# What kind of Thermostat should I buy for my future hedgehog?



## senpopstar (Apr 16, 2013)

Me and my boyfriend are in the process of getting a hedgehog  and I was wondering what kind of thermostat I should buy for our future hedgie.
We need one that has a remote sensor and a temperature gauge, but I can't seem to find any on amazon.com or any other website.


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## Brandi (Apr 16, 2013)

I am in the exact same dilemma as you! I found one that looks like it is meant for a reptile cage online. I forgot the brand but it is yellow and has only good reviews, but I would rather hear what hedgie owners on here have!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I use and recommend Zilla's 1000 watt thermostat, which you can get for a great price on Amazon and I have always had good experiences with. You can get one here: http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11939-Tempe ... thermostat


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## Alyybear (Nov 8, 2012)

There are some amazing thermostats out there, but its easier if you look for "reptile" thermos. Depending on your budget, there is one called the "A-life" which usually runs about $30, all the way up to a proportional thermostat that can connect to your computer and give you constant feedback! Those are obviously more pricey, but are made from Spyder robotics. There are tons of options in between as well.


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## Kelcey (Mar 28, 2013)

I have read bad reviews about the controller by Zilla mentioned by . It may be fine. I couldn't find the a life, so I'm going to try, http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-RT10-...d=1366235411&sr=1-1&keywords=Zoo+med+rheostat. This is not a thermostat, more like a dimmer. I think it will do fine for my setup.

Sorry, I am talking about this in two places. If this http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-RT10-...d=1366235411&sr=1-1&keywords=Zoo+med+rheostat does not work I will get the zilla.

The issues with the zilla were probably on the user end, of course, defective items are going to be bought at some point in time. That's everything. My temperature in my house is only a little lower than my hedgie needs. I'm just having trouble stablizing the temp in the cage. This dimmer type thing should do the trick. I will let you guys know how it turns out.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Be careful if you do decide to use a rheostat instead of a proper thermostat. It might work for everyday situations, but if the temperature in your house drops for whatever reason, the rheostat is not going to counter that by turning the heat on higher. Especially if your house naturally gets colder at night, all you're ever going to see is a "x degree increase" over the room temperature. There's nothing stopping the cage from dropping too low if the rest of the house gets colder - or hotter, for that matter.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I agree with LizardGirl on rheostats. Unless you are home all the time to monitor the temperature, it will at some point either be too cool or too hot because the rheostat won't compensate for temperature changes. During the winter, providing you don't lower the household thermostat at night, the rheostat should be okay, but at this time of year or in the fall with widely fluctuating temperatures, a rheostat will need to be monitored closely.


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## Kelcey (Mar 28, 2013)

I trust your opinions and I agree with you that the thermostat would be better, but I am honestly scared of it. I've had a house burned down before. (i realize im over reactung about it but really cant help being scared of electrical stuff like that) I tried to find one with really good reviews to put me at ease, but there aren't many and those require some electrical work that I would know nothing about. I guess I need to just get it and try not to think to much about it..


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I don't see how having a thermostat would be any more dangerous than a rheostat though? If anything, it's more dangerous to use a rheostat that has the device on 24/7, rather than the thermostat that turns it on/off as needed. Even if the thermostat malfunctions, the worst it can do is turn off (like the power going out) or stay on (which some people actually do, even if it isn't ideal for regulating temperature). If the thermostat staying on for a long period of time concerns you, then using a heat system at all would be a problem. When it's cold, sometimes the thermostat will have the heater on nearly 24/7, so it'd have to be a serious defect with the thermostat causing it to explode or burst into flames or something, for it to be such a concern.


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## Kelcey (Mar 28, 2013)

Yay That makes me feel better.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I have no ideal what the bad reviews you're seeing are, all I'm saying is that unless the thermostat itself is melting or catching on fire, which it should not be doing, there isn't really anything it can do directly to be unsafe.


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## Kelcey (Mar 28, 2013)

Just reviews on amazon where they didn't cut off and the pets died. Like this:


Terrible Product! Stay away! Will kill your pets!, February 19, 2012
By graz83
This review is from: Zilla 11939 Temperature Controller, 1000-Watt (Misc.)
I bought 3 of these thermos at a local reptile show, within 6 months all 3 of them stopped working correctly and would not power off. Temperatures spiked to over 100 degrees when set to 85 and I sadly lost an animal. Stay away from this thermo at all costs! I will not buy from zilla again!
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