Hello!

So I am wanting to set up a good enclosure for our snake Raul. I talked with people about what to do with the way Raul grows (he's a big male length wise) and was recommended to keep him in bins that are close to the sizes of tanks (because I wasn't liking the idea of putting him inside a tub just because he doesn't like his travel tub we have in case of emergencies like hurricanes). I was able to get a hold of tubs that were great for him, allowed room to grow and I was able to set them up with big backgrounds I painted for him to wrap around so 3/4 of the sides are covered. I drilled holes for temp and humidity keep and they have worked very well in that sense, especially during the drier winters. We have all his temps and humidity recorded digitally with prongs that go inside the tub and give readings, and his heat pad is hooked up to a regulator to keep it at 90F and even shuts off if anything goes wrong. Same with his heat lamp, "how do you have a tub and a heat lamp!?" I rigged up a lil stand for it with an old mesh and box, pretty proud of myself for that one actually. The lamp is mostly for winter due to summers being nice and warm even at night, but if the air temp is off it i still there just in case.

So I am happy with the setup and it works but...I wanna give him something natural and nicer than a bin with sticks, log, two hides, fake plants and water dish. I wanna give him something that has a very natural feel and would make it more homely.

What I had in mind, was maybe making his two hides out of foam, carve them out and make them look like caves with rocks and look natural and using a safe coating to be able to paint them (biggest issue, wanted to know if there is such a thing or if I need to get a hold of some plastic and carve that, I have done wood work and foam work, plastic will be new but I am willing to learn to make him something really neat).

His log will be on top of his cooler hide like it has been, a textured wall if possible, and live plants if possible, branches for climbing and stimulation, a nice water dish spot and bedding. I was recommended to use paper bedding from a breeder, he's used it for years and Raul has taken to that more than aspen, I even find him burrowing in it, yeah like actually burrowing himself into the cooler hide plush of paper bedding I do for him.

With live plants, how well would it work with fully cleaning the tank? I take everything out and clean the glass/tub so what would happen to the live plants? I've done little gardening but I have cared for plants and kept them healthy, wouldn't pulling them out with everything harm them?

I'd also like the tank to be one that locks, not a sliding roof, the top can be mesh but I'd prefer glass because mesh can let heat and humidity escape and that's annoying, plus when Raul roamed when he was in a tank when he was younger, he would try to open the mesh screen and I hated how he scraped against it, idk if it hurt him but it looked uncomfortable to watch him trying to make escape attempts when he used the bathroom and was trying to escape from it lol. I always cleaned up asap, but sometimes it would be during the night and I would catch him doing that in the mornings.

I am flipping through different webpages for set-ups and such, and I would love to hear some feedback.

I do not however, want a comment battle of tanks vs tubs, I have used both with him and personally they both have their ups and downs, but I would like to get a tank for him because a) he's our only pet and I wanna spoil him with this project cause he deserves it, and b) this is just as much as a new home for him as something that I would enjoy keeping up with especially how cool I can make it look without weird curves tubs have.

If a tub would be better then that is okay, again I am not wanting arguing to happen, just suggestions because I like to go big or go home with home projects and realized I have yet to do anything special for Raul mostly cause I was afraid of having to buy tank after tank with how he grows.

His measurements for reference:

3'6"
1030g
Lean
He's a year and two months old as well, so one thing I have to keep in mind is he may not stay the same size until he's 2 or 3 years old (I hope he does but hey, if he is gunna grow big then we'll still love him, he's gunna be big tho *sweats*)

But yes, any advice or recommendations would be helpful and appreciated! When I start on this project I'll keep you guys updated and show the end results definitely cause I have something in mind but mostly just need info and a good tank for him to begin with.

Hey if I can get a hold of an old pal of mine I can also make my own hides for him out of clay and use safe paint (again if there is such a thing) for them and get them fired and good to go. Some of my clay pots and stuff I made with my friend has nice textures that would be helpful for shedding.