Using Heaters & Thermometers

With most exotic pets coming from the warmer parts of the world, it’s inevitable that most owners will need heaters of some kind or another to provide the extra warmth needed to keep their animals in good health.

Much depends on the size of tank that you need to heat – and the temperature you’re trying to maintain – but there are plenty of different sorts of heaters to choose from, so finding something suitable shouldn’t be a problem. In addition, there’s no shortage of other essential items such as thermostats, thermometers and control units to help you get the most out of them.

Heating Water

A number of different kinds of exotic pets live in water or need a sizeable “pond” area in which to swim. The best way to go about heating water is to use the sort of standard combined aquarium heater/thermostat that is familiar to tropical fish-keepers the world over. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions about installation and you’ll be up and running in no time – and adjusting the settings could hardly be simpler.

For active – if somewhat heavy-footed – animals such as terrapins, it may be necessary to find a way to protect these heaters from the worst of their activities, as they seem remarkably adept at dislodging aquarium heaters from their mountings. Also for these creatures and other pets which like the opportunity to bask out of the water, an additional heat lamp on the “land” area will be appreciated.

Heating Dry Tanks

When it comes to warming up the terrarium, there are lots of options to consider. Heat pads sit underneath the tank itself and warm it from the ground up, while hot rocks mimic stones naturally heated by the sun –often proving popular with reptiles – and there’s also a good range of heater lamps and ceramic heaters available to heat the air directly. Each kind has its advantages and disadvantages, so it’s probably a good idea to ask for a little advice to find out the best one for your needs.

For large tanks, a combination of types can often work the best, providing a good variety of background warmth with one or two hot spots and allowing the animals to behave in a more natural way. This sort of arrangement can also help avoid some of the troubles that can arise if you only use one kind of heater. Some tortoises, for instance, do not fare well with heat pad heaters alone as they can often become chilled by breathing in over-cool air; adding spot or ceramic heaters avoids the problem.

Make sure that you fit good covers to your heaters if you’re keeping any kind of animal that is likely to be able to reach them. Snakes – and some types of lizards too – are particularly good at getting right up against heaters, given half a chance, and can suffer some very nasty burns as a result, so make sure there’s no way they can. It’s also important to invest in the best possible thermostat and control units for your heaters – they are the only thing making sure your pet doesn’t get far too hot, or much too cold.

Thermometers And Thermal Gradients

The idea of a thermal gradient is a very simple one – if you provide a range of temperatures within the tank, cold-blooded animals are free to move around to adjust their own body temperatures, much as they do in nature. Placing a heater towards one end of the tank to create a basking area will obviously generate a “hot spot” where the temperature will be very much higher than anywhere else. The further your pet moves from the heat source, the cooler its surroundings and so by moving around the tank, it can successfully thermo-regulate – keeping itself at optimum temperature.

Clearly, to monitor the “general” conditions in the tank your thermometer and any thermostat sensors need to be placed away from any hot spots, or their usefulness is likely to be severely impaired!

For any exotic creature in captivity, replicating the sort of environment that it naturally lives in is a key factor in its survival and for most of the varieties of commonly kept pets, providing adequate warmth is a big part of achieving this. Get the heating right, and you’re nine tenths of the way there.