Hello's and Questions from a Beginner

[tttaylorrr]

What sort of heat mat/pad is recommended? The zilla brand seems cheaper than the zoo med, but if it's gonna set my snake on fire or freeze it out it's not worth it, obviously. What would you recommend? Is there another brand?

you get what you pay for. Zilla are cheap and have an adhesive backing that sticks to the bottom of the enclosure. once it's stuck, you cannot remove it or risk damaging the internal components which can result in it failing.

the only way a heating element can set your snake on fire or freeze it is if it is uncontrolled. ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated by a thermostat or other electronic control. this is non-negotiable.

Ultratherm heat pads from RBI are my go-to UTHs and i don't think i'll ever use another brand. they are advertised as not needing a thermostat (which, idk why) but they ABSOLUTELY do need one. ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated.

Another question about housing. I live in a place where I have access to a lot of flat stones, bark, limbs, etc. For the other snake I had gathered some bark and sticks and rocks and I boiled them for almost an hour to kill any bacteria or organisms on them (or that was the hope anyway). Can those be used to create clutter (to hopefully take up empty space and reduce stress) and would the river stones help at all with shedding? They have no sharp points but are somewhat rough.

most people recommend baking sticks and wood in the oven, but in my very ignorant opinion i'd assume boiling would kill any bad guys just as well. i'm not entirely sure on the sanitizing aspects of this so i hope others can help you here.