hello everyone!

apologies first off for any ignorance, i will be getting my first snake on saturday so i’m still learning. because i’m still learning this may come off as silly or dumb.

i have a 20 gallon long for my soon to be here baby boy with the recommended 10-20 gallon UTH heater. the thing is just not getting the temp to where it needs to be.. right on top of the heater the hot hide is at a 90 as it should be but everywhere else is holding steady at room temp. not only that i can only put a Tiny amount of bedding above it or the heat won’t permeate. not even a repticarpet comes through. i don’t want my boy being burned so that’s also a concern.

how can i fix this problem? should i upgrade to a 30-40 gallon UTH as i’ve read? replace the thing altogether but keep the same size? should i just go with a CHE instead? all help is vastly appreciated.