Blacking the cage out will make the snake feel more secure, it also provides an insulation layer, it is optional. As for more stuff, the only down side is its more you have to clean but the snake will feel more secure with more things, especially a young bp. And the UTH will burn a snake if used without a thermostat. If you have a UTH a thermostat is a MUST! Remember the snake lives on the bottom of the tank not 2 inches of the bottom, which is also why you should use the digital thermometers with the probes. The dial type thermometers can stick and inaccurate, and again they don't measure the belly heat of the tank.