I brought the thermostat, now what?

[Kiljosh]

Mykee man are you sure?

My ball never burrows, but I think you are correct except for one situation.

Owners like me who use a thermostat and pad/wire as well as overhead lighting.

Skipping the "overhead lighting dries air" debate...I have my probe set on the hotside, buried half in/half out of the substrate. It's under the lamp but kind of shaded by some fake ivy.

But still if you think about it, the lights will heat the top of my substrate up. The mat/wire the bottom. My probe is touching the bottom of the tank so if that gets above 90 the stat shuts off. If the lighting up top heats the surface to 90, the stat shuts off.

So putting the probe all the way on top of the substrate would matter and heat the very bottom layer of substrate/glass too hot, I agree. But half burying it seems like a good solution to me and has been working consistently for me through summer and on into winter.

I have read glass surface temps using infared immediately after removing the substrate from the glass to clean the cage and it has never been above 95. But again, my ball never burrows, I actually have old socks of mine in his hide's as a comfy floor. He can't move the socks enough to burrow into the substrate.

Not trying to be cheeky man, just pointing out not everything is cut and dry. What do you think?