Is My Ball Python OK?

[Wuattaguan]

"He does not feel too hot to the touch" To the human hand he wont feel Hot, your hand is hotter than your snake is! Man everyone on here is giving you advice as to what needs to be done. How come people ask for advice and then refuse to listen? You need a thermostat on there so it doesnt get to hot for your snake. Please for your snakes sake.....Listen to what people are telling you.

I appreciate your concern, but I do not feel the need to make any changes to the heating mat if my digital thermometer says the surface temperature of the snake's lay is a constant 90.

It has been 2 days and the heating mat's lay temperature remains at 90. Is 90 Degree cardboard hot enough to burn a snake?

I understand my body heat changes the way i perceive temperature on my snake, but my infrared thermometer says his body temperature is at 85 degrees.

Those are supposed to be installed on the underside of the tank and controlled with a thermostat, or at least a rheostat/lamp dimmer. They can get up to 120*F and are not designed to get wet like one of the in-tank mats from Big Apple Herps.

I keep the mat under an inch or so of Aspen Bedding,
The mat heats up to 118 degrees
The aspen bedding above it heats up to 95 degrees,
The Cardboard Mat above it heats up to 90 degrees, and has aspen bedding throughout to allow cool spots.

This seems fine to me, is it not? The temperature has been constant