You don't need a hot spot per say as long as the ambient is warm enough. I don't use UTH, only CHEs in glass tanks and RHPs in PVC cages. They will heat something put under them like a flat rock or a plastic hide but its not needed. My gals only very rarely sit directly under the heat source. Most of the time they are on the cool side which is 79-80 depending on the fluctuation in the room. Only time I catch them under the heat source is sometimes during a shed or right after eating a large meal.
Also remember, too much heat will do more damage than too cold also. That why I keep my spots under the heat sources set at 88 with my Herpstat probes hanging directly under the CHEs and RHPs about an inch or 2 off the cage floor.
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