It’s hard not to handle them when u first get them but like said above, u have a long time with this snake. Do what’s right for them and they will reward u with many years of fun! Good luck and definitely get a thermostat. I did a test on how hot those heat pads will get and I got readings of 101.7 down to 94.1 within one day. So they need a good thermostat to keep them from burning themselves.