*First post,* new ball python owner, new member to the forums. Hi

I have to believe that I can have a good looking enclosure that my new pet will love. I thought I could be different, but apparently a good looking enclosure is, in fact, a cold enclosure. My info:

I have a 30"x12"x12" glass cage with a screen lid and sliding glass doors. 12" Calorique brand heat tape on warm side, 60w red heat lamp on cool side (wait for it), 60w blue heat light on warm side, all connected to a helix thermostat. The probe is between the glass and heat tape, set to 103F, so the bottom glass inside the cage reads no more than about 95F. Less than half inch of cypress substrate. I insulated the outside of the cage with cardboard AND 3/4" foil sided insulation panels from Home Depot, bottom, back and sides. Cardboard across the lid, as well.

Using an infrared thermometer, I get the following temps:

Below substrate hot side: no more than 95
Above substrate hot side: 85-88
Above substrate cool side: 72-74
Ambient: 77

Room temperature is 68-70.

So, other than bringing up the room temp, I see one more option. I'm thinking of putting a layer or two of newspaper over the heat tape on the hot side to help protect my snake from too high a temp, and bumping up the thermostat to raise all the other temps. Has anyone else attempted this solution? Would it be reasonably safe? It would probably mean getting the glass under the newspaper up to 110 or so.