I foolishly purchased a "starter kit" for this, which is the tank with the mesh top. I don't really fancy replacing it already, but I'm willing to put foil down on it.

I don't have a thermostat temperature controller either, but when I put my hand over the bedding over the heatpad, its very minimally hot. Like, it's warm but nothing burn worthy. Though it's starting to sound like the pad I have is not going to be sufficient, and the light I'm using is not a good solution either.

So, it sounds like I should get a much larger heating pad with a self-regulating temperature control, with a temperature sensor inside of the cage. I should then ditch the light (? Or is there an alternative for mimicing day and night for him?) and cover up most of the screen with aluminum foil to keep the moisture in (Or should I cover it all... which I feel would restrict airflow?)?

I'm very newbie at this, but I definitely want to learn. And I do enjoy watching him in the cage, and its cute when he watches me back. So I'd like to keep the glass tank (Though I did put plastic over three of the sides so only the front is open).