive, higher-end models of thermostats have it built into one.

I know the herpstat 4 does, you could check the next version down to see if it does too.

I don't see why people cheap out on these things. You've spent countless hours researching, money setting them up properly and on them to purchase them, countless hours loving and adoring something (or so the people say) and yet decide to risk their life for a few bucks.

The OP wants to eventually breed and yet doesn't realize going cheap on this kind of stuff is stupid. Why breed anything at all if you're going to risk hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars of "inventory" on poop thermostats? Get it right the first time. It's not like thermostats have expiry dates.

The herpstat has a light controller(slowly dimming or brightening to mimick sunset and sunlight) but I don't know if it can be used with fluorescents.

I'll actually test it out right now and post how it goes.

[Amadeus]

Why is it impossible for OP to breed?

Sorry. He sure could, but what will the outcome be?

[Mikoh4792]

Sorry. He sure could, but what will the outcome be?

little ball python babies. lol

[formica]

I'll actually test it out right now and post how it goes.

you cant dim a florescent tube, or CFL's

[Mikoh4792]

Alright so I just tested it out and it does work with fluorescent lights.

I set it to dim over 15 minutes and brighten over 15 minutes. It dims and brightens about 6 to 7% every minute. So you can imagine that when it shuts on or off it's still going to be a drastic change in lighting.

I'm going to test it out later by setting it to dim/brighten over 30 minutes, and then an hour and then an hour and 30 minutes....etc to see if it makes it any more gradual(by dimming/brightening over smaller increments than 6-7%)

All in all, it does work.

[slowhite03]

They do may dimmable cfls

[Aaron_S]

OP breed? Impossible.

The whole idea of a thermostat is to not loose your collection on crappy electronics. What is one case where a 30$ thermostat seriously harmed a reptile. They are made to not have catastrophic failures. They have fuses and circuit breakers. An expensive model may control another variable or make it more accurate but I highly doubt a cheapy is a risk to your animals.

Because nothing produced for cheap has ever malfunctioned in the history of products. Ever.

[Mikoh4792]

To me, what's more important than cheap vs expensive is whether or not snakes get stressed out by the constant fluctuations in temperature with on/off thermostats, which will usually be on the cheaper end. I'd rather spend the money for a proportional to get steady temperatures and the other benefits such as better quality. I think it's worth it to dish out a little more money on something that you will be using for years

[ErikBush97]

Because nothing produced for cheap has ever malfunctioned in the history of products. Ever.

And nothing expensive had malfunctioned i the history of products?

[ErikBush97]

To me, what's more important than cheap vs expensive is whether or not snakes get stressed out by the constant fluctuations in temperature with on/off thermostats, which will usually be on the cheaper end. I'd rather spend the money for a proportional to get steady temperatures and the other benefits such as better quality. I think it's worth it to dish out a little more money on something that you will be using for years

Didn't you recommend that I get a cheap one?? Lol sorry but I'm not confused...

[Mikoh4792]

Didn't you recommend that I get a cheap one?? Lol sorry but I'm not confused...

I didn't really recommend you get a cheap one, I was just saying you can get 2 cheap ones for less money than 1 expensive one with two probes. It's your choice. I only showed you those options because I know you are on a budget, but if you can dole out the extra money I would suggest getting a herpstat or VE. You will not regret it.

[ErikBush97]

I didn't really recommend you get a cheap one, I was just saying you can get 2 cheap ones for less money than 1 expensive one with two probes. It's your choice. I only showed you those options because I know you are on a budget, but if you can dole out the extra money I would suggest getting a herpstat or VE. You will not regret it.

Oh. That makes sense. I will get 2 cheap ones until I can get good ones.

[formica]

Oh. That makes sense. I will get 2 cheap ones until I can get good ones.

you need 3, one for backup. and your BP should be on a pulse/dimmer, not a cheap on/off - the corn will be fine on a cheaper one, as long as you offer a good temp gradient and monitor the temps

[Amadeus]

you need 3, one for backup. and your BP should be on a pulse/dimmer, not a cheap on/off - the corn will be fine on a cheaper one, as long as you offer a good temp gradient and monitor the temps

No. How is is any different?

