Quote Originally Posted by Minpin1985 View Post
Yeah that is what I meant...it is under the glass under the carpet so I doubt I need a thermostat for it. Why do I need a different hide out and the paper around the sides and back? I believe I need to use both a heat lamp like we have and the UTH because to keep the temp up.
How do you read the temps directly above the carpet?

There should be two identical tight fitting hides because they need to be able to thermoregulate. Because snakes are cold blooded they need a heat source, but to prevent over heating they move to the cool side. If you have two identical hides then they won't sacrifice safety for security. In your current setup your snake cannot properly thermoregulate because there is only one hide on the hot side.

The contact paper around the sides blacks out the tank, making it feel more secure to them and making the tank seem less wide open. It's not a necessary but I've found it to help them feel more safe in such a large tank.