Too hot?

[KMG]

If the OP is the one with the snake and can physically see that the UTH is contributing to ambient temps then how can you disagree with that?
Very true that in tanks the UTH is not usually enough but every situation is different and if this setup is working for the OP then there is no reason to question it.

As for the original question I keep my BP's at 95 hot spot (granted this is heat tape temperature so temps on inside the tub are a few degrees less). If it's easy to just change the temp to a couple degrees less then that would be ideal (which it sounds like you already did).

Sounds like you need a temp gun so you know what the actual temps are you are providing your snake.

I once found a Flukers uth, which are advertised not to get over 100F, was insulated just right that the temps in a tub I was setting up got to 116F inside the tub. That's a problem. Good thing I was setting it up and had a temp gun.

I was not suggesting that the uth has no effect on the inside temps but what little it does have should not be worried about. It is safer to use a uth to create the ideal hotspot as intended and not worry about if your ambient temps drop 2 or 3 degrees. If they do buy a lamp, che, rhp, or whatever you need to do. I just don't see the point in using a heating device above what is required or suggested for an animal because you are worried about something it has little to no effect on. That is not the safest way to do things.

I have seen some crazy things and have found that just because the tstat is set at a certain number does not always mean the felt temp is going to be at or lower than that set number. I personally don't set any of my uth's to high. I prefer to keep them on the lower end of the snakes suggested hotspot to be even more on the safe side of things.

As to the OP maybe lowering the uth did drop the ambient temp a bit. I don't know and honestly it doesn't sound like they do either. More testing needs to be done. We would need to take several reading of both the room and the cage and then change the uth up and down to see what it really does to the cages ambient temp. I have no doubt that a uth run hot enough can certainly raise the ambient temp of a cage. I have seen uth's that melted through a tub and you know that ran the temp up. All Im trying to get across is that running a uth at a temp that is hot enough to see a big change in ambient temp is not the best method of heating a cage and is not the proper way to do it either.