Ah ok, from what I've seen on these forums, that would be considered assist feeding. Does the snake have both a cool side and hot spot with identical hides on both sides? Hot spot should be about 90. You said in your last post that the temp you gave was the overall air temp of the cage but ball pythons need belly heat to digest their food. I'm not sure I've heard of a repti-temp 5000R but I'm guessing it's some kind of thermostat? If it is then where is the probe located that measures the temps?