Aspen keeps getting shoved around

So I've got a 3 year old bp and we've just moved him to a larger tank, only one hide for now but he keeps moving the aspen around so he's directly on the glass above the uth which is annoying because with the aspen there it's the perfect temp but without it the glass reads 90 degrees sometimes.. Should I pack down more aspen? Someone said too much would take a lot of heat away and I don't want to turn up the thermostat anymore....

you could try and put down some repti carpet down instead (just under the hide) and see what happens, that is what i would do.

Try paper towels or newspaper.

i've learned that my BP's will move around substrate, hides and other enclosure items as they see fit. i have two BP's in a tank and lay down 1/2 inch of aspen on the hot side and up to an inch or more on the cool side. (my female normal sometimes likes to burrow.)

i think it's fine that your BP moves the aspen around to get closer to the heat source as long as your UTH is regulated by a thermostat and temps don't reach dangerous levels. a 90degree hotspot is fine - that's what i try to keep mines at. seems like he's a little cold, wants to warm up a little and get comfy.

and yes, get another hide and put it on the cool side for when he wants to cool down and switch.

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Originally Posted by Katiecat124

So I've got a 3 year old bp and we've just moved him to a larger tank, only one hide for now but he keeps moving the aspen around so he's directly on the glass above the uth which is annoying because with the aspen there it's the perfect temp but without it the glass reads 90 degrees sometimes.. Should I pack down more aspen? Someone said too much would take a lot of heat away and I don't want to turn up the thermostat anymore....

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Keep in mind that they can get above the bedding or under the bedding so adding or removing is not gonna fix the issue if one day your snake is above the aspen and the next he is under it.

Find the right setting that allows you to have a hot side between 86 and 90 regardless on how much or how little bedding you have, even if that means turning your t-stat up.

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Well another issue is that his old owner used to keep him around 80 in the hot spot so I feel that 90 is waaay too hot for him

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Originally Posted by Katiecat124

Well another issue is that his old owner used to keep him around 80 in the hot spot so I feel that 90 is waaay too hot for him

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Snakes don't get "used to" incorrect husbandry. His old owner had incorrect temperatures that were way too low.

It's better you to start providing correct temps for him now, which is a 87~91 hot spot.

I would also remove some of the aspen. A thinner layer of aspen to begin with provides less variation in temps, wherever he is. Or you can just totally switch to paper towels, and that stays the most consistent!

For reference, 90 is actually not hot at all- just a little bit warm to the touch. When your hands feel warm, your hands are much higher than 90.

I use a paper towel over the UTH. I just switched mine to Aspen a couple days ago and put a thin layer of it over the paper towel and plenty of heat still comes through.