[Aaron_S]

And nothing expensive had malfunctioned i the history of products?

I never said that either.

There's a saying..it's "You get what you pay for" and it holds true to a lot of things. Doesn't mean you won't have issues with higher end items but does mean you usually get less issues and better after care.

[MDT]

Reptilebasics.com has the VE-300 for $140. Pulse mode, night drop, alarm, looks good.
Aaron is correct, you get what you pay for. I'm all about less issues and better after care. Makes life much more simple.

[Mikoh4792]

Reptilebasics.com has the VE-300 for $140. Pulse mode, night drop, alarm, looks good.
Aaron is correct, you get what you pay for. I'm all about less issues and better after care. Makes life much more simple.

I'd recommend the 300x2 to the OP since he wants to control two units.

[MDT]

I'd recommend the 300x2 to the OP since he wants to control two units.
Yep...now it's $200 :)

[ErikBush97]

Good news! I may have a job at a fast food restaurant. So hopefully I'll get the job, and I can buy tge equipment I need :) the temps for my BP aren't bad but they move around quite a bit so I really want to get a thermostat on there ASAP. Also... someone said I need a thermostat that dimmers... why is that? I l will surely get one if that's important, but I was just curious as to why that's essential to a BP.

[ErikBush97]

little ball python babies. lol

Too bad this forum doesn't have a 'thanks' button. Lol
Idk if breeding is going to be as great as I thought.. my friend said he couldn't find a female ANYWHERE so I called 9 pet stores (exactly 9) and only one store had ONE female BP...

[Mikoh4792]

Too bad this forum doesn't have a 'thanks' button. Lol
Idk if breeding is going to be as great as I thought.. my friend said he couldn't find a female ANYWHERE so I called 9 pet stores (exactly 9) and only one store had ONE female BP...

You can just find a breeder online through kingsnake. I see tons of adult females all the time.

[Mikoh4792]

Good news! I may have a job at a fast food restaurant. So hopefully I'll get the job, and I can buy tge equipment I need :) the temps for my BP aren't bad but they move around quite a bit so I really want to get a thermostat on there ASAP. Also... someone said I need a thermostat that dimmers... why is that? I l will surely get one if that's important, but I was just curious as to why that's essential to a BP.

It's not essential to have a dimming thermostat, it's just a type of proportional thermostat. With proportional thermostats they usually work by dimming or pulsating power to the heat source.

Herpstat has both options to pulse or dim. With a heat lamp you'd want to choose the dimming setting because if you use pulse with heat lamps your light will go on and off like a strobe at a rave party....unless you use something that doesn't emit light such as a ceramic heat emitter.

So basically you can choose dimming proportional, pulse proportional, and on/off thermostats.

[KORBIN5895]

Too bad this forum doesn't have a 'thanks' button. Lol
Idk if breeding is going to be as great as I thought.. my friend said he couldn't find a female ANYWHERE so I called 9 pet stores (exactly 9) and only one store had ONE female BP...

I wouldn't buy any breeding stock from a pet store as they would be way over priced.

[ErikBush97]

I wouldn't buy any breeding stock from a pet store as they would be way over priced.

Me neither. It's like.. $50-$60 for the female that I found.

[Terranaut]

