UTH question

Couple of questions. Thanks for answering guys : )

Currently, I maintain ambient temps on the cool side in the low 80s and in the upper 80s to low 90s, but I use just bulbs at the moment. I want to get a UTH as a supplemental heat source, but I don't want to burn him because I currently only use newspaper (laid out, not shredded) as a substrate.

What's a good brand and how can I avoid cooking the snake?

Ultratherm UTH's are very high quality, but a store brand (Zoo-Med, Exo Terra, etc.) are fine as well. The key is to get a good thermostat to regulate the UTH's temperature, and a probed thermometer to monitor the cage temps. Thermostats are NOT optional. Without a thermostat nearly all UTH's will get hot enough to burn/give brain damage to your snake (130 F +)

Keep in mind that UTH's do very little if anything for air temps in the cage, they only heat surfaces they are in direct contact with (heat transfer via conduction)

Here are some good thermostats:

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermos...stat-prewired/

Best: http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Here is a good probed thermometer:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...ndingMethod=rr

More info: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

Thanks for the recommendations as for products.

Will my lake of puffy substrate be a problem? I just use laid out newspaper, and was worried about it getting too toasty for the little guy.

...or will that not be a problem if I have a thermostat?

You want to run a thermostat regardless with an UTH, also you want it set to the bottom of the enclosure, not the top of the substrate.

And make sure the probe can't be moved by the snake. If it gets moved off the hot spot, the thermostat will continue to heat to a point where it could burn the snake.

I forgot that point................................. probes go between the mat and enclosure.