A Guide to Reptile Heating: What's Hot and What's Not
One of the most common questions I’m asked in the reptile health check consultation is “What heat source should I be using?” While it sounds like a simple question to answer, there are many options available on the market, each with their own pros and cons depending on the species and the enclosure design. In this article I will explain the most common heat sources available and the benefits and drawbacks of each. Hopefully this will help shed some light onto the confusing world of reptile heating.
Why do reptiles need heat?
Reptiles are ectothermic; this means that they need to use an external heat gradient (a hot end and cooled end) to adjust their internal body temperature. For each species there is a Preferred Optimal Temperature Zone (POTZ) - this will usually reflect the natural environmental conditions. Maintaining an appropriate POTZ is essential as it will give your pet a warm side to heat themselves and a cooler side to cool off. In the wild, animals can move themselves to a shadier position to cool down, which is why a gradient is important! Not all reptile species demonstrate the same wild behaviours, so it is key to choose a heat source that can provide an appropriate POTZ whilst replicating the normal heat sources they would experience in the wild.
Regardless of the heating source chosen, it is essential to connect it to a thermostat in order to maintain a consistent and safe basking temperature. Thermostats work either as an on/off system or as a dimming system. I recommend using a dimming system as this allows for smoother and better maintenance of the basking temperatures. No matter the style of thermostat, they all work on a variation of a simple system. The heat source plugs into the thermostat, the thermostat plugs into the mains power and then there is a probe that sits on the basking spot. The ideal temperature at the site of the probe is set on the thermostat and this then adjusts power to the heat source to manage the basking temperature. It is always important to second measure the basking spot with a thermometer, this will keep track just in case the thermostat fails.
Which heat sources are not appropriate and all round dangerous
Heat rocks
Heat rocks are widely available online and come in many different shapes and sizes. I can see their attraction, they are natural looking and fit in well with the landscaping of the enclosure. However, these are one of the most common causes of thermal burns in reptiles that present to our Unusual Pet Vets clinics. Ironically, for a group of animals which rely on external heat for life, reptiles as a group have poor thermal conduction through their skin. This means that the lizard or snake sets themselves up on the known heat source, the heater then switches on, however by the time your pet has figured out the heating is on it may have already sustained some significant thermal burns. This can be made worse if the internal thermostat in the heat rock is broken or malfunctioning.
Suitable heat sources
Heat lamps and Basking lamps
Lamps are one of the most commonly used heat sources. These are often best suited for your basking species (eg. Bearded dragons, monitors, fresh water turtles). There are a variety of lamps available including halogen basking lamps, ceramic heat lamps and carbon fibre heat projectors. The benefits of halogen lamps is they are readily available and provide both light and heat to help set a diurnal rhythm. The drawback is that depending on the temperature and daylight hours of your location, you may need heat and light to run on separate systems to maintain an appropriate POTZ as well as set a diurnal rhythm - ie you might require the heating on for more hours than you need the light on, or vice versa! Running a halogen light overnight would be like someone switching your bedroom light on and off all night causing stress, bad sleep and generally messing up your sense of day and night.
Ceramic lamps have the benefit of not producing any light and just producing heat, so these can be used to maintain ambient temperatures overnight if needed for your chosen species. I don’t generally recommend using these as a sole heat source as they rely on the production of infrared C (IR-C) heat which is good at increasing ambient temperature but not good at creating a focused basking spot which is needed for all reptiles.
A good combination of the two heat lamps is the more recently available carbon fibre heat projectors. These produce IR-A and IR-B which have been shown to better penetrate reptile tissues to help elevate core body temperature.
Regardless of the heat lamp, choosing a protective mesh or cage around the lamp is essential.
Heat mats and heat cords
Heat mats and heat cords are readily available in the reptile keeping industry. These have a few benefits in that they can be concealed better within the enclosure or on the outside of the enclosure creating a more naturalistic appearance. However, heat mats and heat cords generally don’t provide adequate ambient temperatures outside of the spot they are heating. This makes it difficult to maintain an adequate POTZ with the use of this source alone. It is also important to ensure that the heat mat and your pet are separated by either placing the mat on the outside of the cage, or having them protected within the cage, as they can also cause burns. They can be used to maintain a warm spot overnight in areas where the environmental temperature is too cool for the chosen species being kept.
There are a wide variety of heat sources available, and as technology advances, new heating options become available regularly. Hopefully this summary of the most commonly available heat sources can provide some insight for when choosing a good heat source for your pet. If you have any further heating questions or would like to discuss this area further, speak to the Pet Expert at your local Just For Pets independent pet store or book in at one of our Unusual Pet Vets clinics across Australia to discuss your needs further with one of our vets.
Dr Tom Vowell
BSc, BVSc(Hons), M.AppSci(Wildlife health), GpCertEXAP, PgCEXAP
RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine.
Veterinary Manager, The Unusual Pet Vets Chermside
