Awesome, thanks so much for all the advice and info! Much appreciated.
I'm going to adjust the tank so there's no thick substrate over the heat mat area at all, fingers crossed that will help a good bit! I didn't realize the heat had such a hard time working thru the substrate but that definitely makes sense. Thankfully he's full grown and has perfectly sized hides that he seems very secure and comfy in, the deep substrate was just added for enrichment so it's no issue to thin it out. He does also have a sphagnum moss humid hide as well so he'll still be able to burrow somewhere if he chooses
Definitely want to avoid burns at all costs so in the case that thinning it out doesn't reach ideal temps without the glass getting too hot I'm planning to get a second UTH to cover more area so I can set them lower while maintaining temps.
I'm going to do some work on his tank and see if I can get the temps balanced out better with the adjustments. Will be pulling up the carpet to keep checking that the glass temp is still safe, it was reading ~90(absolute highest I could get was 93) when the tank was pre-set up but before most of the substrate and decor was added, I'll keep a close eye on it. Definitely wouldn't put it past this little booger to find his way underneath the carpet somehow lol
Thanks again for all the advice, will update once things are adjusted
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