Your thoughts on small spaces

I think it has less to do with the size of the enclosure and more to do with how properly you provide hides. Yes they spend most of their time in a small hide in the wild. But the wild is huge. A small enclosure is like that small hiding spot in the wild, but they can't leave if they want to thermoregulate like they could with that space around them. You shouldn't toss them in a bald 50 gallon tank either, though. That's like filling up their wild termite mounds and leaving them to die or get eaten. Scary!

I prefer a slightly bigger tank than our current 'favorite' tubs provide while providing a much greater range of hides and cover so the snake feels secure at any area of the tank. I did this in a 55 gallon tank once and found that Maru was happy to explore the very hottest end of the tank all the way to the cool end. I liked being able to give his WHOLE body the temp he wanted. In the tub he's in now it seems he can't get the freedom to have his whole body at a certain temp. He can be all in the hot area, but that's still got a bit of temp variations. I found in the big tank he would find the exact perfect spot and depending on if he was digesting, hungry, shedding, sleeping, etc. he would be curled up in a different hide, and he used the entire length of the tank!

Two hides on either end DON'T Cut it in a big enclosure. The bigger the enclosure, the more hides and decor you have to hide. When it comes time for cleaning that means more work. That's fine for people like me with a small collection. It's worth it to me to provide that area, which I plan to do again someday(he's currently in a tub due to space issues). I plan to build a custom enclosure. Not as big as the 55, but not as small as the tub. Going to build some cool hides that are safe and secure and pathways and covered areas for him to sneakily explore and move without feeling exposed. If you want the bigger space, you just have to put in the work I believe. I think a large area with tight, secure hides is more natural to a snake's environment than simply being locked in the termite mount. They don't explore or leave them much, but they do, and it's good to give them the option I think.