Hi everyone,

I am a new member but have been reading posts for months. (There is a lot of great info here and all of you do a great job!)
I have 8 BP's and all are in plastic tubs. At this time I am using a wire shelf rack as my snake rack. (I know I need to do better but it is what it is at this time.) I got them (for other reasons) at Target. Anyway, the tubs have the locking lid with holes on the sides. I use aspen shavings, hide and ceramic water bowls. At this time I am using heat pads and heat cable as my heating methods for the various cages. I use dimmer switches to control the temp and Zilla heat/humidity gauges. Separate dimmer for the cables/pads, but not for each unit. The room the snakes are in is kept at a constant 80-81 degrees. I also have a humidifier I turn off and on to keep the humidity around 50%.
Unfortunately I am not able to upgrade my rack at this time. I am looking for suggestions as to the best way to heat the tubs (want to use only one source) and how I can better make the rack efficient. The pads are not bad but the cable is a pain because of when I slide the tubs on and off the shelf(s).
Also, I have read various suggestions/opinions on where to put the temp probe. I have mine on top of the heat pad/cable with the tub on top of the probe. Even with the probe reading over 100 degrees, the inside tub does not get to 95 degrees at the hot spot. I use a temp gun and read the snake, the top of bedding and the bottom of the tub. I realize that reading the tub might not be accurate due to reflective surface.
When reading the snake, what is a good temp if it is on the warm end?

Anyway, I would appreciate any suggestions and thanks in advance!

Joesine