Snakes need to be able to regulate their temperature, if both sides are warm he won't be able to cool his body temp if he gets too hot. You'll need to know accurate temps as well. Most thermostats can be off by a couple of degrees as well and if one fails it won't regulate the temp and can cause burns. I'd suggest getting a temp gun, as well as moving the probe(as someone else said) and only hooking up heat on ONE side. Putting hides on both sides is fine if the enclosure is large enough.