Habistat Temperature Thermostat > Reviews (1)

These Thermostats are great gadgets, and a must for the caring keeper, but there are so many different designs it can get a little confusing, the model we have here is the Habistat Temperature Thermostat, which is designed to control a heating source upto 300W, such as heatmats, and keep it at a preferred range. The habistat is pretty accurate, easy to use, and comes with instructions. There are three wires extending from the main, white, box, labelled Mains, Heater, and Sensor. The Mains plug goes into the wall, the heating wire has a socket to plug in the heatmat or other heat, and the sensor is fed into a small hole inside the vivarium. The main box has an easy to use dial, when the dial is turned up the heat, and therefore, the light turns on, and when you turn it down the heat and light turn off.

Pretty simple so far. The box has two sticky pads on the back, which I prefer not to use. As with the round stick-on thermometer and Hygrometer it will only stick once and if removed will scar your vivarium's. Now you set the dial to the temperature you want and it is important to use a good thermometer to gauge temperatures correctly, as the number on the dial won't always be exactly the same as the actual reading, but will be within a few degrees. Always research what heat gradient your animals need, a heatmat may suffice for some species, but others may require a much larger range of electrical equipment. Once comfortable with the thermometer reading, your heating is now set, but you will still need to check temperatures regularly, which is best done with a digital thermometer due to their accuracy. Often people misunderstand the importance of a Thermostat and therefore neglect them. Your Snake will truly appreciate it if it's heatmat is the correct temperature, as without this Thermostat, most heatmats will grow too hot for the Snake to comfortably bask for it's desired time.

What I like most about this product is that I trust them, as I have used them without any problems for years, and therefore feel safe trusting them with my heat. After all I am keeping an eye on it myself. Another good thing is the huge, easy to use dial. Some thermostats have a small rubber, 'safety' dials which you need a screwdriver to turn, and, although this may stop you accidentally turning the dial, or young children playing with it, the screwdriver eventually shreds the rubber, making it impossible to turn. I do not recommend the stats with the rubber dials, and feel a far better way of avoiding tamper is explaining the stat to your little one, or else keeping the vivarium in a room they can't access. I do wish the stat had better displaying features. My vivarium’s just have their Thermostats on top, and if adhered to the front would look ugly because of the wires. This method is okay though, as I can easily read, adjust, and remove them. The wires themselves can be too long, with all the extra wire just messily mixing with the other endless wires. My one last niggle is the outrageous prices some of these gadgets fetch, with no clear, cheap, quality alternatives. However, you can't put a price on safety, and these products, at least the ones with good dials, do last for years.

There are a range of these Thermostats from Living Earth, and you should always have a good look at them all, and ask your Reptile shop assistant about them, as each model performs a different job. I think the price is a bit steep, but ultimately worth it for the reassurance of your animals health. Generally an excellent product.