[Cazador]

Hi Chrissy,
For the record, there's nothing wrong with under tank heat mats. Many people use them, but most people have them hooked up to a rheostat that you can buy at Wal Mart, and just about any hardware store. Heating mats are sold to accomodate different sized tanks, though, so if you're going to buy a new one, make sure you get one of the appropriate size. Remember that with a rheostat, you can turn down the temp, but you can't increase it above the maximum. Whatever you do, don't buy an in-tank heating rock. They're notorious for burning snakes.

I don't know if this applies, but as I recall, you use shredded aspen as your substrate, right? If so, it may simply be too deep over the heat mat. If you can remove some of your substrate, it will raise the temperature. Try that before buying another heat mat or an overhead bulb. You might even consider replacing the aspen in that section with paper towels and leaving the aspen at the other end of the tank. This should raise the temp even more. If the enclosure is on a naturally cold surface, like tile or concrete, you'll either want to move the enclosure or put some insulative material between the heat mat and the tank. These are probably worth a shot before you spend much more money. Best of luck,
Rick