(TW: written gore) Difficult BP + Horrifying Nightmares: What next?

[smakemom]

Sorry for the late update, I just started working at a new job and life has been a little busier than usual.

I've been in a small fight with Smake's heat lamps as I'm pretty sure one of them is going out on me, but I'm not sure which one yet. I'm gonna have to wait until they all turn on again when it's not sunny outside. I have a new one to replace it with. He's not too cold, but not quite in that 85-90 window at nighttime where I prefer it. During the day it's fine, though. This also only started happening after I cleaned his tank, oddly enough. Might be because it's easier to maintain a temperature than rise up to it.

He went off feed when he was less than a year old, and started eating again when I let his breeder take him home for a short period of time. He was fed live, but he also contracted a bacterial infection. I had to treat him with an antibiotic from the vet. Granted, I no longer trust that veterinarian (I've been seeing a new one for a while now, this was years ago), but that's also why I did something as silly as autoclaving rat bedding. I've not used it yet, and I'm keeping it in a plastic deli container, but if it's not stinky by the time I use it I can just get more. My local pet store gave me it for free, which was nice, but I have no idea what the health of their rats is like.

Another time he went off feed I was able to fix it by covering his enclosure with a curtain. He seemed to only eat when he had total privacy. I tried doing that again, but it didn't work this time. He only has natural light, so it's not like he has a ton of exposure to brightness. There's a timed lamp that shuts off at 9pm, but it's across the room.

Are ball pythons sensitive to smell? Would nearby soiled cat litter offend him by any chance?

@BeansTheDerp: This is how I've been preparing the rats except for the temp gun part. I'll give that a try next time.

@Homebody: I took no offense at all! I type very stiffly and come off as serious but I promise I'm a fairly relaxed individual. Thank you for all your help.