Thermostats. Yes you do NEED them!

Ok people I seen alot of people saying they haven't got thermostats.

Come on it's really important especially for people new to reptiles as such most starter kits come with no thermostat.

Thermostats are very important as they control the heat , it could help with many things like why your reptile might not be feeding because of the temperature being too high or low or the temps could be so high or low it would be bad for your reptile.

For the sake of a few quid go out and get a thermostat people the risk is too much for little price.

I understand the need for a thermostat but think a more detailed explanation may be nessecary as if I was a newbie I would be asking the question why do I need a thermostat, what benefit does having a thermostat have and what are the different thermostats for!

Personally I believe a more detailed explanation will be of help as lack of info people will just see it as having to pull out more money and not being a nessacity!

I agree.

How about:

A heat-mat or heat-lamp can reach temperatures of 40'c and above within an hour. Depending on the reptile you have, they will need to be kept at a temperature between 27'c-30'c.
If their environment is too hot they may become stressed or dehydrated and stop eating. Some are more fragile and may die if left at a very hot temperature.
Reptiles are cold blooded and cannot regulate their own body temperature, therefore you need to do it for them.

A thermostat is a control box which you plug your heat-mat or lamp into. You then set the thermostat to the correct temperature for your reptiles and insert the probe into the vivarium at the hot end.
The probe on the thermostat reads the temperature, and switches off once the temperature becomes right. With a heat-lamp, a dimming thermostat dims the bulb to enable the temperature to remain stable.

So, if you don't have a thermostat you are endagering your reptiles life. Switching a heat source on and off once the temperature becomes too hot/cold is not good enough. It needs to remain stable in order to reduce stress to the reptile.

Many starter kits for reptiles do not come with a thermostat as they do cost quite a bit, and it would make the starter kits even more expensive than they are already. But thermostats are a necessity and it is actually cheaper to buy the equipment separatly rather than in a kit. The starter kits often appeal to people who are unsure about what equipment they need for a reptile, but it is much more sensible to do your research beforehand and then decide if the starter kits really are worth the money.

So please get one, and check it is working correctly regularly