Heat mat/temps?

[NowViewing]

So I got my first BP a couple of weeks ago
I have a 40 watt heat mat hooked up to a habistat thermostat & a lucky reptile thermostat-hygrometer measuring both the warm & cool sides
No matter what I try, the thermometer will only read 27 degrees C (I'm in an iPad rn n cannot for the life of me copy/paste the degree symbol lmao) & I can't seem to get it any higher
I have the heat mat taped to the underside of the tub with foil tape & the thermostat probe taped on & only a single layer of paper towels as substrate (Was using a combo of aspen & paper towels only to find both me & my husband are deathly allergic to aspen ha) & it's still only reading at 27
Any advise??

Other notes
Using a tub setup, 52 gallons
He was born in '14 & aprox 2 feet long, hasn't shed yet
Shop I purchased him from is reputable & advised me he's an excellent feeder & shedder, they said they were feeding him every 7 - 10 days & has always been fed f/t
He fed well (Struck immediately upon noticing the food item & ate) on Tues the 29th, pooped a couple of days later & ate again on Tues the 5th & pooped twice since, but refused today, was spooked by the food item & just totally ignored it, he's also been really active since I got home from work, wandering around his tank constantly & bumping his nose on the sides
Hes on/been on at the shop 50 - 90g rats
Humidity hangs around 70% since it's that's the actual humidity of my home constantly (I live in the UK)
Feel free to ask anything else in case I've forgotten to mention anything!!

idk I guess I'm just really paranoid since he's new, I mean it's only been just over 2 weeks, I'M JUST WORRIED AHH
I also don't want to come off as an idiot, I did my research beforehand & really wanted to do this/was confident, I'm just a notorious worrier

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***hasnt shed while he's been with me yet

[SouthernSerpents]

Haha kind of in the same boat being anxious wanting everything to be good for the new snake. Right now i have my herpstat set to 92-93 in the daytime and 84-86 at night. Just my 2 cents, and hope everything goes well!

[GoodLookinBalls]

Good on you for doing your research and coming here to find help. I'm a new BP owner and living in the Uk, I have a similar setup to you just on a smaller scale as mines a baby. I'm finding it quite difficult to keep the tempratures high on the hot side and even harder to get the ambient temps right only using a UHT. I was actually battling this issue today and have turned up my thermostat to 94 which is giving me an actual temp of 88 in the RUB. (my probe is outside the RUB on the mat) I would suggest experimenting with your thermostat if you haven't already to reach desired temp, be careful to not let it get to hot though. If you don't already have a temp gun I'd highly recommend getting one. Because of all these issues I have a vivarium set up with a ceramic bulb ready as soon as he's a little bigger. Humidity will always be a nightmare in the UK, just make sure you have lots of holes and keep water on cold side. Hope this of some help to you, there are lots of great owners here I'm sure you'll find a solution. Good luck!