Is My Ball Python OK?

[dr del]

Hi,

I have been observing the temperature for the sake of proving a point,
The cardboard mat is unmovable (Secured with cornerstones), even I could not slide it off the heat mat with my hands.
The cardboard mat that the snake lays on has been on top of the Heat mat for 3 days now, and the temperature
remains at 90 degrees.

The snake now only roams around to switch from her cool hide, to her warm hide, to her basking spot, then back to the cool hide
She hasn't hissed since I asked about it, and I've handled her multiple times.

I am posting this to prove that a Thermostat is not a "100% required life or death" item.
However, I believe improper placement of the mat can of-course lead to burns.

How can you say the lay will eventually heat up to 118 degrees if it hasn't gone over 90 degrees in over 72 hours?

I understand your point from an "on paper" point of view, but from a first hand point of view, Do I really, truly, need to be spending $50 on a thermostat if my home-tests imply one is not needed?

Just wanted to say that things do go wrong with equipment from time to time. We are mainly trying to give advice that avoids problems in the future - similar to the "no tape in the enclosure" rule.

I used to have a saved thread with links to a number of cases where a hot spot developed and got hot enough to melt the plastic let alone burn the snake. It's not so much what is happening in your enclosure now but what we know can happen when things go wrong.

I hope that explains why it keeps getting mentioned if not making up for the tone in which it was expressed.


dr del