ryanm

A rheostat is basically a dimmer switch, like for a fan or a light. The
important difference here is that a fan or light dimmer is usually only
rated for 150 watts, and rheostats meant for reptile enclosures are usually
rated for 300W or more, so that more than one heat source can be plugged
into it, and to avoid risk of fire. You don't want to plug 200W of heat
sources into a 150W dimmer, or you risk setting your house on fire. Zoo-Med
makes one that you can find in most pet stores for $15, and I have several
of those that I use. Some people make their own from dimmers available at
Home Depot or a similar home improvement store, but to me it's not worth the
$5 you save to risk your animals by wiring it yourself.


A thermostat is even better, but then your heat mat should be plugged
into the thermostat, and not into the wall. The thermostat will do the same
thing that a rheostat does, only it will automatically adjust to get the
right temps. With a rheostat you have to check the temps and adjust it, a
thermostat does that for you. If you have a thermostat, you should set it
for the hotspot temp and put the probe directly on top of or under the heat
source, so that it regulates the hotspot for you. Then use a regular temp
gauge to keep track of the ambient cage temp. With ball pythons, you don't
want any part of the cage ever going above 95 F or they may burn themselves,
but they won't die if the ambient temps drop below 75 occasionally (since
they have a hotspot they can go to to warm up).

ryanm

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