Enclosure advice?

Hi everyone! So I'm going to pick up my new baby gopher snake in hopefully the next week or two and I just wanted to check in here and make sure my enclosure is okay! It's an 18x24" exo terra that used to belong to my bp (he's now in a tub that's a bit better suited for him :) ), I know it's a little big since the gopher is still pretty small so I'm trying to make sure there's plenty of clutter and places to hide. I've got 3 identical hides (hot side, cool side, and in between), some toilet paper tubes and fake plants. I feel like the water dish might be too small? Not sure, it's definitely big enough that he could soak in it if he wanted but I don't know if I should get a bigger one just to fill out the space? If there's anything I should add or take away I'd really appreciate feedback! And don't pay attention to the thermometer/hygrometer, it was still adjusting when I took the pictures lol. Thanks!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...818befe905.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...468524563a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4d385eac06.jpg

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I think he'll have fun in there. Gopher snakes are not as shy as BPs, plus they're diurnal (active by day), & don't be surprised if he pushes his way under the paper
towels, lol. But now that you've done all this decorating, I just want to remind you that you're taking a chance that he's coming to you mite-free; to be on the safe
side, use only the bare minimum (hides, water & paper towels) until you're sure...otherwise you'll end up throwing the other stuff away. You don't need a huge water
bowl, it's fine.

P.S. I'm jealous, I love gopher snakes! So I need lots of updates, lol. :D

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I think he'll have fun in there. Gopher snakes are not as shy as BPs, plus they're diurnal (active by day), & don't be surprised if he pushes his way under the paper
towels, lol. But now that you've done all this decorating, I just want to remind you that you're taking a chance that he's coming to you mite-free; to be on the safe
side, use only the bare minimum (hides, water & paper towels) until you're sure...otherwise you'll end up throwing the other stuff away. You don't need a huge water
bowl, it's fine.

P.S. I'm jealous, I love gopher snakes! So I need lots of updates, lol. :D

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You're completely right, I'll take some stuff out and replace it with more easily disposable clutter until I'm sure he's healthy and mite-free, good call!! And I'll definitely be posting about him a lot, I'm super excited! [emoji16]

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One of the "toys" I gave my gopher snakes was a large terra cotta strawberry pot. I had to fix it to a base, so it couldn't be tipped it over, but they loved going in
& out of the holes, around, over & every which way thru it, lol.

Your enclosure looks great and pits are really cool snakes to keep. Looking forward to seeing your new critter.

So I took out the branches and plants for now, I put in a lot of paper towel strips for a little bit of ground clutter and left in the toilet paper tubes and hides and stuff, but I feel like now it's TOO bare? I dunno, what do y'all think?
I've had the che on for about 24 hours now and just wanna make sure my temps are okay, it's sitting at 79-81* on the hot side and 70-75* cool side. Is there a better way to secure the thermostat probe? Right now I have it attached on the outside and dangling inside the tank under the che, not sure if there's a way to secure it on the inside as well?
Also ignore the pink light in the pic, it's a plant light that's being moved before any snakes go in there lolhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7b99831fe3.jpg

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Don't be surprised if some of those paper "leaves" land in the water bowl...when he explores, he'll push them around & if they touch the water, it will slowly drain
over the side of the bowl & make for a soggy substrate and an empty water bowl. ;) Gopher snakes are burrowers, & instead of shreds loose in a cage like this,
you'd be better off using crumpled paper of a heavier weight (or skip it entirely), & crumple those shreds & stuff them in the hides so they're cozier.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Don't be surprised if some of those paper "leaves" land in the water bowl...when he explores, he'll push them around & if they touch the water, it will slowly drain
over the side of the bowl & make for a soggy substrate and an empty water bowl. ;) Gopher snakes are burrowers, & instead of shreds loose in a cage like this,
you'd be better off using crumpled paper of a heavier weight (or skip it entirely), & crumple those shreds & stuff them in the hides so they're cozier.

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Thanks for the advice, I didn't even think about that! I'll switch them out :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ditto

Thanks for the advice, I didn't even think about that! I'll switch them out :)

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I've lived with a fair number of Pituophis, lol...they like to rearrange the furniture, & they don't exactly tiptoe...;)