I was lucky enough to be 'included' at a talk at the USF exotic vet conference a few years ago it was an idea bantered around then. That thermal burns are linked to low ambient air temps. When I asked him about pain receptors he said that pain response to heat was used for years with a variety of herps. That is all, there is no studies it was a idea bantered around nothing more. No vet will accept a theory with out data, It is sound as it fits all the criteria. There is a big difference between contact burns (they can always happen) and durational burns.
The first time I had a stat fail every animal in the failed rack was against the cool side, at the coolest part they could get to. My ambients temps are always spot on. This response is completely different to others that have no stat incorrect ambients and burnt snakes. It doesn't fit that one set of royals would move away from overly hot surface temps and a second set would not. It does make sense that if your other temps are off there is a different response.
If they could not tell hot surface from cool, could they thermoregulate at all?
Would not in every case of an overly hot surface (100ºF-130ºF) result in burns?
They would never get burns on the dorsal side if they feel heat better but yet that also happens. I have rescued animals that were burned from a side mounted uncontrolled UTH. There is not explanation that fits all of these but a low ambient air temp.
Yes we should always prevent burns. Every temp should be held correct, ambients included and every stat should be backed by a failsafe. Every heat source should not have a max temp over 100ºF. Too bad that is not always true.
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