Why woulf my BP stay in his cool side hide if...

[BigCeC43]

it were only 75 degrees.

At night my temps usually drop from hot/91-93; cool/80 to hot/81-83 cool/75-78. (I was originally under the impression that temps were supposed to drop at night, so I bought 40watt black night bulbs and the 60watt blue day bulbs). The difference in bulbs allows for the temp drop. If anyone has advice on how to maintain higher temps at night let me know, but that's a whole other topic.

It's a fairly gradual process throughout the night, but these are the temps when I wake up. I noticed he sometimes wakes up in the cool side hide. For example, today when I got up the cool side temp read about 75 hot side 82 and there he was in his cool side hide. Now I'm thinking that either my dial thermometer that I use on the cool side is wrong (Acurite is in the mail now), or that maybe it's more humid on that side b/c ther's no bulb or UTH on that side. The humidity is about 60, but again that's w/ my dial.

I almost want to pick the little guy up and put him on the warm side myself.

All comments on my situation are welcome. And I forgot to mention I believe it is only my air temp that drops significantly at night, b/c when I place the probe right over the UTH it stays at about 90. Unfortuanetly, my BP likes to move it around so I eventually put it on top of his hot hide which is where the nighttime low 80's are read.

[SatanicIntention]

Keep his temps constant 24/7/365. Temps getting into the 70s is asking for a respiratory infection.

My temps are 95/84 and they don't fluctuate at all unless the snakes are being cooled for breeding, and even then, last year I didn't even drop the temps below 78-80(cool side).

Measuring temps with dial thermometers is going to be very inaccurate, and your temps are likely very off. You'll find out what they really are when you get your digital thermometer.

Do you have his undertank heater on a thermostat? If so, what is it set at? If not, get one and keep his temps consistent, and so that in case the UTH decides to fail or spike in temp, you'll keep your snake from getting burned. Is the tank insulated in any way? The glass is always going to be the temp of the room, so it's sucking the heat out of your tank. You might want to get some 1/2" or 3/4" foamboard and cut it to fit 3 sides and the bottom of your tank so it will insulate that glass and the heat will stay inside.

Do you have anything covering the screen top? A piece of plexiglas cut to fit will help keep the heat and humidity from escaping.

Also, if you fnd you're not able to keep the temps and humidity in that tank stable for your snake, you may have to find a more suitable enclosure. Alot of fluctuations can cause your snake to get sick. Prevention is key.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Dial thermometer can be off several degres which mean you might have a false sense of security when it comes to your temps.

I would suggest you to get a digital thermometer/hygrometer such as this that you can find at walmart for 12$, it will allow you to read the temps on both side.

Also you need to provide constant temps of 80-84 and 90-94 24/7 (no night drop)

The thing with a BP choosing a side compare to another can be due to the hides.
If the hides are not tight and identical your BP could be choosing security over thermo-regulation.
It could also be happening if your temps on the warm side is too hot, or it can be a choice.

You need to rule everything out first before coming to the conclusion that it is his preference.

[BigCeC43]

Thanks for the input. girls. I'm going to apoligize in advance for the long post. If you're willing to read all of it and help, then Thank you.

I must not have explained myself properly. I do understand that there shouldn't be a drop in the temp at night now. Although, I originally thought it was normal to see temp drops due to the many google searches I've done regarding it. I'm still trying to figure out how to prevent this temp drop (which is another problem that I need help on).

I have a UTH and a lamp on the hot side of my tank. This side has a digital thermometer with a probe so I know the temp readings are accurite. Depending on where the probe is I get different readings (the largest variation between readings is seen at night). At night... if the probe is on the substrate I get a reading in the low 90's-high 80's. However, when the probe is placed on top of his hot hide then I get readings in the low 80's. I'm assuming this means that the air temp drops, but my UTH keeps the surface in this area hot.

GA_Ball_Pythons,
I have that exact thermometer being shipped to me right now to measure the cool side temp and humidity. I'll probably use it to measure the hot side also even though I already have a digital thermometer there. Unfortuanetly, the 2 walmarts, 2 hardware stores, CVS, Wallgreens, a petstore, and an electrical gadget store didn't carry it so I had to order it online.

SatanicIntention,
I do not have a Thermostat yet. I do have several layers of aluminum foil and duct tape on top of the tank with a hole big enough to place my lamp. As far an the insulation goes have you ever heard of anyone using a clear plastic type of insulation that is used for home windows. I saw some yesterday at wallmart, but didn't want to buy without getting any feedback. As of right now I've taped some thick cardboard around the sides, until I get the foamboard you reccomended or the insulation that I mentioned.

Now back to my original question... Both of my hides are identical, if my cool side were too cool wouldn't most of you think that he would move to the warm side or sleep in the warm side? Or is it possible that he is so nervous (for whaatever reason) that he doesn't want to move to the warm side and be exposed for that small amount of travel time. I know it will be easier to say once I get my "Acurite" thermometer/hydrometer. I'm just new to all of this, and I want to make sure I do everything I can for this little guy.