Here's my dilemma. I heat my BP cage in two ways, a sub-tank pad taped onto the glass bottom. The hide sits over it. I also have a 150-watt heat lamp above the hide. This lamp is controlled by a thermostat.
I have a good remote thermister. If I leave the heat lamp on continuously, this is what I measure. When I place the thermister directly onto the glass bottom under the hide, it reads 109F. However if I raise it up about an inch onto a wad of paper, it reads 95F. In both cases it sits under the hide. The only difference in position is its height off the glass bottom.
Which is the right temperature for my BP? Suppose, for example, that I didn't use a heat lamp at all. How would I know whether the heating pad was good enough?