Hi and welcome to the BP world!! First take time to look at the care sheet we have on our site. This will help you out a lot!! Secondly..what are you using to control your heating device? This is very important as any type of heating devices can spike in temperatures. You can use a thermostat or a dimme control....I highly suggest a thermostat as that is very reliable. You can find those at Reptilebasics.com or spyderrobotics.com. You also should measure your heat in the enclosure. Best bet to do this is with an acurite thermometer. You can find those at Walmart for about $12. They tend to be right on and will also gauge your humidity for you. You should have one on each side of the enclosure. As for the heat lamp...you may find you do not need it. Especially in the summer months. You should get your thermometers and then you will know where you need heat and where you do not. Remember BP's use belly heat to digest. Hope this helps