As for the heat on the warm side .. what are you using to heat the tank? If you are using a human heating pad, you could try turning it up a setting. Just be careful it doesnt get too hot. What are you using for a substrate? If you are using something like Repti-Bark or some other kind of loose substrate you could try removing a little bit of it so more of the heat gets to the surface rather than dissipating before it reaches the surface.