I have a couple questions.

Question
Hi Jennifer,

I have a female 2.5 year old redtail boa, she is about 5.5 feet long. She lives in a 60 gallon tank and I recently got her a heating pad for her tank. I got the largest one for 50-60 gallon tanks. I really want to know if that is really the only thing that I need to keep her warm. I only use the heating pad because the guy at the pet shop said its fine. It doesn't seem to warm the tank because it only warming the spot where it is placed. I was wondering if I should use both the heating pad and lamp (i have both lower powered or high powered) or just the heating pad, or keep the pad on and turn the heating lamp on every once and a while.

Another question. She always has this lump in the lower part of her body about 1.5 feet from the tip of her tail.. It's kinda squishy and it's been there since I got her 3 months ago. It's about the size of a half dollar. Is it anything I should worry about?

Answer
Answer:  Hi
First of all I use to have a 6 ft redtail boa so I am familiar with their heat preferences.  Yes...it is true that the heating pad will not heat the inside of the tank, only the area it is placed.  That gives the snake the option of regulating its body temperature by either laying on that warm area or moving to cooler areas when needed.  But from experience....it is good to have a heat lamp.  What I suggest is that you use the heat lamp during the day (with heat pad OFF) Then at night turn lamp off and heat pad on.  It is a bit more work on your end but it will give your snake a more natural environment.  Such as basking in the sun during the day.  The only draw back about lamps is the possibility of them falling off the cage and catching fire.  Just be sure to use a safety clip so that won't occur.
Also...the lump sounds like a harmless cyst.  But do watch it closely.  If it should get larger in size you might want to take her to a Veterinarian that specializes in reptiles.
Hope this helps and thanks for your question :-)
Jennifer