You can unstick the pads once they are stuck, just be very gentle and peel it off. You really should have it under the tank, for belly heat. You can get 4 wooden blocks, thick enouigh to hold the cage up a bit, or 2 wooden rails that will elevate the cage a bit, place them under the cage with the heat pad stuck to the bottom. This way the heat pad will be safe. Any you should change the pine to something safer. You might want to try feeding in another container, I use a small steralite drawer, to cut down on the possibility of substrate ingestion, and to lessen the chance of a feeding response when you open the cage, less possibility of you getting tagged Hope that helps