Quote Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion View Post
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.
Something desperately needs to be done to close that gap, pet stores need to have better caresheets, things like a thermostat must be listed. I didn't know I needed one, and somehow the previous owner got away without burns, but I was measuring the hotspot and was able to correct the problem with help from this community, and I take complete responsibility for my lack of knowledge.

In my opinion the owner should take responsibility for for the animal they are going to care for. This means doing their own reasearch, cross-referencing with multiple sources to rule out bad ideas. Not just expecting everything to be handed to you, using common sense.. I would very much like to see the care sheet that says that you should use your hand as a thermometer for the hot spot.

I am glad that the OP is genuinely interested in correcting the problem, all to often people ask for advice and then refuse it when it is given. We all have questions and it's good to see someone who really wants the answers.