Please help!!

[nico420]

I switched from aspen bedding to cypress mulch today because the spot I have the tank set up was hard to control the humidity and it's doing that job well but the enclosure temperature has been reading 78 since I changed it, only going as high as 80 but dropping back down to 78. I have the thermostat set to day temp to be 82-85 (my room gets really hot) and with the aspen bedding i didn't have an issue keeping the temperature where it should be. At 8 (15 minutes from now) the night mode is gonna kick in and i'm worried that the temp won't go up from the 78. however,
https://imgur.com/a/GHeVCeu

he has been up in this hole for 6 hours, and i'm starting to get worried he may be stuck. I included what it looks like from the outside to get a good idea but basically the base has a hole leading up into that branch part which I didn't notice at the time I bought it (or I wouldn't have tbh). he hasn't gone up any higher than this in 6 hours, and about 3:30/4 I poked him a little bit and he responded so he's not like, dead he's just....in there, the surface temp of the tree doesn't feel too hot so i don't think he's getting cooked in there but I discovered that Home Depot has temperature guns so I'm about to run to pick one up just to be safe. since writing this post the temp has gone up to 80 again so i'm hoping it'll climb up to the comfy night temp. Having 2 lights with the aspen bedding made his enclosure way too hot but should I get another smaller light to kind of supplement in some warmth to kind of coax him out of there? Will he come out on his own? Is he stuck? I get really bad anxiety just in general so I'm trying to keep it together right now but internally i am just freaking out

[nico420]

update: his tank finally broke into the correct temp, and i can see the top of his head now

[nico420]

lol never soon after getting the right temp the light (connected to thermostat) turned itself off and the temp is back at 79 and the light hasn't come on again jfc

[Renigaed]

I got that exact same tree hide for my corn snake many many years ago, and he tucked himself up in there the same way. He is not stuck, he just loves that spot because it's dark and secure. If you want to be able to get him out though, I would suggest offering a prey item to coax him out. Or just wait for him to come out on his own and then remove the branch. As for the heat, that cypress mulch is very wet and is going to take a decent amount of time to heat up. Depending on where you are placing the probe to the heat pad, you may have to raise the set temperature a few degrees to get the top of the soil to the desired heat.

[dakski]

1. If he got in there, he should be able to get out. When he does - REMOVE that piece and anything he could potentially get stuck in.

You should have identical hides for hot and cool side if not more depending on the size of your enclosure. However, the simpler the better.

For example, https://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

Simple, easy to clean, and no way a snake can get stuck in something that doesn't have a bottom.

2. What kind of enclosure, what heating elements, etc.?

I believe I gave a lengthy response to your previous post about digital thermostats. Either the thermostat isn't very good, your heating elements are inadequate for your setup, the probes are placed poorly, you are tinkering too much, or you are not getting accurate temperature readings.

3. Are you checking your temps at the ground with an IR temp gun?

4. Bedding has nothing to do with temperature. Humidity can be greatly affected, but not temperature. You should be reading temps at the heating element. Your snake will burrow to get proper temps.

5. If your room is hot that just means your heating elements do not have to work as hard. You still need to provide a 87-90F hot spot for proper digestion. Cool side should be 78-80F. Ambient temps should be 80-84F.

Finally, in the previous post referenced above, I suggested not making adjustments if you had fed unless temps were not able to provide proper digestion. You've changed substrate, changed thermostats, etc.

You admitted being an anxious person. The best thing in that case is to keep things simple with as few variables as possible and not overthink or over tinker.

Simple setup with simple hides. Good thermostat. Simple substrate, like paper, ETC.

If he's new, he should be quarantined even if he's your only animal.

Paper substrate, basically left alone until 3 fully digested meals have been given. Ideally everything is dialed in before you get him and especially feed him.

I am not trying to be difficult here, but there are people on here with years of experience. LISTEN. READ. TAKE IN.

Not saying everyone on here speaks gospel, but this is a good site with many educated and caring users.

We want what's best for you and your snake.

Please let us know if you have more questions. However, try to space them out and make a list. Two paragraphs with many questions are hard to read/decipher.