I have tried a number of types over the years aspen, cyprus, coco coir, and newspaper. I prefer coco coir or sani chip aspen. Sani chips look like they came from a chainsaw. There is a massive price difference the sani chips being about 8x more than the coco coir.
I agree with KMG it sounds like you are not using a thermostat (a tool that regulates temp unlike a thermometer that reads the temp.) They often will eliminate variation or at least keep it to a small amount.
Heating is more complex than many think. Most types of heaters used with reptiles are Radiant heaters (the stick on heat pads/flexwatt •uth• or heat panels that sit on the ceiling •RHP•) One of the characteristics of radiant heat is it does not directly heat air. This makes air temp control complex. Simply add a second UTH may not have a huge impact on the air temps. The easiest solution is to increase the air temp in the room where the snake is located.
The thickness of the substrate over the heated area should not be overly thick usually about 1/8 of an inch it moves around a lot so I simply place a bunch in all 4 corners and some inside the cool hide and a and some OUTSIDE the warm hide. The snake will move some into the warm hide on its own.
If you do not own a T-stat you should purchase one BEFORE you get the snake. Snakes because they are exothermic rely of external heat. This is why correct temps are critical. External temps have a direct impact on the health and well being of your snake. Buy a good thermostat my suggestion is a herpstat you will never need another, they are cheaper in the long run as you will not feel the need to replace it later.
(http://www.spyderrobotics.com)
Reply With Quote