Hi Aaron:
Thanks for the reply. It's helpful to get advice from someone else in the same area. Do you keep yours in a separate room that you also heat? What kind of set up do you have?

Regarding the failsafes on the herpstats, their web site does recommend using a surge protector. But it also cautions against using older or cheaper ones (something I would never take a chance with anyway). I know you can set it for a max so if the tape reaches a certain temp it will auto shut off, right? Same if the probe comes off of the heat cable, it will also shut off, correct? Are these settings you have to make on the unit?

I know I sound a bit paranoid and really I know these things are pretty safe. It seems that issues are pretty rare. And when you watch Youtube videos of some people's set ups they have all these wires and power strips all over the place that have every slot full. It's a wonder you don't hear of issues more often. I really will just have the one small unit (it's just a 5 level) for the BP's. I keep most of my animals in the garage (colubrids, so it's perfect as they cool down in the winter for breeding and stay warm without heat the rest of the year). But with the BP's i'll keep them inside so I can regulate the temp better.

I will definitely upgrade to the Herpstat 1. Right now, I have the old model, the dark green. I don't think it has all these features.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Mike