New snake

[IntrovertSnow]

I recently got myself a red tail boa constrictor from a friend & been researching crazy & religiously to do everything I can as for having better enrichment & just basic needs

Intro;

When I got her she was in the tank she was in (no substrate or sometimes paper towels & tiny water dish) with heat lamp & Zoo med thermometer & I think a UVb light but I'm not sure what kind of if it was even still active (as in UVB content)

Update
I've added Zoo med coconut & dry bedding mixed (mist/soak & remix every 2 days & do full clean every month)
Large water dish which still haven't seen her soak in so Im wondering if I should encourage soaking? I use repticonditoner with her water added reptifogger & hygrometers on both ends & bought a temperature gun, I bought reptisun 5.0 led lightboard (during colder time I kept tank at 80 low side 90 high side was about 85 in middle & 60% humdity

Summer issue

In my room I have a hard time keeping it cool enough for proper gradient & need advice I keep warm side as high as I can during day usually 87 keeping lower side 84 which isn't great so I lowered to 83-86 I bought a small air conditioner to put under her tank to see if that will help but I've also heard they're not basking animals so I'd like to make the switch to some kind of under heating option I tried heat mat but think my tank is PVC or something & just wasn't holding heat or absorbing it

got her a hide & she hasn't left it minus when I took her out for vet check up yesterday she's perfectly healthy ❤️❤️ which I expected but needed to know & has since returned there I assume cause she hasn't had a hide that fits in a long time she likes it? Also heard it's normal for them to hide alot before she was trying to get out alot at night or sometimes during day but also hasn't left hide so waiting for update

In progress I'd like a bigger tank but will take time due to cost (if anyone has recommendations best I've found for 6-8ft tank is around $2000
& hopefully some live plants & explore room so there's room for two hides

Need advice
at the moment I only have a fairly large hide in middle as it seemed like best route so she's not forcing any negative temperature cause she wants to hide I plan on removing it for 2 days while she digest or moving it closer to warmer side branch is to help with shedding but I've only owned her a month have yet to see if she will struggle or not

Any extra help or advice is greatly appreciated as I had two days notice to learn what to buy & such before I got her in my possession

[KMG]

A UV light is not necessary for your snake to be healthy. If you like the light for a day/night cycle it is fine but a regular led light strip would have worked too.

You want to hides but don't over think it. I would put the one you have on one side and the put sightly crinkled newspaper on the other. You want it kinda crinkled to it's easier for them to get under it. In my big cages I use newspaper alone. They hide under it and can be wherever they please in the cage. My big Blood outgrew litter boxes long ago. Whatever you do leave the hide in there and do not remove it after feeding. You do not want to stress a snake just after it ate. Just do as I suggested with newspaper so you have two, one of each side.

As for the temps you are not terrible with what you have. It sounds like it are using a hear lamp so I would simple move it course to one side giveing that 88-90 degree hotspot while also coming the other side off a little bringing you closer to 80. If the bulb your are using is making the hotspot or overall temps too high you can simply put it on a dimmer and reduce the power. Dialing it in to just where you need. This will also make bulbs last longer as you will not be running them at full power. You can also use lamp stands. Raise the light to lower the amount of delivered heat or lower it to raise it.

Under tank heater are great but they are for heating the surface and do almost nothing in hearing the air of a cage. If you are going to use one for the hotspot you certainly may but get a good thermostat to control it. They can get way too hot and burn your snake.