Mack, he clearly was not using anything to measure the temperature, or he would have noticed the problem.
Like so many other folks who come home from a pet store, he was probably give a 'kit' that consisted of a heat pad, a tank, a half log, and stick on thermometer (aka, useless piece of scrap plastic).
I think one of the most important things the reptile community could do would be to pressure manufacturers to stop making equipment that doesn't work, and to make all heat pad manufacturers include bold (not fine print) warning that all such devices should be controlled.
Then it's time to tackle the pet stores.
People don't know, when they walk into a pet store, that keeping a reptile is more complicated than keeping a hamster. Most folks don't need to buy a book to keep a hamster alive, and most folks expect that pet store personnel can tell them how to properly care for the animals sold in that store. Pet stores foster this attitude by actually giving advice on animal care, instead of insisting their customers get a book.
There's no point served in condemning innocent owners who THOUGHT they knew how to keep their animal safe and healthy--yes, they should have bought a book, but they didn't know that they needed to. There's a fundamental gap between the reptile community and the average pet owner, and the information isn't getting to them.
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