Ball pythons aren't necessarily burrowers. Mine has never done any burrowing or digging, but he does climb a lot. Still, its risky having an area of the tank that he could get too hot or burn himself on.
I put my thermostat probe inside the tank on top of the glass. You can use some hot glue to ensure it stays in place, but don't glue the actual probe part down, just the plastic cord. Make sure the thermostat is underneath or next to your hot hide
Heat transfer through a medium is dependant on a lot of factors, but it tends not to be linear when dealing with loose substrate. Basically, increasing your thermostat by a certain amount will not necessarily increase substrate surface temperatures by the same amount.
I would set your thermostat to no more than 100°. 88-92 degrees is a really good range to keep your hot side at, and if you need more heat, I would run a heat lamp with a night bulb or CHE on a thermostat, with that thermostat probe hanging a few inches from the substrate on your cold side. This is what I currently do, and my temperatures are currently perfect.
Reply With Quote