So once upon a time I used a ZooMed UTH without a thermostat. I was first starting out, and all I was told was to "get a heat pad". I never thought about regulating the temperature! In fact, I never thought about a specific temperature for snakes. I figured BPs just needed it "hot". I went to change the substrate in my snake's tank one day and it was so hot it burned me on contact (and I am so thankful I found out before it touched my snake) and it had actually melted the plastic molding on the bottom corner of the tank. It was like touching a hot burner on a stove. I went out immediately and bought a cheap ZooMed thermostat -- It didn't work. I went out and exchanged it for another one -- that night, the pad sparked and melted a big fat hole straight through both sides of the pad.
Lessons I learned:
1. Use a thermostat
2. Use a GOOD QUALITY thermostat
I actually found out the other day that a local breeder in my area who has been in the hobby for 20+ years doesn't have thermostats for his collection, and he was actually pretty embarrassed when he showed me. So, people do it and have been doing it... it's just not a good thing to do. It's a burn hazard for your snake (and like someone else mentioned, the exposure to extreme heat can cause brain damage... think about what happens to a baby in a hot car) and it's a fire hazard for your home.
Another lesson I learned is that just because someone works in a reptile shop doesn't mean they know crap about reptiles! Yesterday I asked a lady to show me the tegu that was in its hide and she goes, "What is a tegu? Which one is it?"
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