Review by Ryan Cox
Finding a thermostat right now is terrible. Like everything else, it seems that COVID has created a thermostat shortage. It seems that when many websites run out of them the restock time is indefinite. Now what if I told you we may have a back up?
For this, we now have the Exo Terra Thermostat. Yes, it’s finally happened. Exo Terra has made a thermostat you can pick up at your local big box pet store. I picked one up at the beginning of the summer to run a heat mat on my bioactive rat snake tub. The particular controller I bought was the 100w variant. They also offer this model in a 300w option. Both of these are an on/off model which means the probe is told what temp we would like the element to be kept at. The heating element will then turn on and heat to that temp. Then it will just turn off and turn back on til it gets to the set parameter. Usually a few degrees below the setting. This is important to note because Exo Terra does offer a 600w option which has a pulse thermostat design. Unlike the on/off version, it can gently heat up and maintain that temperature in a manner that isn’t near as hard on the element.
Going back to the 100w, this is the cheapest in the line up. I picked mine up for $46.99 but you can find them cheaper in other places. The big chain store near me is 2 miles away and I say the extra in the price was pure convenience. After unboxing it has a simple fold out instruction pamphlet with a breakdown in multiple languages. The adjustment knob on it is turned by a smaller flathead screwdriver. The knob is marked with white lettering so it’s simple to use and read. This thermostat has a range of 68-95 degrees fahrenheit. The probe wire is a good length and same goes for the power cords.
When it comes to my rat snake tub, I shoot for a more ambient temp. So I set the thermostat to 84 degrees. After this, I hung out in the room and cleaned tubs and stuff while I checked the heating mat for the first few heat cycles. Now something I’ve noticed from other lines of work in the past is that if something fails, it is likely to happen very quickly from start up. I thought this had happened at one point. While the thermostat was set on 84 I was getting an 87 degree reading. I double check it against other hotspots in the room. But this one was reading hotter than the desired temperature. I gave it a chance and thought maybe it was a bad install on my part. So I just pulled up the probe and retaped it back on. I completely shutdown the stat by unplugging it during this process. After that we had a 84 degree hot spot and a happy little ecosystem. I ran this set up for about a month or then the real test came for this thermostat.
Around the 4th of July or so I got another new piece of equipment. I snagged a F40 rack from Focus Cubed Habitats. I messaged them about the energy requirements of this rack and when they said it was around 80 watts I thought “Lets see how this is gonna go?” So I unhooked the thermostat from the rat snake tub and used it to run this new rack from the most creative cage builders ever. Now let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised that it runs it like a champ. Even to this day that stat is still running on this rack. I have it dialed into a 88 hot spot and it works great. In the rack, with high quality heat tape, it has been on the money for months. This little thermostat has proved itself and earned its keep in my room.
Now the downsides of this easily accessible thermostat. It is not to the same quality as other thermostats in this style from other brands. The Spyder Robotics and Vivarium Electronics entry level stats are still better in my opinion. They are at a similar price point to this thermostat and I can now say I have had all 3 models. But the Exo Terra model has something that they don’t and that’s ease of access. I know in today’s world we want the convenience of having something come to your door, this thermostat has a leg up in that regard. You can get it the same day if it’s in stock at your local pet shop. Now my other gripe is something you see a lot in these baseline thermostats and it’s not a huge issue. That is that after you get an audible on/off sound. That little click of it turning on and off will not be the end of the world. But it is there so if you used it to run an enclosure in a bedroom it is something to keep in mind.
In the end, I highly recommend giving one of these stats a try if you don’t have access to the other brands. But if you just impulse bought that new monkey tail skink at the local expo and you need a thermostat that day, then I say check the availability of your local pet shops or big box stores and give it a go. I think in today’s world the ease of access and quality of this makes it a solid choice.
Brought to you by Reptiles Express
