Customer Reviews

Zoo Med ReptiTemp 500R Remote Sensor Thermostat

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been using one of these thermostats for over 10 years, and i've never had any reptile product that I've enjoyed so much. Extremely easy to set up and use, this unit allows you to cycle a heat lamp or ceramic heater (or a matt or heat tape for that matter) on and off at the optimal temperature. You can easily set it to turn off at a lower temperature for a night drop, necessary for many species. The unit is also very easy to mount, and the probe is at the end of a long, thin black cord which is completely unobtrusive in any terrarium or cage setting.

I use a digital thermometer to monitor the temperature inside my double-walled, insulated turtle house and the 500R thermostat keeps the temperature setting to within 1 degree of my setting. Getting it right initially took a bit of effort because I had to watch the temperature for an hour or so to make sure it was right. I like the protective cover that is part of the design.

Great item to for your reptile keep temp where you need to keep it.
My corn snake need 83-85 deg for good health the zoo med
ReptTemp 500r does a great job keeping the temp study at
84-85 deg.

A thermostat without a temp gauge is really not worth it , pay more money and get one with a digital temp readout. I sure wish I did.

What blows my mind is I read all of the reviews and yet, somehow I missed this, rechecked and I guess no one thought it worth mentioning.

So now I have to go purchase a good digital remote sensing thermometer, I will most likely end up spending more money then if I have purchased a Thermostat which included a digital readout of the temp its senor was picking up.

The Reptitemp 500R is doing a good job of keeping my snake's cage a consistent temperature. I has 2 outlets to plug heating devices into. The protective cover does not fit on very well, but I don't need it. I like that it has Velcro to attach the thermostat to the side of the cage so that it can be removed and reapplied. The one thing I don't like is that the temperature dial only has a multi-colored strip to show how high or low it is. There are no numbers to guide you on where to set the dial. The other reptile thermostat I had did have a numbered dial and This was convenient. I remedied the situation by using an indoor/outdoor thermometer and set that probe beside the Reptitemp probe to confirm the temperature. This is how I know the Reptitemp is consistent in keeping the same temperature.

Zoo Med is typically a trustworthy brand. So far this company hasn't really let me down by any stretch. What I liked most about this gadget was just how simply and efficient it is. Once I adjusted my temperature at 90 degrees, it wouldn't allow fluctuation or anything like that (sparring 1 degree). So generally, it won't fail you and comes at an awesome price as well. Its adhesive is also very useful, sticks to the terrarium really well so you don't have to worry about it falling off or anything, yet can be removed if you wish.

The probe is unobtrusive and simply slides into the terrarium, stays on the warm end and keeps things smooth. It is long enough as well.

The only thing 'wrong' with this thermostat is the fact that it isn't digital, which is kind of silly and might take a while to adjust (around 30 minutes) and make sure you've got it at the right temperature. You need a thermometer with this thing, or else you could end up making it too hot or too cool for your animal.

This product certainly does not have the ability to keep temperatures within a very specific range the way that thermostats that control the amount of electricity to the device do (my temperatures range from 89 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit), but if you're looking for a relatively cheap and reliable way to control your reptile's tank temperatures, this thermostat is a good value. Also,for being not much more money than most rheostats (dimmers), it's definitely worth getting especially if your ambient room temperature varies a lot.

I purchased this thermostat for our chicken egg incubator. I was a little disappointed that it did not have a digital read out. However we kept a thermomnter in the incubator and the thermostat kept it at a steady temp. I was very relieved that I did not have to check it all day long. I do recomend this thermometer.

Edit: came back and read that a lot of people had luck with this product. I must have received a defective unit, temperature kept going up and down without the dial moving (like +15F). Good thing I was paranoid and had a few accurate thermometers.

This item shipped & arrived quickly. It was in working condition. My only complaint is about the product itself. It drives me nuts that there aren't temperature settings on the temp dial. There's low, high, and everything in between with no way to tell if your dial is set at 70 or 80 degrees.