New bp owner that just wants to make bp happy!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-With-Pictures!

I went with a 20 gal long and read about using it on it's side (to help keep the heat and humdity high enough). the candundrum on what heat source to use befuddles pretty much all of us. it's amazing how something so simple gets so complicated so quickly. high heat sources require an open top and over dry, low heat sources don't get the ambient temp high enough unless you seal up and insulate. you might want to insulate your tank, 60 degrees room temp is a challenge. I used 1" thermax insulation, you can use 2". it's relatively easy to cut and looks decent because it is shiny on both sides. I am puzzled by how low your temps are and fear you are getting ambient temp not surface temp... a temp gun is worth its weight in gold (I know, one more thing to buy). really, it's the body temp of the snake that is most important, and a heat gun allows you to check that easily. I made a sort of cave by covering all but the front side. best tape is metal foil for ducting (common brand: Nashua), outside of tank only. if you go side mount, you have to fashion some sort of secure front door, I went with a sliding plexi door but that is complicated to make. if you stick with a top lid, use tin foil to seal up the top and make a cover with the insulation, making some small holes for air exchange as needed. here is a photo of what I made with insulation, using tape to make a box for the outside of the tank. https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...img_8119_1.jpg

I used UTH's but I mount them on glass panels and place inside the tank, but that requires a somewhat complicated process. if you use a UTH on the bottom, you must allow some way for heat to escape, avoiding heat encapsulation, so no insulation where the heater(s) are. a thermostat is pretty critical, jumpstart is most economical: http://www.greenstategardener.com/di...FRSUfgodT7UIeg . Herpstat is the cats meow: http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....=index&cPath=1. I went with the herpstat 2, it allows for control of two UTH's independently. I use one probe on the low side, one on the high side. if you want to see more pictures, check out my gallary or PM me for more details. the fact that you care is what matters, there are several viable ways to achieve the proper temp range.

Can you share a picture of your set up so we can see how your heating elements are working? Are you using a thermostat with those heat pads? Not a thermometer (measures temps) but a thermostat (controls the temps).

Chances are it is getting hotter than you think. Throw away the sticky back dial thermometers, they are useless.