Am I doing this right?

[geckosteve]

https://imgur.com/a/rWsZSun

I've just bought my gecko yesterday and so far he's pooped and walked on the warm and cool side. I haven't seen him use the moist hide, a cup filled with moist paper towels, despite having stuck shed on his neck. I haven't seen him drink either (big dish) and was wondering if he'd even noticed it. My main concern is the uth under the rock. The probe on my Zilla analog thermostat is more for air and not the floor as I've come to realize. The warm side is 81F according to my thermometers and the cool side is 75.7F. If I put my hand on the glass floor it's hot enough to feel uncomfy but not burn. If I put it on the reptile carpet it's slightly warmer than my hand that's a already warm and sweaty. The floor of his rock is warm too. Is this warm enough? I'm scared to crank up the heat and crack the aquarium glass but I know hot spots should be in the nineties. I just want Steve happy and healthy.

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GF!
If he has stuck shed on his neck, it would be great if you can pull it off. The moist hide, even if he uses it, may not do the job. For a moist hide, I'd recommend getting a Gladware container, cutting a hole on top or on the side with an exact knife and putting moist paper towel or coco fiber in. It's a bit more sturdy than a paper cup. I highly recommend that you get a reptile thermometer, which is a small digital thermometer with a probe that you put on the floor on the warm side. They usually cost less than $10. For a bit more (like $25) you could get a laser temp gun. Either is fine. You may find that the floor is considerably hotter than you think. If it is, you will need a thermostat which should be less than $30.

Aliza