Quote Originally Posted by bearhart
Yea getting there. I don't quite have that good a setup just yet. Right now I have an always-on UTH that seems to put out a constant 105. I adjust the temp by the thickness of the substrate.

I've heard that they can't feel contact temps very well but he's been in contact with the glass several times and no sign of injury.
First to clear up a few misconceptions.

When you take your temperature you are taking an oral temperature. Human beings have sweat glands that reduce our core temperature, so an external (aka, oral) temp is going to be higher than our bodies core temperature. If our core temperature reaches 105 degrees, we run a very serious risk of heatstroke. A core temperature of 110 is fatal for human beings.

Now, knowing that, snakes don't have a way of internally regulating their temperatures. They have to rely on external forces to control internal temperatures. A belly heat of 105, is going to quickly increase the core temperature of a snake to 105 degrees, which is very much fatal.

So PLEASE don't compare a snake to a human. We have one of the most complicated internal heat regulation systems of almost any mammal. Get a Thermostat and get those temps down pronto.

And as for the contact temps, snakes aren't thermostats. While they can recognize the difference between a colder and hotter side, they won't recognize that 105 degrees is too hot. They will simply see that one side is warmer than the other, and they want to be warm.