Newbie set up questions

[SpiralEquinox]

I'm setting up my snakes tank now and didn't think of this before but will the wires be ok if I put the lid on tight? Or should I feed it through the top. I don't want to crush the wire of an expensive thermostat! Also how long do UTH pads take to warm up. Seems like it's taking a while 🤔

[EL Ziggy]

Where are you placing the thermostat probe Spiral? I put my probe between the UTH and the bottom of the outside of the enclosure. There shouldn't be any wires inside the enclosure. UTHs generally heat up in just a few minutes. Do you have a picture of your setup?