Ball python doesn't like cypress mulch?

[clark.matt9]

I can't speak to the cypress, but for the hot spot those analog thermometers are wildly inaccurate. Get a heat gun or IR thermometer that can measure surface temperatures, and use that to take the measurement.

What are you using to create the hot spot and how is it regulated, thermostat, rheostat, dimmer, or ?

I am using a heatpad on the underside of the cage and use the dimmer that they sold me. It does not tell me the temperature, so I recently ordered this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00