Hey there,

So I've got a quick question about the air temp inside the warm hide. I'm new to owning a ball pythons so I want to make sure I do this right. Right now I am using a Zoo Med UTH to heat my tank from the underside (regulated with a thermostat) to keep the bedding between 90-95 degrees in the hot spot. I also have my heat lamp hanging a ways above my tank to make sure the air temp doesn't get too cold since I know UTH's don't usually heat the air all too well (about 80 degrees on the cool side and around 90 degrees on the warm side). My concern is about the temperature inside the hide on my warm side. I have my hide right above my UTH pad with a thermometer probe under the substrate inside the hide to monitor the temp of the substrate, as well as I have a temp gun to check specific spots, but since I'm using a plasticky, synthetic hide rather than a real wood one (I was told not to use real wood since it rots in the humidity), I'm afraid that the air temp inside the hide is going to get too high, and hurt my snake. The hide is still log shaped and has a couple holes in it to vent, but I figured I would still ask since I've lost reptiles to overheating hides before (RIP lizards...). What do you guys think? Should the temp inside the hide stay low enough that it won't be harmful, or should I buy another thermometer to monitor it?

Oh, I should also point out that the hide is not directly beneath the lamp if that makes a difference. Thanks!