Hi,
Well unless your house is fairly cold I would recommend not getting the CHE and just using the two UTH's ( you might be able to use one and the CHE though). But your ambient temps would make figuring that out a bit easier.
I would use tinfoil to cover the outside of the screen top as it is cheap and effective and should last for ages. I would probably cover the whole lid area that didn't have lamps or heaters over it - but knowing how the humidity is in your area will help decide that too.
We normally recommend the acurite digital weather station with probe which reads temp at the probe tip and humidity and temp at the base unit and can be found in walmart and other stores for about $12.
I use newspaper as a bedding but aspen is also widely used.
Can you tell me the actual dimensions of the 20 gallon long? We don't classify tanks that way over here so I am rubbish at picturing it.
Normal light in the room will probably be sufficient so you should save some cash there.
But take that cash and spend it on a good, reliable thermostat. This is one area where you really don't want to skimp as it will provide the temps safely and precisely your snake needs for years and over multiple generations of enclosures.
dr del
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