Heat your enclosure from the bottom up

One of the most popular alternatives to heat bulbs and ceramic heaters, heat mats are a fantastic way to heat smaller glass terrariums and wooden vivariums. Our range of high-quality heat mats features products from many leading reptile manufacturers including HabiStat, Komodo and ProRep.

What are heat mats?

Heat mats are a type of heating hardware that acts a little bit like a radiator in your enclosure. They are simple to set up as you simply need to plug them in and you’ll be good to go. If you have a glass terrarium, they simply slip beneath your terrarium to heat it up. In wooden vivariums, you can put a protective glass slip around the mat and bury it within the substrate of the enclosure. Like all heating hardware, heat mats must be used in conjunction with a thermostat to ensure the safety of your pets.

Why should I buy heat mats?

A heat mat is a great alternative for reptile keepers that need constant heat but don’t want to use a bulb, as it can’t be used at night, or a ceramic heater, as it can be hard to tell where the heat is focused. Heat mats create a warm spot within the enclosure that warms the rest of the area with ease. Most heat mats are fairly cheap, costing about as much as a couple of heat bulbs.

What are the main types of heat mats?

In our heat mats range you will find heat mats and glass slips. Heat mats vary in size but all are used to heat a terrarium or vivarium by creating an area of high heat. Glass slips are protective guards that are placed around a heat mat when it is placed inside an enclosure to ensure it doesn’t burn your pet.

What should I look for?

When choosing a heat mat you must get a mat big enough to heat a large area of your enclosure, to ensure that it is as effective as possible. We generally recommend trying to find a mat that will fill two-thirds of your enclosure for complete heating. We also recommend steering clear of using a mat in an enclosure with a pet exhibiting burrowing behaviour.