I appreciate that you asked or directed the question at me... there are a lot of people that float around between forums that have a lot of experience and i didnt want to limit the exposure your question gets.

I have not had any issues with scale rot. An ATB will actually spend quite a bit of time on the floor of the cage. Once the snake is out of the quarantine period a cypress mulch substrate is perfect... it holds the humidity and slowly releases the humidity through the day. The mulch should not be wet but damp then allowed to dry as the day progresses. If you get the cage setup and you find an excessive build up of moisture in the cage or temps that dont make it in to the low 80's then you can add a lamp but for the most part a heat pad will do the trick. What throws most people off when trying to setup a cage for an ATB is the misconception that they need high temps becuase the come from the rainforest when in fact they need lower temps. The canopy gets a steady breeze which keeps the temps cooler than they would be in the direct sunlight or the forest floor where the temps are high from all the heat trapped under the dense canopy. As the sun goes down the heat and humidity that were all trapped at the floor all rise to keep the canopy at a consistent humid environment.