Will she Find the Basking Heat?

I'd like to encourage Ember (2 yr old corn) to come out of hide more (rarely does). Base/surface temp is about 82º normally. Ambient temp's been chilly this winter (65-70).

I've got a nice piece of driftwood that goes up to within 8" of the top screen, where there used to be an infrared light on during the day. I never had an ambient temp read up there with the infrared, so I'm not sure how warm it got, but probably not enough.

A few days ago I replaced an infrared lamp with a Ceramic Heater (CHE). I added another ambient thermometer right by where she could sit on that driftwood stick, and it's reading 80-82º. [it's on a timer & on during the day]

I tried to place her on the stick after the CHE had been on, then quickly putting back the top and the CHE. But she slithered right back down to the hide.

Will she ever figure out on her own that it is warm up there and hang out & bask on the driftwood?

We can provide heat or cool areas but we can't force the corns to use them. I have 15 2016 corns right now, and 8 are in their hides and 7 are in the front of their containers. They go to their preferred places, and don't care what we want. You may want to handle Ember frequently so she is comfortable being out of her hide. Some my adults slither back and forth until I take them out and let them have a little fun.

Thanks. Sure, I get that. But how do they ever learn that it's a good spot up there? Am I just wasting the electrcity?

Typically, corns do explore and certainly like to climb. It's just a matter of time before she discovers the nice climbing spot. She may do it nocturnally at first, but you may be surprised to find her lounging on the driftwood one day.