thermal burn ?

I have newspaper in my tank, and I've decided to switch to a uth. Last time I used a uth with coconut shavings I think my snake got thermal burn, although I wasn't too sure because the tub was also kinda damn... (could had been belly rot). Any how I managed to nurse him back to a lovely belly by my self with regular warm water baths and Neosporin. My question is, has anyone experience thermal burns with there BP and a uth with news paper ?


note: the temp under the news papers feels moderately warm...

When using any UTH, you really need to use a quality thermostat in order to regulate the heat to prevent the UTH from getting too hot and causing a burn.
Many would recomend either a Johnson or Ranco or a herpstat or helix (the first two being on/off types and the last two being proportional thermostats).

I've had my BP on newspaper for the past 7 months and haven't had any problems. This is because (as Sunny said), I have my UTH on a quality thermostat. I personally use a Herpstat and I'm a big fan. :) If you've got a reptile, you should really consider getting a thermostat to control your heat source.