heat wave terrarium substrate heater

Hello to all:

As many people seen my previous post about the Under Tank Heater. I decided to just go ahead and use the adhesive backing. However, realizing my dad likes to choose price over the actual product, he bought the $34 terrarium substrate heater instead of the $18 Undertank heater. Now I'm wondering if that's just another name for the heater since they seem to have to same purpose or if they are in fact different. Since I do have leopard geckos any type of loose particle is definitely out of the question so they are being housed on repti-carpet. My next question is since it is a substrate heater, is the carpet too thin? I am currently unaware of the floor temperature because I've been unable to find a thermometer for the floor. My lizards seem to be actively exploring their new heating arrangement vs. their light. I have discarded the light because due to upgraded tank size the light fixture was unable to fit properly. Also, I changed the entire tank setup except for their defacatorium and was wondering if that could be another reason for activeness not too mention that it's nearly 11pm. Are there any signs to show that the warm side is in fact too warm?

Thanks again,
Anatasia Netieb

Chances are its a different product, therefore different outputs.

A good thermometer/hygrometer is priceless in the herp world. Put it on the hot side a few days then move it to the cooler side for a few, record the measurements and then decide how you can get it to where it needs to be. Im pretty sure you can get inexpensive adjusters/controls (theres a word for it that I cant think of) that will control the amount of electricity sent to the pad thus lowering its transmitted heat.

At the very least a thermometer is a must have! Your lizard is totally dependant on you for the proper temperatures in the enclosure. With an animal that is reliant on the environment temps to maintain proper bodily function you CANNOT guess at this. You may either not be keeping it warm enough or actually cooking it.
The best way to go is to get a digital thermometer with a remote probe that you can place anywhere you want to check. They also have a min/max feature that will tell you the warmest and coolest the temp in that area has been over any given time period the probe is there. You can get one from walmart or lowes for about 10 bucks.