Does no one use Thermostats with their UTH?

[Cydonia1]

I do a lot of looking at reptile care and other misc animals, and going from there to here does anyone use a Thermostat with their UTH?

What it does is that you set the temperature to, maybe 90, connect the Thermostat to the UTH and the thermostat KEEPS it at 90, either turning the UTH off, raising it's power level, lowering it's power levels ect ect ect. It seems like an easy way to fix issues when it's to high, too low or any of those issues but I use a CHE but I plan on getting one! Here are some of the better models I've found:

http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?cP ... ts_id=5685 That's probably the one I'm going to get

http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11939-Tempe ... B002CZ0J3E

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018C ... SXJYMNNKFH

http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11939-Tempe ... B002CZ0J3E

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NZ ... SXJYMNNKFH

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQD9A/ref ... 5BT7QWPM1G

[fantasybookworm]

I use one. From what I've gathered, a lot of people don't bother because hermit crabs aren't as specific about their temp requirements as some other animals (there's a rather large safe range of 75-95*F or so, though the "ideal" range is smaller), and because thermostats are typically somewhat pricey. I already had mine on hand from my hedgehog I used to have, so I just figured I might as well use it. I like having it though, to keep the temperature more steady, for my own piece of mind. I'll probably get a second one for future hedgehogs & keep this one for the crabs.

Oh, and mine is the one you're getting! Zilla 1000-watt controller. I really like it & haven't had any issues with it. The only thing is that the temps don't match up with the little numbers on the controller (at least, not in my experience or that of my hedgehog forum), so you have to fiddle with it a bit to get it right.

[Asheka]

I thought about using one, but the temp never goes above 86F as of yet, and never below 82F. I did buy a dimmer for when Summer actually acts like Summer here, and I may need to turn it down some.

[Breeezy]

I've heard bad things about the Zilla ones you posted. Not a good company in general.

I recommend using one of these Vivarium thermostats:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats

Particularly:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostat ... s-ve-200d/

It is a dimming one rather than one that turns the heater off and on constantly to achieve that set temperature. Frequent on/off cycles will greatly shorten the life of your heaters.

[wodesorel]

With reptiles, the temperature of their basking spot has to be specific. Too cold and they won't digest properly and can die. Too hot, and they will give themselves third (or worse) degree burns since they don't seem to have pain receptors that register heat and burns.

Crabs are LOT more forgiving with temp, and since it's the temperature of the tank that is important and not just one warm spot, there really isn't a need for a thermostat unless you can afford it and want the convenience of being able to set it and (almost) forget it for the changing of seasons. So long as your house stays at a stable temperature, so will your tank, as a UTH will always heat _x_ amount of degrees over room temperature.

I agree with Breezy, ideally you want a rheostat based controller, what is known as a proportional thermostat. It reduces or increases the amount of currant based on the temperature, instead of a basic thermostat which is all or nothing.

[DinoJax]

http://m.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=HYD ... +JumpStart. I use this one and its awesome! I was having trouble getting my temp over 70%. With just a heating pad my one wall was hot but the tank was only so so. The thermostat really has helped regulate the heat in the entire tank without the pad getting too hot.