My house is pretty cold, and it's a constant point of contention between us (me + boyfriend + cats). Suffice it to say, we're not getting any help with the ambient temp from my living room climate. I got the AcuRite thermometers with wired sensors today, and they have been enlightening.

I am confused about where to place the sensors for the thermometers. They are currently reporting about 100F right on the glass (without dimmers, but I can add the dimmers), but it's certainly not that high on top of the substrate (I didn't find an infrared thermometer in three of the stores I visited today...sigh). I know he can burrow under the substrate, if he feels like it (which is why I was concerned about the mat/carpet recommended in the Glass Tank Setup sticky), but I can't seem to wrap my brain around the optimal location for the sensors. Even if I get a dimmer and/or thermostat for each UTH, where do I want to get my temp reading from?

This is what I'm thinking...put the cooler side's UTH (based on the sensor temp - wherever it's supposed to be located) and the CHE (based on the ambient air temp) on the thermostat(s? still not sure if a dual-port thermostat is enough for this situation), since they're supposed to be about the same (depending on the placement of the sensor, presumably), and put the hot side's UTH on a dimmer, which I adjust based on the thermometer's reading from that side (I now have an AcuRite thermometer/hygrometer on each side of the tank with sensors buried under the substrate).

My geeky side is totally digging all of this, but my soft-hearted animal-loving side is experiencing a bit of a freak-out with all of these variables. Mammalian pets don't usually freeze or overheat to death at any temperatures that are comfortable for humans, so I feel a little out of my element.

Again, thanks for all your help. Today, the little guy got the addition of the black foam sheets around two sides of his tank, the new thermometers w/ sensors, and a couple of the plug-in dimmers.

I'm pretty sure I will just return the hides he doesn't like (or just eat the loss) and get him another one or two of his Zilla rock dens, since he likes the one so much. He still hasn't shown the slightest interest in the other hides, and I don't want him living in the one rock den for lack of a better option on the warmer/cooler side.

Lest I forget, this is fun...I love having the little snake. I'm well aware that they have survived in less-than-optimal environments for much longer than a couple of days while their owners figure out what they should be doing, but it's in my nature to be a bit of a control freak about my pet's diet/environment (don't even ask about the cats or ferrets, lol). Thanks again!