Froot: if a snake was lying on a warm spot (eg a rock) it would start to cool down after a while and not get hotter or stay warm whereas a heat pad does not work this way.
I am not understanding you Sean, as if I don't know how a heating pad works and I've been dreaming all this cr@p up.
Gnarl, I didn't realise she was using thermostats which can change things a little. Usually with thermostats people tend to use more aggressive heating sources which are then switched by the thermostat. If it isn't the normal foil clad heating pad and something else with a higher power output then yes, it could be burns.