i like the heating pad because it is helpful for their digestion. i wouldn't be able to keep the humidity high enough with a lamp either because they tend to dry things out and i use a glass aquarium. i use a thermostat with the heating pad, and it would be annoying to me, and possibly to the snake, to have the lamp clicking on and off all the time. then there is also the fact that i spent $9 on the heating pad as a one time expense instead of having to buy a new lightbulb every time the old one burns out.