That's true, some of my animals have been fine with it and others have not. I think you should try the red bulb, you won't need it on at night unless temps drop below 70f. I'm just thinking that ceramics get really hot and so if you have a normal 10 gallon glass tank with a screen cover this can make maintenance difficult and dangerous, having to move it to get in. For controlling a ceramic or bulb you plug the dome or wire fixture into the thermostat then probe the probe where you wanna control temps and fiddle about with it to achieve the right temp gradient. If 24 heat is needed try the red bulb first and see how the animal reacts to it, if doesn't like it then the mat will be the better choice