Rescued a BP!

A few months back, a friend of mine went out to PetSmart and got a baby ball python for his daughters. Supposedly to help them overcome their fear of snakes... Unsurprisingly, the girls lost interest and now they want him gone because they want a guinea pig. He said that if nobody took the snake, he was just gonna let it go in the woods in the back of his house, so I said that I would take him.

I didn't really know anything about ball pythons, so I did some research and they sound like a pretty cool pet! So, I'm gonna keep him.

The thing I'm worried about is his setup. They have him in this tub, which is fine but there is no heat source.

I'm gonna pick up a UTH and a thermometer from PetSmart, but I heard that the thermometer from HydroFarm is reliable?

You need both a thermoMETER and thermoSTAT. The thermostat will regulate the UTH so it doesnt burn the BP. The HydroFarm is a thermostat to regulate the UTH and is fairly cheap.

Also dont underestimate the importance of the thermoSTAT. Im sure you can find plenty of "i got the pad first and planned on getting a t-stat soon and now my snake is burned up" posts, with pictures. It seems like the snake will be in better hands now though.

Also, make sure you have room for a guinea pig cage in a few months when they trade it in for a bunny.

Yeah, I know I'm not gonna use the UTH until the thermostat comes in the mail.

I'm also gonna put Cuddles(lol) in a diff enclosure so he won't be affected by fluctuating temps when I first set it up.

Also, is using the UTH on the plastic a risk of fire? Some people say yes, some say no..

Properly connected to a thermostat, the UTH will not heat up enough to cause a fire. You should be fine.

There's your answer. Some people say yes and Some people say no. I've never had a problem or seen a problem so I'm someone who would say no its not a problem lol