Quote Originally Posted by Marnie831 View Post
So, I should look into getting a UTH mat for the checkered albino then...I have always been a bit nervous of those....can someone please recommend a safe one...he is a small guy and I have a 10g tank for him to start. Thanks!
I should have said, don't use one without a thermastat. With a stat I think their less likely to burn a snake than a lamp as the heat is lower because it doesn't have to radiate down 12" to reach the snake.

I've got some fairly generic heatmats that are branded up as Komodo, and I've got a Habistat mat (the 590x280 one here Habistat: Thermostats & Heat Mats. The climate control Specialists).

I'm using two different Habistat thermostats - the MatStat and the Dimming thermostat. Plus I have a Lucky Reptile ThermoControl II Pro on a third viv. As a compromise between cost and convenience, I'd go with the dimming thermostat next time round. The Lucky Reptile one is great and has the advantage that it also controls the timing of the moonlight LEDs on my fishtank, and it automatically drops the mat temp at night.