Heater, Warning: risk of electric shock, Warning: risk of fire – Zoo Med ReptiThermUTH User Manual
Page 2: Placement of terrarium, Hot weather, Water dish placement, substrate and cleaning, Instructions: please read carefully
Warning: Risk of electric shock.
The ReptiTherm® Heater is for indoor use only.
Do not submerge the heater for any reason.
Do not rest tank on cord or plastic housing.
Discard pad if it shows any signs of deterioration such as cracking, blistering, melting, or
discoloration.
Follow all instructions.
Inspect cord periodically. Do not use if cord is damaged or frayed.
Warning: Risk of fire.
Never mount the ReptiTherm heater in a manner that would encapsulate heat. (i.e. mounting
it on the bottom of a terrarium and then setting the terrarium directly on any type of table or
the floor/carpet).
Always use the enclosed rubber feet to elevate your terrarium thus allowing
the heat to escape. If unsure of bottom mounting, the side mounting of the ReptiTherm®
Heater is the preferred application.
Placement of terrarium:
Do not place on heat sensitive surfaces (i.e. antique furniture, plastic, etc...)
Do not place the terrarium where it will receive direct sunlight.
The ReptiTherm® is for use on standard glass aquariums only. We cannot be responsible for
custom or homemade cages and use of the ReptiTherm® on such cages will not be covered by
the warranty. Do not use the ReptiTherm® on anything other than glass terrariums:
NO ACRYLIC cages
NO METAL cages
NO WOOD cages
NO PLASTIC cages
(Only the RH-7 Mini is suitable for use on “Keeper” type plastic cages
because of it’s low heat output. Always place the heater on the back or side wall of this
type of cage)
NO FOAM cages
NO FIBERGLASS cages
NO STONE cages
Hot Weather:
ALWAYS unplug your ReptiTherm® heater if the inside of your house rises above 80ºF (26.6ºC).
(Unless using a reptile thermostat to control the heater.)
Water Dish placement, substrate and cleaning:
DO NOT PLACE WATER DISH ABOVE HEATER. Avoid spilling or spraying water on glass where
heater is attached; water spilled directly on the glass where the heater is could cause a stress
crack. Note: If the bottom of your terrarium
can get wet this could cause a “stress crack”
with this type of heater.
Always use a substrate that will absorb water and keep your water
dish on the
opposite side of the terrarium from the ReptiTherm® Heater. Because of the
many variables involved in terrarium glass thickness, set up and husbandry, Zoo Med does
not guarantee against stress cracks in your terrarium. If you wish to maximise against the
possibility of stress cracks from water spills, ect., then we recommend side mounting of the
ReptiTherm® Heater. (See Diagram 2).
INSTRUCTIONS: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Bottom Mounting: Clean the surface of the terrarium, peel adhesive paper off back of
heater and “stick” the heater to the bottom of your terrarium; remember to place heater on
either the right or left side of terrarium and gently rub heater to make firm contact. This
allows one side of your terrarium to be warmer than the other, providing a natural temperature
gradient. The ReptiTherm® must be stuck to the terrarium.
Rubber Feet: Remove adhesive paper and stick the rubber feet to each of the four bottom
corners of your terrarium. This allows slight
elevation of the terrarium
thus allowing excess
heat to escape (very important).
Moving or Detaching Heater:
DO NOT remove
the Heater once it has been attached to your
terrarium.
REMOVAL of the heater once attached
voids all guarantees as this can easily damage the
internal wire connections.
Side Mounting: If your terrarium is located
on any type of antique stand or dresser or if there
is fabric (i.e; tablecloth, etc...) underneath your
terrarium then
side mounting of the ReptiTherm®
Heater is preferred. To side mount, simply remove
adhesive paper from the back of the ReptiTherm®
Heater and “stick” to the lower right or left side
of your terrarium (see Diagram 2).
Substrate: If the ReptiTherm® is on the bottom
of the tank, you must use some type of substrate
material. Good substrate choices are Zoo Med’s
Repti Cage Carpet, Zoo Med’s Repti Sand or
Zoo Med’s Repti Bark. If using very lightweight
substrates such as pine shavings or sphagnum
moss, you must put a layer of Zoo Med’s Repti
Cage Carpet down first. This prevents snakes
and burrowing reptiles from pushing substrate
aside and resting on top of the glass directly
above the heater, resulting in possible burns!
Using newspaper, paper towels, or any similarly
light product in place of a substrate is not
appropriate with this kind of heater, and
such use will void any and all guarantees and
release Zoo Med from any liability for damage
to product, property, or animals. Also, some
liners or cage inserts have plastic or rubberized
backings that could melt; use such items with
caution. We recommend Zoo Med’s Cage Carpet
for safe use with a ReptiTherm®. When using
gravel or sand type substrates,
it is important
to use no more than 1.5” (3.81cm) depth of
gravel/sand type substrates.
Plug Heater In: The ReptiTherm® is designed
to slowly heat glass, and then the air inside
of your terrarium. The heater will take a
minimum of six hours before you get an accurate
temperature reading in your terrarium. If your
animal spends all of its time near the heater it
means that there is not enough heat in the cage.
Supplemental heat should be added immediately.
Please read the following before using
your new ReptiTherm
®
Heater.
DIAGRAM 1
DIAGRAM 2
RUBBER FEET