Heating Pad Size

[jjhill001]

I would check reptilebasics.com for a more economical yet larger pad that covers at least 30 or so percent of the bottom. Schools can get notoriously cold so you may have to cover part of the lid in order to hold in warmth.

Probably a better species would be a corn snake, rat snake, gopher snake or king snake. They are much more tolerant of temp swings and are thinner bodied and will be less effected by the narrowness of a 55 gallon.