Quick and urgent solutions for a bp lover on a budget!

[OtterGoRun]

Any non-conductive material will block some heat a bit. I use aspen (a thin layer) and place the probe just under the surface rather than buried all the way down to the glass. It gives more accurate readings, but do know what the temp is at the glass as well in case the snake decides to burrow down.

Something thin like paper towels or unprinted newspaper will be more even from top to bottom since the layer is so thin, but will still block a tiny bit of heat.

[roboticsundaes]

Thanks, next time I use aspen I'll use only a little bit. Another question. I'm having a really hard time regulating temperatures, and it just accidentally got up to 100, but my bp moved to the middle of the tank (yay, s/he has common sense). The cool side of the tank is all the way down to 69 though. Should I have two heat pads and light dimmers to try and keep the proper temps? It's really frustrating.

[roboticsundaes]

Bump, cause no one replies if I don't.

[OtterGoRun]

You are quickly learning the hard way what a short cut in equipment gets you, sorry. I have been there done that, so I am speaking from experience. The dimmers are nothing but trouble (I gave up on mine after 2 days). You REALLY need to have a thermostat to avoid those spikes in either direction. A cheap on/off thermostat is available at Petco and Petsmart for around $30-40, and will serve you much better than what you have now. It's better to get what you need now, as it will be less expensive than buying a new snake when this one dies.

As for the cool side, you can use a second pad and thermostat (a dimmer on that side will be just as frustrating) or you can use a ceramic bulb above the tank (the ones that don't emit light). That will help bump up the ambient temperature, especially if the rest of the top is covered.