Quote Originally Posted by Dianne View Post
The only way I would consider a second uth is if were on a lower temperature (80F) so your snake can thermoregulate. However as PitOnTheProwl mentioned, this won’t really change ambient temperatures. Yes, heat rises so you do get some lift but not like a che provides. I would look at insulating the tank by covering 3 sides with rigid insulation (hardware store) or foam board (Wal-Mart or craft store). You can also add this to the tank lid to further insulate, just protect it from the lamp. This will help retain the heat. For humidity you can try different substrates, large water bowl, or provide humid hides.

And as always, all heat sources need to be regulated by a thermostat. For uth the probe ‘should’ be between the uth and the bottom of the tank. The probe on my 2 quarantine setups is very thick, so I’ve taped it to the back side of the heat mat...so probe, heat mat, enclosure vs heat mat, probe, enclosure. The probe is kept tight to the heat mat with tape and the weight of the enclosure on top of it. I also regularly spot check surface temperatures with a digital heat gun. You always want to measure temp at the glass or cage floor. Snakes will burrow, so you do not want the heat tape to get hot enough to burn.
Right now, I have 3 sides covered with stiff foam insulation, half the screen lid covered with tape (on the OUTside, of course), about an inch of Reptile Prime coconut substrate on the floor, 1 lg. and 1 med. water bowl. Gonna move one of the bowls closer to the UTH and see if that helps along with covering the other side of the screen lid leaving an opening for the CHE. Thanks for the "probe" info. Makes sense to me now. I was thinking of moving the probe to the top of the substrate, under the hide but I won't now. Yes, I do spot checks with a laser temp. gun throughout the day like an obsessed mother. Top of substrate stays between 79-81 and the inside of the hide stays 89-91. Sound good?

Thanks for the advice!

Quote Originally Posted by Sunnieskys View Post
I use a tank with a Che. I measure cardboard to cove the entire top of the screen. Trace a spot for my lamp. Cut that out a little bigger than the lamp. Cover it all with foil. My humidity in my 40 stays 60-65. My ambient temp stays at 80. I posted a tutorial for it in the caging section. It's how,to use styrofoam for your uth but my lid is in there too.
Will be finishing up the other side of the screen today and see where that gets me. I'm gonna go check out your tutorial. Thanks so much!