Most everyone seems to be attempting to pass along their own version of tribal knowledge and is missing the part about what's actually important.
Ball pythons only require access to proper temperatures - how you get there (UTH, CHE, RHP, oil-filled radiator, etc) is largely irrelevant. There are big breeders that do not use belly heat at all and there are big breeders that do - obviously, both have success because they are ultimately providing proper temperatures for their collection.
Not every care sheet on every BP site indicates that they need belly heat. The one on this site, for one, doesn't.
OP - If you haven't already, there are several great links in my signature that should help give you some direction if you take the time to read them. Kudos to the guy at the pet store, by the way. He seems to be pretty on top of it.
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