I'm only gonna touch on the questions i feel i can answer correctly so sorry about not answering them all
2. I also have a CHE and i have mine hooked up to a thermostat. For my set up, i use a 150watt CHE as the sole heat source for a 55gal aquarium. Balls don't need belly heat, however its usually more efficient since heat rises. With a 100watt CHE and a heat pad, you are going to have to control the lamp in some form. Whether its with a dimmer or thermost stat is up to you. Dimmers are cheaper but are flawed in that it can't account for changes in outside temperature. I prefer thermostats.
Something you should do to your cage is go to the dollar store and by some black foam poster board. Its about 1cm thick and really helps retain some heat. It also closes off 3 sides of the cage which looks better and reduces stress for the snake!. I use black ducktape or electrical tap and just tape it on the outside. Absolutely DO NOT put any tape on the inside of the enclosure
3. Humidity is a big problem for glass tanks. Honestly, you should ditch the screen top. The reason is they allow a lot of airflow. More airflow= less humidity, so limiting airflow will preserve some humidity.
On my set up I have 2 custom cut panels made of some type of plastic.... cant remember what but anything like plexiglass should work.. This allows you to customize the amount of airflow you want on your cage. It will also retain much more heat.
Glass tanks aren't so bad if you have a little ingenuity (and when you get them for free). My ball has been happy for over a year now
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