A t-stat is a thermostat, which is different than a thermometer. A thermostat makes it so your UTH or flexwatt doesn't overhead and burn your snake, as unregulated UTHs can get over 100 degrees.
In the meantime of getting a thermostat I would pick up a lamp dimmer from Home Depot asap ($10) and plug your UTH into that so it doesn't get too hot. Even if the UTH doesn't feel warm to you, it could very well be hot enough to cause burns to the snake.
There are cheaper thermostats available online (I believe some get a certain kind on Amazon, though I'm unsure of the brand) but I use VE-200 thermostats on the racks and vivs and love them (http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats).
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