Cheapy here...well sorta. I am a want to know sorta person so I have tried a few thermostats. I have one Herpstat, 2 home depot electric baseboard thermostats and a bunch of Hydrafarms. I respectfully disagree that you get what you pay for with thermostats.
What worked best? Well the Herpstat of course. BUT how much better? Was it worth the extra $100 over the Hydrafarms or $130 over the Homedepot jobs....again just my opinion but no.
Why not??
Take a digital thermometer outside on a normal day and set it in the grass. Look at it every 15 min. It will go up and down with a few º spread. Mother nature is not using a pulse emitter to keep the temp constant. These changes will not hurt your snake. In fact it encourages your snake to move which is great for excersise as well as display.
The Hydrafarm has about a 5º spread but the Home depot baseboard thermostat only has a 3º spread. I originally had the herpstat on my royals cage but have since switched it to one of my boas. Now with the Hydrafarm my royal moves from hide to hide where he used to just sit under the plants at the back. Coinsidence? Maybe but I doubt it.
One area I will admit the Herpstat wins hands down is if the probe fails it is built to turn off where as the the other 2 are a crap shoot. I heat mainly with RHP's so even if mine fail in the wide open position I will notice next time I am in the snake room and the max temp of my panels will not kill a snake in one day. If I used Flexwatt I may view this as enough to warrant the extra cash.
So in summary for me personally IMHO I think you only need a cheapy in most cases. The argument that it is healthier for your snake is not valid but if using certain heat sources it is definately safer . To say one is better than the other is very subjective. I would rather see a new keeper using a cheapo over none at all or a rheostat.

[ErikBush97]

Cheapy here...well sorta. I am a want to know sorta person so I have tried a few thermostats. I have one Herpstat, 2 home depot electric baseboard thermostats and a bunch of Hydrafarms. I respectfully disagree that you get what you pay for with thermostats.
What worked best? Well the Herpstat of course. BUT how much better? Was it worth the extra $100 over the Hydrafarms or $130 over the Homedepot jobs....again just my opinion but no.
Why not??
Take a digital thermometer outside on a normal day and set it in the grass. Look at it every 15 min. It will go up and down with a few º spread. Mother nature is not using a pulse emitter to keep the temp constant. These changes will not hurt your snake. In fact it encourages your snake to move which is great for excersise as well as display.
The Hydrafarm has about a 5º spread but the Home depot baseboard thermostat only has a 3º spread. I originally had the herpstat on my royals cage but have since switched it to one of my boas. Now with the Hydrafarm my royal moves from hide to hide where he used to just sit under the plants at the back. Coinsidence? Maybe but I doubt it.
One area I will admit the Herpstat wins hands down is if the probe fails it is built to turn off where as the the other 2 are a crap shoot. I heat mainly with RHP's so even if mine fail in the wide open position I will notice next time I am in the snake room and the max temp of my panels will not kill a snake in one day. If I used Flexwatt I may view this as enough to warrant the extra cash.
So in summary for me personally IMHO I think you only need a cheapy in most cases. The argument that it is healthier for your snake is not valid but if using certain heat sources it is definately safer . To say one is better than the other is very subjective. I would rather see a new keeper using a cheapo over none at all or a rheostat.

Thanks, man. Those are some very good points. Especially when I am low on cash ;) lol but the reason I have been on the ball trying to get a thermostat lately is because my BP's 'hot' side temps are dropping each day... it is at like... 80 but it'll get up to 85º in the middle of the day. I think my UTH is almost done for because indoors & outside temps aren't dropping.

[KORBIN5895]

Me neither. It's like.. $50-$60 for the female that I found.

A female breeder for $60 is a good deal.....

[ErikBush97]

A female breeder for $60 is a good deal.....

She was 300 grams. Not a breeder (yet) lol bit still.. mine was $$30-40 and it's male.

[KORBIN5895]

My local pet store sells Unsexed baby royals for $7-$130 each.

[ErikBush97]

My local pet store sells Unsexed baby royals for $7-$130 each.

$130? O.o for normals?

[smy_749]

Cheapy here...well sorta. I am a want to know sorta person so I have tried a few thermostats. I have one Herpstat, 2 home depot electric baseboard thermostats and a bunch of Hydrafarms. I respectfully disagree that you get what you pay for with thermostats.
What worked best? Well the Herpstat of course. BUT how much better? Was it worth the extra $100 over the Hydrafarms or $130 over the Homedepot jobs....again just my opinion but no.
Why not??
Take a digital thermometer outside on a normal day and set it in the grass. Look at it every 15 min. It will go up and down with a few º spread. Mother nature is not using a pulse emitter to keep the temp constant. These changes will not hurt your snake. In fact it encourages your snake to move which is great for excersise as well as display.
The Hydrafarm has about a 5º spread but the Home depot baseboard thermostat only has a 3º spread. I originally had the herpstat on my royals cage but have since switched it to one of my boas. Now with the Hydrafarm my royal moves from hide to hide where he used to just sit under the plants at the back. Coinsidence? Maybe but I doubt it.
One area I will admit the Herpstat wins hands down is if the probe fails it is built to turn off where as the the other 2 are a crap shoot. I heat mainly with RHP's so even if mine fail in the wide open position I will notice next time I am in the snake room and the max temp of my panels will not kill a snake in one day. If I used Flexwatt I may view this as enough to warrant the extra cash.
So in summary for me personally IMHO I think you only need a cheapy in most cases. The argument that it is healthier for your snake is not valid but if using certain heat sources it is definately safer . To say one is better than the other is very subjective. I would rather see a new keeper using a cheapo over none at all or a rheostat.


