Question about my basking spot.....

When I measure the temp on my basking spot from the inside of the hide, I get temps of 95-100 degrees (it varies depending on room temp.) This is with the probe touching the substrate or buried into the substrate just a little. I am thinking this may be a bit too much for the snake.

Right now this is measured from within a hide I have with no bottom. I noticed that if I switch that hide with a log hide that I have that contains a bottom I can get the temperature to 90-95 degrees inside, which I ooviously prefer. Are hides that contain a bottom ok in a basking area?

I am going to go out on a limb and assume you don't have a thermostat regulating your heating source (UTH?)

That is the main explanation for the high temps. A UTH will run at about 120* unregulated which is more than enough to burn your animal. This is why you absolutely need a thermostat to control your UTH. The reptitemp 500r is a good cheap unit for single setups. It is widely available online.

The general consensus seems to be that having a hide with no bottom is better. This way the thermostat doesn't have to keep the UTH running full blast to maintain a good hot spot temperature. That way if you snake does burrow down into the substrate it won't get cooked.

I prefer to use a thin layer of substrate so that the temperature right on the glass is very close to the temperature right on the top of the substrate.