Reptile Measurement & Environmental Control

There are three categories that fit within environmental control. There are vivarium thermostats, hygrometers, and other controllers. Vivarium thermostats are essential to your reptile cage. They will help you control the inside temperature of the cage, without overheating your pet.

Thermometers and hygrometers are not thermostats, though you might have heard them referred to as such. This is why many people get confused since the words are so similar. The thermometer does not control the temperature. Instead it gives you a display of what the temperature is inside your cage.

Hygrometers are almost like thermometers in giving you an accurate reading, but they go one step further by offering humidity readings too. Other controllers include day night switches, timers, and other elements you might need to give your pet reptile a more regulated environment.

Under reptile thermostats you have more than 20 different products. They all help you regulate the temperature inside the cage, but some are less expensive than others. Typically you want to obtain a thermostat that will regulate the temperature for up to 100 watts, especially in a heatmat environment. As you can tell there are different types of environments for your reptile, thus the need for different types of thermostats.

When you purchase a thermostat you need to decide where to put it. There is a sensor probe on the equipment which will determine when the temperature needs to increase or decrease. Normal installation may require the probe on the wall to ensure proper temperature regulation. The floor of the vivarium does not work since the probe would never reach 50 degrees Celsius. You can have spotlights or ceramic heaters in your cage. When using spotlights you want a normal thermostat that turns the bulb on or off depending on the temperature inside the cage.

For ceramic heaters it is a little different. The heater sends out pulses of electricity to heat the cage. You need a thermostat that is suitable for non light emitting heaters. You would not want the thermostat hooked up to a light bulb as this would create a strobe like effect and be useless.

By using a thermostat you are able to keep the temperatures inside your cage more accurate and ensure a healthy place for your pet reptile. The thermostat is going to determine whether the vivarium needs heat or not. It can be easy to overheat the cage during the summer months if you don’t have a regulatory property. Summer months tend to be hotter, and you could reach a level of heat in the vivarium which is fatal to your reptile. While they can be confusing to use at first, most products come with instructions and you can also have a read of all our guides that we have published here at www.reptilepetsupplies.co.uk as this will give you first hand information from people that have used these products. You also have choices like the day and night dimming thermostats to regulate temperatures for both situations.