Hi Terr, can you link me to what you bought from home depot? I've looked a number of times and couldn't find anything that would work...I'm not very savvy in the home improvement thing and I have a home depot 1 minute walking from my apartment. If I ever get a new animal unexpectedly and need a thermostat I'd like to be able to go buy one without waiting for shipping ! Thanks

[smy_749]

Cheapy here...well sorta. I am a want to know sorta person so I have tried a few thermostats. I have one Herpstat, 2 home depot electric baseboard thermostats and a bunch of Hydrafarms. I respectfully disagree that you get what you pay for with thermostats.
What worked best? Well the Herpstat of course. BUT how much better? Was it worth the extra $100 over the Hydrafarms or $130 over the Homedepot jobs....again just my opinion but no.
Why not??
Take a digital thermometer outside on a normal day and set it in the grass. Look at it every 15 min. It will go up and down with a few º spread. Mother nature is not using a pulse emitter to keep the temp constant. These changes will not hurt your snake. In fact it encourages your snake to move which is great for excersise as well as display.
The Hydrafarm has about a 5º spread but the Home depot baseboard thermostat only has a 3º spread. I originally had the herpstat on my royals cage but have since switched it to one of my boas. Now with the Hydrafarm my royal moves from hide to hide where he used to just sit under the plants at the back. Coinsidence? Maybe but I doubt it.
One area I will admit the Herpstat wins hands down is if the probe fails it is built to turn off where as the the other 2 are a crap shoot. I heat mainly with RHP's so even if mine fail in the wide open position I will notice next time I am in the snake room and the max temp of my panels will not kill a snake in one day. If I used Flexwatt I may view this as enough to warrant the extra cash.
So in summary for me personally IMHO I think you only need a cheapy in most cases. The argument that it is healthier for your snake is not valid but if using certain heat sources it is definately safer . To say one is better than the other is very subjective. I would rather see a new keeper using a cheapo over none at all or a rheostat.


Herpstat has a benefit you forgot to mention, if your using one to control incubation temps. Also the hygro is on/off which gets really old if your using it for a light fixture like I was, and I think the constant on/off burns the bulb quicker. Other than those 2 things which are really minor, I have to agree that they both do the job well.

[ErikBush97]

I am still just curious about those $130 royals lol... there's a place that sells some really nice morphs for like.. $150 here. I think they are pastels or fires or something. I forgot.

[KORBIN5895]

Seriously. $130 for a normal.

[ErikBush97]

Seriously. $130 for a normal.

That's crazy.

[Amadeus]

At a local pet store unhealthy, skinny, not eating normals are 140 so it's not that uncommon.

[bcr229]

Paying $140 for a normal hatchling is insane. I've got 1.1 adult normals complete with enclosures for $0 since the former owners were moving and couldn't take them along. The guy who gave up the female bought it as a male from... drum roll please... a big box pet shop!

