Heating in a terrarium should be dimensioned such that the animals will not be “roasted” in the event that the control technology fails. In other words, a small terrarium should not be equipped with an oversized 100 watt heating cable with a controller, and instead, should have a small floor heater of only 8 to 15 W. The heating effect of the lighting must also be taken into account. As a result, when the lighting is turned off, the night-time drop in temperature occurs simultaneously.
Our Tip
The heat deperdition of a terrarium can be reduced – and savings in energy costs achieved as a result – by insulating the side panes with insulating material on the outside to prevent heat loss. Foam pads such as the JBL AquaPad under the bottom panel prevent heat emission but also prevent the bottom panel from bursting in case the supporting surface is uneven and there is no heating mat on the bottom. When placing a heat mat on the outside under the terrarium, though, it is imperative to follow the applicable instructions in order to ensure sufficient rear ventilation of the heat mat. The JBL floor heat mats ( JBL TerraTemp HeatMat ) come with “feet” as spacers.
