Which Type of Reptile Thermostat Should I Use?

When you’re looking into getting your first reptile, as you’re looking for a thermostat, you may be wondering - Which Type of Reptile Thermostat Should I Use?

Did you know there are different types, suitable for different situations? Or have you seen the different descriptions on the advertising and wondered which one to use? I'll explain in this article the three types of thermostat and the pros and cons of each.

What's in a Thermostat?

First of all, all thermostats have similar components on the outside:

• a main body or display where you adjust the desired temperature,
• a cord you connect your heat source to,
• a cord that goes to the power supply, and
• a cord with a probe on the end.

The thermostat probe should be placed directly where your snake will sit, so you can correctly control the basking area temperature. 

What are the main types of reptile thermostats?

1 . Switching Thermostat

The most common, simplest and cheapest type of thermostat is a switching thermostat. These thermostats basically turn on and off - abruptly stopping the power to the heat source when the thermostat reads it has reached the desired temperature, and then turning back on when it starts to cool down.

These are fine for things like heat cords and heat mats, but can blow quite a few light bulbs so I don’t recommend using these with a switching thermostat.

Imagine a kid sitting there flicking a light switch on and off! 

2. Pulse Proportional Thermostat

Pulse proportional thermostats still regulate the power supply to the heat source by allowing ‘pulses’ of power through, so you will often find you get a somewhat more stable temperature.

3. Dimming thermostats

Dimming thermostats are generally recommended for use with light bulbs, as they act like a dimmer switch for your house lights. It gradually increases or decreases the power supply to the heat source, rather than abruptly switching on or off, and is therefore less likely to blow bulbs.

Despite this, it is not recommended to use them with mercury vapour bulbs, though those have gone ‘out of fashion’ nowadays, so I won’t go into detail on those.

4. Dual thermostats

These are thermostats that have two ‘output’ power points, to control two heat sources at the same time.

My cheat way to do my own version of these is to simply plug multiple identical heat sources/enclosures into a power board, and the power board connects to the thermostat.

It is important to note with this, however, that most thermostats will have a maximum wattage that they can handle.