[ErikBush97]

I am very glad I checked our local Ace Hardware before buying rheostats/thermostats off of Amazon... on Amazon they are $30 + shipping. So about $35 - $40 all together.. actually.. it'd be somewhere around $80 since I would need two. At Ace, they have tons.. digital, L.E.D, Manual.. the manual ones are the cheapest and those are $19.99 :D so $40 all together. Like I said... I've really been shopping smart lately. ;D I started out recklessly spending and kind of F'd myself. Shouldn't have bought a terrarium. But at least it didn't go to waste :)

[KORBIN5895]

I am very glad I checked our local Ace Hardware before buying rheostats/thermostats off of Amazon... on Amazon they are $30 + shipping. So about $35 - $40 all together.. actually.. it'd be somewhere around $80 since I would need two. At Ace, they have tons.. digital, L.E.D, Manual.. the manual ones are the cheapest and those are $19.99 :D so $40 all together. Like I said... I've really been shopping smart lately. ;D I started out recklessly spending and kind of F'd myself. Shouldn't have bought a terrarium. But at least it didn't go to waste :)

Are you buying rheostats now?

[Lankyrob]

You need thermostats not rheostats.

[Mark Taylor]

You need thermostats not rheostats.

If you use a rheostat you can't control the air temp automaticly :)

[ErikBush97]

I am saying they have rheostats are thermostats... again. I'm not the best at wording things.

[KORBIN5895]

I am saying they have rheostats are thermostats... again. I'm not the best at wording things.

Cool. send me a pic of the thermostats as I have an Ace I go to often and would love to have them bring one in.

[ErikBush97]

Cool. send me a pic of the thermostats as I have an Ace I go to often and would love to have them bring one in.

Okay. I will upload a pic when I can. Btw the have lots of different ones. Manual, digital, etc.

[KORBIN5895]

Cool beans.

[marvelfreak]

Cool. send me a pic of the thermostats as I have an Ace I go to often and would love to have them bring one in.
Here check out the web site and their thermostats.
Thermostats - Programmable & Digital Thermostats at Ace Hardware (http://www.acehardware.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=1260927&sr=1&origkw=thermostat)

[KORBIN5895]

Thanks but how would those work in a tub?

[marvelfreak]

Thanks but how would those work in a tub?

I was wondering that myself.

[Amadeus]

I'm wondering how this thread is still going. It's really quite amazing how Erik can suck 5 pages of responses per thread with the most rudimentary bull. Can't we just answer a question then post some memes or something. Jesus I wish I had this kid's talent at keeping a meaningless thread going.

[ErikBush97]

I'm wondering how this thread is still going. It's really quite amazing how Erik can suck 5 pages of responses per thread with the most rudimentary bull. Can't we just answer a question then post some memes or something. Jesus I wish I had this kid's talent at keeping a meaningless thread going.

It's a gift...

[ErikBush97]

Went into Ace today... when I asked "do you guys have the thermostats that you can plug heat sources into to control the heat source?" the guy heard "do you have thermostats that you install into the wall to control the room temp?"... -_- They don't sell the thermostats I need. lol

[Amadeus]

Went into Ace today... when I asked "do you guys have the thermostats that you can plug heat sources into to control the heat source?" the guy heard "do you have thermostats that you install into the wall to control the room temp?"... -_- They don't sell the thermostats I need. lol

I could'a told you that. Pay up for a reptile thermostat.

[ErikBush97]

I could'a told you that. Pay up for a reptile thermostat.

I am going to lol as I said.. I have a few ready on amazon.

[formica]

Theres no reason why you cant use a wall thermostat (not the old style on off which are very inaccurate), better would be one designed for under floor heating, as they have probes, you would need a box to install it into and know how to wire it up safely - i've just made one for my monitor enclosures nest box, its very accurate, keeps the temp stable within 2C - but it needs to be wired carefully and sealed safely, definitely not for people who dont have a good understanding of mains electrical saftey

[KORBIN5895]

Theres no reason why you cant use a wall thermostat (not the old style on off which are very inaccurate), better would be one designed for under floor heating, as they have probes, you would need a box to install it into and know how to wire it up safely - i've just made one for my monitor enclosures nest box, its very accurate, keeps the temp stable within 2C - but it needs to be wired carefully and sealed safely, definitely not for people who dont have a good understanding of mains electrical saftey

A wall thermostat won't work in a plastic tub. It wouldn't mount right. Now an in floor heating thermostat wouldn't need to be in the tub but they are $50-$80 each which kinda defeats the purpose.