Heating question

I will be going to a show this Saturday and hopefully will be bringing home my first BP. I have a cornsnake now and love him to death. I use a UTH under his warm hide and it works fine. I am planning on setting up my new BP the same way. So my question is I was thinking of adding a ZooMed deluxe heat rock (the one with rheostat) for basking purposes outside of his hide.

What are your thoughts, just don't want to harm my new guy! Thought it would be nice to give him an option instead of his hide.


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Don't waste your money on a heat rock. Instead, spend your money on a thermostat to control the temp of your heat pad to keep your new addition safe.

^^^ what he said. Thermostats are CRUCIAL when caring for ball pythons.


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I would definitely avoid the heat rock. A thermostat, even if it's a cheaper one than VE or herpstat, it's still a safer and better option paired with a uth.

Oh I would defiantly get a control for the pad. I figured that out quick when I first got my cornsnake. Once I figured it out I just set it and now don't have to worry about it besides spot checking it a few times a month.

I use a zoo med hygrotherm with the UTH and it works great. May get another one of those since it does the humidity also.


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I don't have any personal experience with heat rocks but have read about them being burn hazards for BPs several times. Apparently they don't heat evenly and are too unpredictable to be trusted. I am building a new enclosure now and have considered adding a basking shelf warmed by a small UTH on the side of the tank, you could do something similar using either a UTH or an RHP (although I didn't realize those were so spendy).