RHP not warming enclosure enough

[Snagrio]

I guess to just show the whole thing outright:

It's actually two enclosures. The main one is the bottom box, and on top is a separate one entirely (isn't attached at all and was just built to match). The one on top is 73x24x25 (tallest point in the back). It has a weird feature where one of the drawers, instead of just being for storage, actually has a hole connecting it from the bottom of the enclosure to function as a giant hide. Have never seen something like it before. Not really going to do anything with it for the time being though, especially since it has no heating element and just one long unprotected florescent tube light.

The whole thing is on plastic due to being in the basement, but I think I'm going to attach rolling casters to make it more easily movable and have a more sightly way to keep it off the floor instead of an ugly sheet of plastic.

There isn't anything in the enclosure to retain heat. You have a huge empty space there. You need to add things that retain heat so everything can work in concert.

Those dowels are like toothpicks and they are not going to retain a bunch of heat. You are mostly measuring the air temp because they are so thin.

Problems aside. It's exciting to imagine what this enclosure can become. It's a freaking barn!

I have a number of plans in mind for a fancier furbishing, going to add basking shelves and generally am going to be ambitious with this (short of sculpting realistic backgrounds, I'm not quite ready for that level yet haha). This whole project is going to heavily rival the work I've done with my 125 gallon aquarium in terms of scope so, we'll see how it goes.

But this is exactly why we try to encourage everyone to fully set up & test their enclosures for at least (!) a week prior to any snake "moving in"- it's so difficult to fix these things later, & very stressful for the snake. Living pets make the worst "impulse-buys"- especially reptiles & amphibians, since they're so dependent on the right captive conditions.

Of course. I won't move Mira in until everything is fully set up and all the kinks worked out. And like I said before, I want her to gain some size and confidence before she upgrades anyway.

[Homebody]

I was impressed before. I'm even more so now. Quite a project you got there. Good luck.

[Bogertophis]

...It has a weird feature where one of the drawers, instead of just being for storage, actually has a hole connecting it from the bottom of the enclosure to function as a giant hide. Have never seen something like it before....

I have. Years ago, when I visited the home of a high-end breeder of milk snakes (etc)- he had a whole wall+ (also floor to ceiling) of built-in cabinets that had "hide-drawers" below each one with a hole for the snake to access the "cave below ground level". King & milk snakes love this- so would a gopher snake, or any other ground-dweller that "fits"- probably not a BP unless the hole is huge.

Very nice looking cabinet, btw- top AND bottom.