To keep your pet iguana healthy you always need a heating source. These cold blooded reptiles cannot exist or stay healthy unless you provide them with natural or artificial source of heat. Basking is an important ritual for them and they must spend a few hours in their basking area inside the terrarium.
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How to get heating sources for Iguana?
There are various methods thorough which the iguana owners arrange heating for them. It can be a regular household bulb or new mercury vapor lamp but all these produce light along with heat. So when you think of using them at night, it may not give the iguana the right kind of environment.
To offer them heat without light can made possible only when you give them heat pad in their cage. This is a good nighttime heat source which will make the iguana comfortable in the darkness of enclosure. Though you have to arrange of separate UVA and UVB light source, still heating pad is much better idea than heat rock.
Heat rocks can cause severe burn in the body of iguana as like most of the reptiles’ iguanas are not much sensitive around their belly area. They will not feel warm but the heat rock will burn their belly surrounding skin.
The Best Heat Pad for Iguana Review
Now we will discuss about best 5 heating pads that are best in quality:
1. iPower Reptile Heat Pad
This heat pad is available in different sizes which offer the pet owners the facility to choose the right sized one for his or her pet iguana. You can use it in any sized tank thanks to the various sized pads. This heating pad comes with standard plug and there is no adapter with it. This is a cost effective apparatus for your iguana as it will be providing benefit on the long run.
The design of this heating pad makes it the right choice for the iguana enclosure. There is new heating film and also the insulation is much increased. So there will be much heat transfer through the mat. This one works efficiently and reaches the required temperature pretty fast.
This is water proof heat pad and thus will not cause any accident if water drops spill on it. You can safely scrub within the enclosure, only you cannot wash it or put this pad directly into the water. This pad is much easy to clean and also saves energy.
It is stuck by the help of adhesive paper which is a hassle free way to fix it within the enclosure. It will be stay put where you will place it.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- No adapter needed
- Water and moisture proof
- Smart design
- Energy saving
Cons:
- No temperature control available
2. FOCUSEPT Under Tank Heater
You put this heat pad inside the terrarium of the reptile and find the iguana to be active and happy. The heat released from this pad will help the reptile to increase the metabolism as well as digest the food. The heat within the terrarium will be uniform and the iguana will be sleeping peacefully while the heat pad will be on.
The heat pad provided by FOCUSEPT is pretty well designed, and it is safely manufactured for the pets. The adhesive pad attached in this heat pad is most easy to manage and it holds the pad strongly with the terrarium. No chance of melting of the pad, neither will it be separated from the floor or the wall.
The wires used for heating are high quality, so you will be getting steady performance from this heat pad. The insulation layer of this gadget makes the heat transfer easy. You can achieve the desired temperature within minutes through the uniform temperature distribution. The highest temperature provided by this pad is 113 degree Fahrenheit.
This pad can be fixed to the tank with a double sided tape and it should be connected with the power supply source. The adhesive works great and sticks to the right place for months.
Pros:
- Works well
- Safe wiring
- Good adhesive
- Pocket friendly
Cons:
- Not adequate for big tanks
3. Zacro Reptile Heat Pad with Thermostat
This heat pad comes with thermostat and it also combines temperature adjustment facility. This is an easy to be handled heat pad which is made from good quality PVC material. This pad consumes low energy so this is also power-saving. However, you need to give it some time before you try to change the temperature.
It makes the life of the iguana better and will make it active and healthy. The manual functioning of temperature adjustment is great. The pad functions to increate the appetite and metabolism of the iguana. It also lets the reptile sleep peacefully by maintaining the comfortable temperature within the terrarium all the time.
The heating equipment is of high efficiency so you will get this pad working for years to come. You need to connect the power resource with this pad before sticking the adhesive so the pad seats smoothly on the tank.
Pros:
- Thermostat available
- Manual change of temperature
- Long lasting
Cons
- Some users complain about getting defective pieces
4. Vivosun Reptile Heating Pad
This heat pad comes in two different sizes which is beneficial for the reptile owners with different sized tank. You can use this pad on glass terrarium safely. This pad heats up around 104 degree Fahrenheit.
Solid state nichrome heating element is used in this pad which needs less amount of electricity. Thus this is a power saving machine. You can mount it at the bottom or on the side wall, with the help of the 3M adhesive paper.
This heat pad comes with 3 years of warranty, which proves that it will be a long lasting pad and you will get back the value of your money. This is a well manufactured pad, which is great for providing heat to your reptile pet.
Pros:
- Solid heating material
- Power saving
- Strong adhesive
- Pocket friendly
Cons:
- Smells when switched on
5. Zilla Reptile Heating Pad
This brand is well known and it offers regular thermal distribution inside the cage of iguana. It helps the reptile to stay fit and active by producing ample heat that is necessary for the metabolism of the iguana.
This pad can be mounted on the walls of the terrarium through adhesive paper. This is a safe way to attach this product and this also ensures that the heat transmission is even inside the cage. The highest amount of heat it offers is 113 degree Fahrenheit.
This pad works continuously and it does not spike up the heat at any moment. Please check the size of the terrarium before buying it as it will not be able to heat up a large size terrarium effectively. It works with carbon fiber heating technology and heat is transmitted in form of infrared waves.
Pros:
- Effective in temperature gradient
- Uniform heating process
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Not good for large tanks
Required ambient in iguana enclosure
The habitat of iguana should be 77 to 80 degree Fahrenheit, while the basking area should be around 95 degree. In any time the temperature should never be below than 70 degree. You should put the heat source in day and night to save the iguana in good health. There should be two thermometers within the enclosure which will show you the temperature of basking area and rest part of the terrarium.
The outside temperature can be high and low depending upon the various seasons and day and night time. You need to fix the heat depending up on the surroundings. Buying a good heating pad as well as several thermometers will help you to stabilize good temperature within the enclosure.
Which factors should be maintained in the iguana enclosure?
Thermal gradient
The thermal range within the enclosure should not be same throughout the enclosure. So the thermal pad should place at the basking area. It will heat up the surrounding area and keep the temperature of the enclosure right.
Also make sure that the place where you keep the pad must be under the overhead lighting to make it more effective. But remember there is no need to keep the entire cage in a high temperature, as place with moderate temperature is also there.
Adjustment of heating apparatus:
Do not let the heating pad be on for all the time. You should check the thermometers once in a while to know if this is the right temperature within the enclosure. Sometimes you should lessen the temperature and moderate it as constant flow of heat will overheat the enclosure which may result in agitation in the iguana.
Conclusion
While keeping reptiles at enclosure, some measure are to be taken, and heat pad is one of the prior element to be added there. Heat pads are great for the enclosures of iguana, but using thermostat along with the heat pad and thermometer is necessary. The thermostat will stabilize the heat within the terrarium which is much required for the cold blooded reptile pets.
