Warning!!This could happen to your pet!!

One of my albino retics was seriously burned after being on a ZooMed heatmat.She only had that as a source of heat for 6 days.The burns were so severe that she had to go in for surgery.She needed 4-5" of her ventral scales removed as well as most of the muscle mass in that area.The only thing that literally kept her from falling apart was her inner wall.She of course needed stitches and is undergoing a long and painful healing process.She seems to be doing a lot better now as she has her appetite back but unfortunatly i was told by my vet not to feed her until she sheds a few more times.The body needs to develop more scar tissue to prevent anymore damage.Ever try to wrap a bandage on a snake???!Believe me it is not easy and the snake....well you get the idea.I recommend using EXTREME caution when using this product as they(zoomed) believe that there is NO way that their product can malfuntion and to put it simply...it is the snakes fault that she recieved these burns.They believe that a snake knows when to get off a heat source!!?!They do NOT care about your pets!!Any questions,feel free to e-mail me at sillyserpents@aol.com. Thanks for taking the time to read this.I dont want anyone to have to go through this horrible ordeal. Thanks again,Rene' V. Aumada 3rd

Did you have this Zoomed heat mat on any type of control? A thermostat or a rheostat? Did you have a thermometer in the enclosure? Just asking.

Was the heatmat INSIDE the tank?

Actually i was not using a rheostat or the like.The product nor those who i spoke to before using it mentioned the need for such a device.I use flexwatts almost entirly and do not use any kind of temp control device.I have never had any of my animals injured on the flexwatt.The only blame for the burns i will accept is that i used a zoomed heatmat. No the heater was under the tank as it describes for its installation.Thanks for your question though.

i am sorry to here about what happend to your baby i would also be upset i consieder my pets as my children and i HATE to here that some pepole are so unconsiderabel about snakes if it was a dog or cat exc.. they would be sempethetic and taken care of it right away i know this becouse of some past exp... and it is rediclas thes pepole need to see and understand that a snake needs just as much care and consideration as other animales what exactley was said when you talked to thes pepole(i assume you did) and do they have an email add. if so can i please have it??keep us updated on your baby. And i am sorry bout the spelling i never was good at that lol


THANKS, destiny woolman

The only blame for the burns i will accept is that i used a zoomed heatmat.

I use flexwatts almost entirly and do not use any kind of temp control device.

Well, I hate to say it, but a thermostat or rheostat is a very necessary piece of equipment for keeping reptiles with these type of heat sources. How do you know what temps your animals are being kept at? Why would you not want to use one of these devices? With a thermostat, the heat pad would have been shut off when the temps got too hot for your snake!!! I don't know if the heat mat over heated or not (I have never used that brand), but I am afraid that the heat pad is not really to blame for the burns on the snake. Please look at this as a learning experience and take the proper precautions to ensure that this does not happen agian. You need a thermostat when using any heating elements. I am sorry about your snake, and I hope he gets better with the help of the vet.

Jason is right, if you depend only on the quality of the heater to protect your snakes for you then you are just waiting on an accident.
While the heat pad probably malfunctioned and got super hot, had it been on a thermostat, this burn would not have occured.
A dimmer can be had for a few dollars, and a nice little on/off thermostat for less than 25.
Any manufactured product will suffer from occasional defects, that's simply a fact of life, but it is up to you to take the proper precautions to protect yourself from potential hazards.

If you think everything is just fine running flexwatt and such with no temp control at all take a look at this picture.



When I when I discovered and unplugged that heater I used a Raytec temp gun to take a reading on it. It was 192°F.
If you want to read the rest of the story about that instance it is on this page .

Where are you getting those dimmers? I've searched up and down hardware stores looking for one that plugs into a socket and have had no luck. All they have are the ones made to wire into an outlet. If you could even point out a webpage for me, that would be great.

Erin B.

I've never used one of the plug in types. I know the Bean Farm sells one, but it's 300watt and may not work properly with very low wattage heaters.

There is another option. They make a slide type dimmer that simply snaps onto the electrical cord. They are designed for use with lamps.
The switch comes apart and you place the two halves around the wire. When you snap it back together and tighten the screws, the dimmer pierces the wire to break the connection. The power then flows through the contacts of the dimmer and the slide controls the flow.
Lowe's sells these dimmers, but they run about $20, as opposed to 5 or 6 for the ones that wire inline.

Personally I prefer the type you wire into the wall and just splice it in the heater wire, but it depends alot on the setup and type of cage being used.

My setup right now isn't permanent enough for something that goes into the wall. I'll look for those lamp dimmers, though, thanks!

Erin B.